Become an FE maths teacher
When you teach maths in FE, you can make a real difference to your students’ futures.
Further Education maths students are typically A-Level students. However, they may include adults or young people who are retaking their exams. Without maths qualifications, they may struggle to gain employment, start an apprenticeship, or get into university. This is a core gateway qualification that can help to unlock education or employment opportunities.
Teaching functional skills in FE, like numeracy, is a hugely rewarding career with excellent stability and benefits. Here we’ll explore how you can start teaching maths in FE.
What maths subjects could you teach in FE?
FE colleges are looking for people with backgrounds in academia and those in finance, accounting, and engineering, who can bring the numbers to life when teaching maths in FE.
If you’ve worked in a profession where numbers played a central role, your real-world experience can help make maths feel more relevant, practical, and engaging for students.
Roles teaching functional maths in FE include:
- Teaching GCSE resits in FE, and A-levels
- Teaching practical numeracy for work and life
- Helping mature learners build confidence with numbers
Put your experience and specialist knowledge to good use by helping FE students overcome maths anxiety and finally achieve the grade they need to progress.
A different classroom environment
If you’ve considered teaching before but found the idea of managing student behaviour daunting, teaching in FE could be the perfect career path for you.
Teaching maths in FE is very different from the traditional school environment. Your students are mature learners and young adults who have chosen to be there because they want to get the qualifications they need to move forward in life.
Your role is not to police their behaviour, but to inspire and help facilitate their learning in a collaborative environment.
What qualifications do you need to teach Maths in FE?
Most FE colleges require those teaching academic subjects like GCSEs and A-levels to have a degree (Level 6) in a relevant subject. Industry experience is also valued very highly.
To work as a fully qualified academic FE teacher, you’ll also need to complete a PGCE post-16 education or a similar teaching qualification. Some FE colleges may hire you based on your industry experience and support you while you complete your teaching qualification on the job.
If your degree isn’t in the specific subject you want to teach, or if you’d like to refresh your knowledge, you may be able to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course to help you get up to scratch.
Search for teaching jobs in FE
Find a teaching job near you
Claim a tax-free bursary of up to £31,000 while you train
Maths skills are essential to our workforce and the wider economy, which is why the government offers substantial financial support to people training to teach this subject in FE.
FE maths teachers are in particularly high demand, and the financial incentives available reflect this. The government offers FE maths teachers tax-free bursaries of up to £31,000, allowing you to retrain without worrying about the costs if you’re eligible.
New maths FE teachers may also find themselves eligible to claim the Targeted Retention Incentive (TRI) payment – a £6,000 retention payment paid on top of your salary during your first five years of teaching.
Beyond these incentives, a career teaching in FE offers a stable and competitive salary and a fulfilling career.