Deciding if a career teaching in Further Education is for you
Before you begin your journey into teaching in Further Education, it's important to think about what type of role might best fit your lifestyle, future goals and existing skillset.
Pursuing a career in Further Education teaching could give you more flexibility and open up a variety of job options – both in your local area and around the UK. On this page, you’ll find lots of detailed information to help you decide if a Further Education teaching career path is the right choice for you.
What to consider before choosing a Further Education teaching role
When starting any new role – regardless of which industry it’s in – it’s always good to step back and think about a few important factors.
Here, we’ll take you through a few key areas to consider. Don’t worry if you don’t have answers to them all just yet. What’s important is that you identify some of the things that matter most to you, so you can make an informed decision about your Further Education teaching journey.
Specialisms and expertise
FE teaching offers a huge range of paths to pursue, with many allowing you to put any existing real-world skills you have to good use. Here are some other things that may help narrow down your choices:
Sectors
You will find Further Education teaching roles in many sectors, so you first need to narrow down which ones may work or interest you the most.
A good place to begin is by asking yourself these two questions:
- Do you have a specific area of expertise that you want to share through teaching?
- What subject could you be confident in teaching others?
Transferrable skills
Using existing skills and knowledge you have – whether that’s in construction, healthcare, maths or science – is a great way to help you choose which college teaching role to pursue. Perhaps you have a degree in a subject you could easily transfer to a Further Education teaching career. Or maybe it’s a hobby or passion that you’d like to turn into a long-term career.
Demand for subjects
It’s worth having a look at how much demand there is for specific subjects in Further Education. You may find there are fewer roles for more popular subjects which could make it harder for you to secure a job in your local area.
Equally, if you have no specific subject or sector in mind that you’d like to teach, choosing one that is in-demand may help narrow down your options.
Location
As with switching to any new job, it’s important to consider your location and how this could impact your Further Education career path. Being flexible and factoring in how your new role may affect your overall lifestyle is crucial.
Commuting distance
Have a good think about how far you can reasonably travel and whether you would need to drive or use public transport. Having a longer commute can have a big impact on your work-life balance, so it’s important to seriously consider how it would work for you when deciding on a new career path.
Regional demand
Some regions have more demand for Further Education teachers than others. To open up your chances of getting a role you want, it may help if you are flexible and open to moving to a new region with more opportunities.
Relocation opportunities
If you’re finding roles that are an ideal fit in other parts of the country, would you be willing to relocate? You may also want to look out for relocation opportunities if you’re after a fresh start or would like to move to an area that’s closer to family.
Training
When planning a career change into teaching, you will also want to consider if you will need any additional training qualifications for Further Education. You may need a certain level of training or you may simply feel more confident having undertaken some level of study before you begin.
Induction and ongoing training
Most FE teaching colleges will require you to undertake a statutory induction period when you begin a new role. There may also be ongoing learning designed to enhance your skillset. This can include formal training courses in addition to seminars, workshops, conferences and other events.
Training pathways
Depending on what level of teaching you plan to do and where, you may need to choose a specific training pathway to progress your career.
A PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) is usually needed by those teaching in primary or secondary schools, and it provides you with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
For those going into FE teaching, a DET (Diploma in Education and Training) is the appropriate qualification. It can be completed full-time or part-time, and equips you with QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning Skills) status.
Support provided by FE institutions
Most FE colleges will additionally provide ongoing support to its teachers, whether that’s on-the-job training opportunities or professional development schemes.
Qualifications
While some FE roles will require you to have certain accreditation, many won’t insist on prior qualifications. In fact, often you can simply complete your training once you begin your new job, giving you extra flexibility to support your career change. When thinking about teaching qualifications, it is worth considering the following:
Minimum entry requirements
Most teaching qualifications for college roles will have clear cut minimum entry requirements – but these vary between programmes. Some may require you to have a diploma, while others may have entry criteria more focused on your career experience and vocational skills.
QTLS status
Qualified Teacher Learning Skills (QTLS) is a professional qualification you can gain to teach in FE institutions. It requires you to have gained a Level 5 teaching qualification, such as the DET, and allows you to skip the mandatory induction period at most schools. Many colleges will hire you without QTLS and support you in getting qualified while you teach.
Overseas recognition
If you have teaching qualifications gained abroad, you will need to check if these translate to the UK standard. You can do this via the UK ENIC website.
Eligibility
Do you need to provide evidence for your new role? Most colleges will have some eligibility for teaching requirements that you will need to meet to be offered a role.
These will be different for every college, but they can include things like DBS and safeguarding background checks, sharing if you have a criminal record, or providing proof that you are eligible to work in the UK.
Work-life balance
It is not just things like your job location and commute that can impact your work-life balance. The kind of contract you decide to take when teaching in a college can also make a big difference.
Luckily, pursuing a career in FE can be very flexible – with part-time, full-time, and evening or weekend work all possible. You will easily find a role that aligns with your lifestyle, reducing the stress of job hunting and making your career switch much smoother.
You may even decide to pursue FE teaching alongside your existing job, allowing you to help change lives through education without having to completely change your career.
Career progression
If you plan to progress your career in Further Education teaching, there are many paths you can go down. Some roles are classroom-only, while others offer additional opportunities and can lead to long-term career growth.
Options include taking on senior leadership roles, becoming a curriculum lead or a specialist in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). You may also want to pivot your role into pastoral care to provide further support to your students beyond their education.
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Learner types
FE teaching covers many different types of learners, so you’ll need to decide which excites you most.
Perhaps you’d like to teach 16–19-year-olds, teach rehabilitating prisoners, or lead an apprenticeship programme for a particular skill? You will also find many adult learning roles in FE which target older students who would like to reskill after working in a completely unrelated sector.
Values and motivation
As well as considering the practical side of FE teaching, you should also consider why you want to teach and what value you can bring to the profession.
Are you motivated to inspire young people to learn and develop their skills? Perhaps you would like to support others in changing their careers? Or maybe you want to teach in Further Education to contribute to your local community or the future of your industry?
Next steps
You may not have all the answers about whether a career in Further Education is for you. However, this guide should help provide some clarity on how to become an FE teacher – from the different training pathways and processes to reflecting on how a career change may impact your lifestyle.
Once you’ve thought through all of the above areas and questions, it will be time for you to move onto Step 2: writing your CV.