1. Home: Explore careers
  2. Further education teacher

Further education teacher

Alternative titles for this job include Further education tutor, further education lecturer, FE teacher

Further education (FE) teachers teach academic and vocational or work related courses to young people and adults.

Average salary (a year)

£26,000 Starter

to

£45,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

Variable

You could work

days / nights / weekends flexibly

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become Further education teacher

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

University

You could do a further education (FE) teaching qualification, although this is not essential.

Qualifications you could do include:

  • Certificate in Education (Cert Ed)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Post Compulsory Education and Training
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Further Education and Training

To teach an academic qualification like an A level, you'll usually need a degree in the subject.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

College

You could do a teaching qualification at college.

Qualifications include:

  • Certificate in Education (Cert Ed)
  • Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training
  • Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training with a specialist pathway for teaching literacy, numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), or teaching disabled learners

Employers will also expect you to have experience or a qualification in the subject you want to teach.

Entry requirements

You'll need:

  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could do a Learning and Skills Teacher Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship.

You'll usually need:

  • a qualification in the subject you want to teach
  • up to date experience in your industry
  • ability in English, maths and IT

More Information

Work

You could apply directly to work as a further education teacher if you have knowledge of your subject and experience in your industry. Some employers may want you to have a level 3 qualification in your industry.

You can then do a teaching qualification on the job. Some employers might help fund your training.

You'll also need level 2 maths and English skills. If you do not have these qualifications, the training provider might support you with this as part of your training.

Volunteering

It will be useful to get experience through paid work or volunteering at a school or college.

You can get help with finding:

Direct Application

You can apply directly to work in further education if you have relevant experience, knowledge and skills in a technical or academic subject.

You can also apply directly to teach some subjects in further education if you have taught in a school and hold qualified teacher status (QTS).

More Information

Career tips

You might be able to become a further education teacher without a teaching qualification. Your employer might choose what teaching qualification you'll need once you've started.

You can also get qualified teacher learning and skills status while you work if you have a level 5 teaching qualification or above.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a further education teacher from Teach in Further Education.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to work well with others
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • knowledge of English language
  • the ability to teach pupils how to do something
  • the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to enjoy working with other people
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • teach students of different ages, abilities and backgrounds
  • develop learning plans, provide feedback to learners and prepare them for assessments
  • plan and teach classes or practical workshops, using technology where needed
  • support students and refer them to other services, such as careers advisers or counsellors
  • complete admin, like taking registers and ordering resources
  • follow safeguarding and health and safety procedures

Find out more about what it's like to work in further education.

Working environment

You could work at a college, in a sixth form college, an independent training centre, in a prison or at an adult education centre.

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience you could:

  • become a senior further education teacher, head of department or education programme co-ordinator
  • become a training assessor or examiner
  • write textbooks or online education resources

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Teachers apprentice

  • Wage: £18,000 a year Annually
  • Location: NORTH WESTGATE HOUSE, HARLOW

Courses In England

Diploma in Education and Training

  • Provider: UNITED COLLEGES GROUP
  • Start date: 04 January 2025
  • Location: London

Education and Training Level 5 Diploma

  • Provider: SOUTH ESSEX COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
  • Start date: 18 September 2025
  • Location: Southend-on-Sea

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.