Your background
To be a teacher you need to have expertise in the subject you want to teach. This probably means you have a degree or vocational certificates and/or substantial experience in your particular field. If you want to teach an academic subject a degree is usually expected.
Getting a job
You do not have to have a teaching qualification to get a job in FE, although it is usually an advantage. Many people started in FE by working part time and many also came into the sector with no teaching qualification. It depends upon the jobs market at the time. Check the adverts in the educational press or ring your local college or training organisation and let them know your interest. If they need someone with your skills, you might be lucky. It helps if you have done some teaching or training before. Look at our web pages or contact us for more information.
Training
If you have not taught before you may wish to get some training before trying to enter the field. Teaching qualifications are offered at universities and FE colleges, and some adult education providers. Universities usually offer full-time and part-time courses and colleges usually offer only part-time courses, although there are exceptions. Exactly how much time per week is required varies but full time may be 3 days per week and part time may be just one evening or half day per week. The main difference is that on a full-time course, the university will find you a placement – all teacher training courses need a teaching practice element and on a DTLLS (or PGCE) this is 100 hours of teaching over the course. On part-time courses, you normally have to find your own placement. To arrange a place on a course contact the institution.
More information
Our information pack provides detailed information on:
- what you need to do to become a teacher, tutor or trainer in the sector, including qualification requirements
- information on training courses in England
- information on funding available for this training
To get the pack, contact us or call 0300 3031877
You can download some of the above documents yourself if you wish:
- 001 Training to teach in FE (PDF document, 159KB)
- 005 Financial Information (PDF document, 150KB)
You can also search a database of courses for those in your area on the Talent website.
For more information, contact us or call 0300 3031877