What do I need to become a teacher?

Teaching has to be one of the most rewarding vocations going. By passing your knowledge and skills onto others, you can help to shape their thoughts and futures, and you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a real contribution to society.

There are also a range of career opportunities available to you once you quality as a teacher. For example, as well as conventional classroom teaching, you have the option of tutoring students either in person or via the web. Distance learning specialists like Oxford Open Learning rely on the skills of professional teachers to deliver high-quality tutoring services online.

Of course, before you commit to such a career path, it’s important to realize that teaching’s not an easy task, and there are certain essential skills and attributes that you’ll need if you’re to be a success. This brief guide will talk you through the basics.

The right knowledge and credentials

Bear in mind that before you step into a classroom to deliver a lesson, you’ll need all the relevant certifications. To start teacher training in the UK, you must have C-grade GCSEs in English, maths and, if you want to teach primary or key stages 2/3, a science subject. Some teacher training providers also accept skills developed through work experience, but you’ll need to check to find this out. It’s important to get some school experience before your teacher training too. This will help to strengthen your application and prepare you for interviews.

To go on and gain qualified teacher status, you can follow a number of postgraduate and undergraduate training routes. The path you choose will depend on the qualifications you already have, the area you want to specialize in, the age group you wish to teach and a range of other factors.

Dedication

You’ll also need to have a number of personal qualities if you’re to become a successful teacher, and one of them is dedication. Good teaching requires time and effort. As well as actually delivering lessons, you’ll need to plan them, mark students’ work and complete all the relevant paperwork. Depending on the type of role you take, you might also have to meet students outside class, serve on school committees, speak to parents and more. This means teaching is not an 8.30am to 3pm job.

Great communication skills

It almost goes without saying that impressive communication skills are a must in this line of work. It’s not enough to simply grasp concepts and retain facts yourself. You have to be able to get your students to do likewise. Being enthusiastic about the subjects you cover helps with this, and you should also have a natural ability to explain things to others.

Organizational strengths

Organization is another key skill. You’ll need to keep on top of all your admin, follow the relevant curriculum’s and ensure your students stay on track to meet exam and assessment deadlines. This requires excellent time management and plenty of forward planning.

The ability to cope under pressure

Last but not least on this list, you must be able to cope under pressure. Your stress levels may soar in the run up to your students’ exams, and you will often have a heavy workload to deal with. You might also face difficult situations in the classroom, and you have to be able to keep your cool when this happens.