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Primary school teacher

Primary school teachers look after the educational, social and emotional development of children from age 5 to 11.

Average salary (a year)

£23,720 Starter

to

£61,005 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

36 to 38 term time

You could work

evenings attending events or appointments

How to become a primary school teacher

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University

You can do a Bachelor of Education degree, or a degree that is taught on the national curriculum. You can go into teaching after graduation, if your course includes qualified teacher status (QTS).

If you have a degree in a curriculum subject without QTS, you can get it by completing one of the following:

  • a postgraduate teacher training course at university
  • a school-based training programme

You can search for teacher training courses on GOV UK.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and a science
  • 2 to 3 A levels for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More information

Apprenticeship

You can get into this career through a teacher higher apprenticeship, if you have a relevant degree and want to teach 5 to 11 year olds.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths, English and science
  • a degree in a relevant subject

More information

Work

You could work towards this career by starting as a teaching assistant and doing a part-time degree. You could then move onto a postgraduate teaching course to get qualified teacher status.

Volunteering and experience

You'll need experience of working with children and young people. You can get this through paid work or by volunteering at a school, doing youth work or helping on a holiday scheme.

More information

Further information

You can discover more about careers in teaching from Get Into Teaching.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to work well with others
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • knowledge of English language
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • being able to use a computer terminal or hand-held device may be beneficial for this job.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could be:

  • planning lessons and preparing teaching materials
  • marking and assessing children's work
  • providing a safe and healthy environment
  • keeping records
  • discussing children's progress with parents and carers
  • working with other professionals like education psychologists and social workers
  • attending meetings and training
  • organising outings, social activities and sports events

Working environment

You could work at a school or at a pupil referral unit.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

Career path and progression

You could specialise in teaching pupils with special educational needs or move into pastoral care.

With experience, you could become a specialist leader of education (SLE) supporting teachers in other schools.

You could also progress to curriculum leader, deputy head and head teacher, or become a private tutor.

Training opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Teaching Apprenticeship

  • Wage : To be agreed upon appointment
  • Location: Tunbridge Wells TN2 4PY
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Access to Education and Childhood Studies

  • Provider: DUDLEY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
  • Start date: 03 September 2019
  • Location: Dudley
Find courses near you

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