Deciding to become a teacher is about much more than just choosing your next job. Despite the obvious challenges, the rewards can be huge if you make the decision to work in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And while teachers are traditionally employed full time in schools, you can take your skills and work on a freelance basis as a self-employed teacher, often as a tutor or supply teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read our guide on how to become a teacher to find out whether it’s the right career move for you \u2013 plus we have tips on setting up on your own if you want to become a self-employed teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not unusual to find the idea of teaching daunting, even if you’re completely set on the idea. Despite the fact that it\u2019s a tough gig with an even tougher crowd, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages for many who make the leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For starters, there aren’t many jobs where you get to feel like you’re really making a positive impact on other people\u2019s lives and where no two working days are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s more, our data<\/a> a rise in teachers and tutors insured in 2023 \u2013 perhaps because more children were being educated at home. This means it could be a good time to set up your own self-employed teaching business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how to get into teaching in the first place? Here are some of the steps you\u2019ll need to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An alternative to becoming employed in a school is to work as a supply teacher. While some supply teachers are employed by agencies, it\u2019s possible to find direct employment from schools as a supply teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll do this by gaining a good reputation and building good relationships with the schools you work with. If you have a good relationship with a school (including both the staff and students), they may like the idea of having you available to work with them when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working as a supply teacher means you can choose your own working hours, fitting your teaching career around your other commitments. And as you\u2019ll set your own day rate, you can potentially earn more than a salaried teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, while supply teaching is more flexible, this also means that you\u2019re never guaranteed income or long-term contracts. You also won\u2019t receive the same benefits as salaried teachers, such as sick pay or pension contributions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Alex, a primary school teacher who moved to supply teaching, says of the switch: \u201cWhen you move to supply teaching, you\u2019ll likely have a lot of questions and concerns \u2013 such as whether you\u2019ll get enough work or if schools will want you back for future cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe good news is that there\u2019s always a high demand for great supply teachers. It\u2019s all about building good relationships with the children and school leadership. If you do a good job by teaching a class as if it was your full time class, and make yourself known to leadership, you can be first on their list for longterm cover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to teach in schools in England you\u2019ll need to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). A range of undergraduate teacher training courses is available to get you to QTS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you already have a degree, you can do a postgraduate teacher training course in the form of a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or PGDE (Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Leadership).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll also need GCSEs at grade four (C) in English<\/strong> and maths<\/strong> (or equivalent qualifications), as well as in science if you want to teach in a primary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The education system in Scotland is different, however, which means the qualifications you\u2019ll need to teach north of the border are different. Read more about training to teach in Scotland<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As well as technical qualifications, there\u2019s other teacher skills that can help you land a job. Here are just a couple of areas you can focus on which may help you stand out in your teaching applications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The top skill you need for teaching is resilience. The first year of teaching is the hardest \u2013 you\u2019ll make mistakes, but that\u2019s okay. It\u2019s about identifying what you can do better and learning from it without taking it too personally.\u201d<\/p>Alex<\/strong> On top of QTS and other GCSEs, primary school teachers need a grade four (C) in GCSE science. It\u2019s worth thinking about which age you\u2019d ideally like to teach, as qualifications are usually aligned with one of the following ranges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some primary school teachers specialise in certain subjects, like maths, languages or PE. If you train to teach middle school (7 to 14 year olds), you\u2019ll learn the primary national curriculum and specialise in a secondary subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The subject you teach at secondary level will usually reflect what you studied at A level or university. It\u2019s worth checking what your qualifications allow you to teach as you may have more options than you think, depending on your qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you discover that you don\u2019t have the required qualifications for the secondary school subject you want to teach, you can always take a subject knowledge enhancement course (SKE). These top-up courses help you increase your existing knowledge (or add to a related qualification) to get you to the level required to teach a particular subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When deciding between teaching primary or secondary school, you can get school experience with Get Into Teaching<\/a>, gaining experience in a classroom setting before making a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trainee teachers have access to three types of funding. You may be eligible for all three, depending on your circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also possible to earn a salary while you\u2019re training to become a teacher and there are different ways to do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earn a salary of at least \u00a320,598 while you teach in the classroom, with 20 per cent of your time set aside for practical learning leading to QTS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll take an end-point assessment (EPA) to make sure you\u2019re ready to become a newly qualified teacher (NQT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to earn while you learn, School Direct (salaried) positions come up with schools directly. As the school recruits you and employs you as a trainee, this may be a route to