What is life like as a Further Education Teacher?
Ask any Further Education (FE) teacher to describe a "typical" day, and the answer will rarely be the same twice. Life in FE and FE teacher responsibilities are varied and incredibly rewarding.
Teaching isn’t simply curriculum-based, like in a primary or secondary school. With FE teaching, you’re preparing people for the real world. Whether you’re teaching a trade to school leavers or helping adults to retrain for a new career, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping futures.
If you’re looking for a job where no two days are alike, you’ll find it teaching in FE.
What to expect day-to-day
Hands-on teaching and training
You’ll spend a significant part of your day teaching. But this rarely means standing at the front of a lecture hall. FE teaching is all about equipping your students with practical skills.
You might spend your morning in a workshop helping engineering students with T Level projects, running a simulation in a digital suite, or supervising a trainee in a salon. The focus is on getting students work-ready.
It’s up to you to use your industry expertise to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application.
Supporting a diverse range of learners
The FE classroom is an incredibly inclusive environment. You’ll work with a wide spectrum of students, often within the same day.
You could be mentoring 16-18 year olds taking their first steps towards independence, supporting learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or teaching evening classes to adults returning to education.
Many students in FE are looking for a second chance or a fresh start. Your role as a mentor and motivator is just as important as your job as an educator.
Offering pastoral care alongside curriculum planning
Great teaching requires preparation and empathy. Alongside lesson planning and marking, your time outside the classroom will also be spent providing pastoral support to students who may be facing personal challenges. You will also have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and keep your industry links alive. Colleges often hold liaison meetings with local employers to ensure courses are up to date. This means you can maintain your professional network while shaping the curriculum to address the industry challenges of today.
The rewards of the role
The greatest benefit of teaching in FE is the impact you have on your students. You can see your success as a teacher by the skills your students learn and the careers they go on to forge in their chosen industry.
It is the moment a student passes a maths GCSE, putting years of struggle behind them. Or when an apprentice tells you they have secured their dream job thanks to your guidance.
This sense of professional satisfaction, of knowing you have directly improved someone’s chances in life, is the reason so many industry experts choose to teach in FE.
The challenges of FE teaching and the available support
Every rewarding career can come with its challenges, and FE teaching is no different. You’ll need resilience and patience to manage diverse learning needs, handle administrative workloads, and support students with complex personal lives.
But you’re not alone. Colleges and FE teaching providers are collaborative communities. You’ll be part of a team and will have experienced colleagues to lean on. There are formal support systems too, including the Teacher Mentoring Programme.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) also means you’re always improving your teaching skills and developing the tools to meet these challenges head-on.
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A career offering flexibility and balance
FE offers a level of flexibility that is hard to find in other sectors. You’ll often find options for part-time contracts, sessional (hourly) work, and evening teaching. This means you can likely build a working pattern that suits your lifestyle.
Combined with a generous holiday allowance and pension schemes, FE teaching can help support a healthy work-life balance.