a job at the end of your training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The programme gives you QTS, and some may also give you PGCE or Masters level credits. School Direct trainee salaries will vary between schools so it\u2019s worth checking you can afford to live on the pay the school is offering before you apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start applying by visiting gov.uk\u2019s find postgraduate teacher training courses<\/a> page, where you can search for \u2018only courses that come with a salary\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be eligible to apply for Teach First you\u2019ll need a 2:1 or above at undergraduate level. This challenging but highly rewarding route to teaching involves achieving QTS in your first year, followed by your teaching placement in year two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While earning a salary you\u2019ll work towards a high level of teaching and leadership skills, gaining a PGDE. This qualification is worth double the Masters credits of a PGCE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may be eligible for this salaried route if you have a PhD and experience of working with young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gov.uk has a find postgraduate teacher training courses<\/a> tool that allows you to search for teacher training courses by provider, location and subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can apply for postgraduate teacher training programmes through the UCAS Teacher Training portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to study an undergraduate degree to become a teacher, you can apply through the UCAS undergraduate portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deciding which route is right for you can be tough to do on your own, so the Department for Education\u2019s personal adviser service is there to help. They\u2019ll give you advice on applying, getting experience in a school and attending teaching events as well as general hints and tips by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you value flexibility in your work above all else, you can always work as a self-employed teacher. By going self-employed, you can set your own hours. This could look like becoming a self-employed tutor as a side hustle alongside your main teaching job, work in education centres outside of the school system, or working as a supply teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what else you need to know about going self-employed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Register for Self Assessment with HMRC to make sure you pay the tax and NICs you owe. If you fail to register, file your return, or pay your bill by the deadlines, you could get a hefty fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This also applies if you\u2019re employed as a teacher in a school and do part-time tutoring on the side. Read our article on registering for Self Assessment<\/a> to make sure you stay on top of your tax bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also read our guide to second job tax<\/a> if you’re tutoring as a side hustle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you set up as a tutor in your own home you\u2019ll need to carry out simple health and safety risk assessments regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They don\u2019t need to be written down if you\u2019re working by yourself, but you will need to think about what could potentially cause harm to your students and make sure you\u2019re taking reasonable steps to prevent that harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read more about how to do a health and safety risk assessment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it\u2019s through social media, websites, emails or printed flyers and posters, most teachers will advertise their business in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to make sure any advert you display through any medium is honest. If you make false claims about the exam success of your students \u2013 for example, that they all get A* when they don\u2019t \u2013 you may be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Student and parent testimonials are a good way to show new customers how existing customers rate your services. Check out our guide for getting customer reviews<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate<\/a> proves there\u2019s no known reason why you may not work with children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a legal requirement for teachers and supply teachers. It\u2019s not a legal requirement for tutoring, although many tutors prefer to have a DBS certificate to give parents or carers peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about getting a background check here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insurance can be a great way to help protect your business as a self-employed teacher. Depending on the work you do, you could consider education insurance<\/a> or private tutor insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you planning on training as a teacher or setting up as a self-employed supply teacher? Let us know how it\u2019s going in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can build a tailored private tuition insurance<\/a> policy. Start with public liability insurance<\/a> and add other covers if you need them. Why not run a quick quote to get started?<\/p>\n\n\n\nSupply teacher<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to become a teacher<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. What qualifications do you need to be a teacher?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Teacher skills: what are the skills needed to be a teacher?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Qualified teacher<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Should I teach primary or secondary?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to become a primary school teacher<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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How to become a secondary school teacher<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. Is funding available for teacher training?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
School Direct (salaried)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Teach First<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Researchers in Schools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. How do I find teacher training courses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. How do I apply for teacher training?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do I become a self-employed teacher<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pay your taxes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Health and safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Advertise honestly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Get DBS checked<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Protect yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
More useful articles <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Insurance for private tutors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n