I have always been unsure of what I want to do after University but I have considered becoming a teacher afterwards, most likely at GCSE level or higher but I’m not entirely sure. I decided to do some research into what becoming a teacher involves and research into some educational courses which could benefit me in the future.
Responsibilities of an Art Teacher:
- Encourage children to develop their skills and express themselves
- Teach lessons, write projects, demonstrations, discussions, workshops
- Involve the uses of different mediums
- Prepare assignments, exams, continuous assessment plans, marking work, creating reports
- Keep good order and deal with misbehaviour/handle discipline
- Administrative work such as conducting registers of pupils
- Prepare for and attend parent-teacher meetings, staff meetings
- Supervising out of hour events or outings
- Meeting with other departments to plan interdisciplinary projects
Conditions:
- Working in a classroom, workshop or studio
- Average working hours are 35 per week, working within the classroom from 9-3.30 and then making up the rest of the hours with planning and marking
- Preparation and planning may be necessary to do in the evenings or weekends
- 13 weeks holiday each year but a lot of this would involve planning for next term
- Work evenings to attend parents evenings, staff meetings and extracurricular activity
- Teaching is mentally and physically demanding.
You need to have:
- An interest in how children learn and child development
- Patience and adaptability
- Confidence and enthusiasm
- An assertive approach when necessary
- Good organisation
- Positive outlook and a sense of humour
You need to be able to:
- Encourage students and hold their attention
- Be independent and work as a team
- Stay calm under pressure
- Get on well with others
To become an Art Teacher you need a degree in Art and Design based subject, GCSE grade C/4 in English, Maths and a science based subject, and a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).
I decided to apply to a teaching advice service that gives me advice about becoming a teacher and teacher training as I felt this could provide me with more information regarding teaching and possibly reinforce in my mind that it is what I want.
Update on the phone call – During the call I was given some advice as to what courses to look into for when I finish my degree and encouraged to email if I had any questions or needed any help. They even gave some interesting tips as to what to write on my application form and in my personal statement to demonstrate my passion in helping others as well as my passion for the subject. As I’m not too close to applying yet, I wasn’t assigned a Teacher Training Advisor but I was encouraged to call again nearer the time so I could have more tailored advice.
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/lp/crm-prepare
Teacher training courses will offer:
- Qualified Teacher Status that is needed to teach as a qualified teacher
- Classroom experience in at least two schools, 24 weeks of school experience
- Training to meet the Teachers Standards, including classroom management and make your subject accessible to students
- Expert academic and practical guidance from mentors/tutors
To fund teacher training I could receive a tax free bursary of £26,000, tuition/maintenance loans and could also earn a salary whilst training.
For Art and Design teaching, the bursary isn’t available but I will still be able to get the tuition and maintenance loans to cover the costs.
To find the right teacher training course:
- Use the Department for Education’s search tool for England: Find Postgraduate Teacher Training, to find available courses – you’ll be able to search by location, training provider and subject
- Start researching individual course providers in more detail via their websites or by attending a teacher training event
- Get greater insight into completion and employability rates for each course provider, and find out more about individual schools using Ofsted’s inspection reports
Tips on choosing the teacher training course:
- Do your research – once you have an idea of the courses available, you can start researching individual providers in more detail via their websites or by attending a teacher training event.
- You can also find out more about individual schools using Ofsted’s inspection reports, compare and contrast official university undergraduate teacher training course data at Unistats.com, and get greater insight into completion and employability rates from different training providers in the initial teacher training performance profiles report.
- Use your school experience – gaining school experience will help you develop a better understanding of the different options that are available, and the teachers you meet may be able to tell you about other training providers in your area.
- Remember, if you need to commute or relocate to be able to undertake your training, it’s important to consider the logistical and financial implications. For example:
- the cost of public transport and length of commute; do you know where your chosen providers’ placement schools are?
- what are your accommodation options if you need to relocate, and are they within your budget?
Since signing up to the Get into Teaching website, I get regular emails inviting me to attend Virtual Teacher Training events which I feel is really helpful as it will allow me to have more understanding of what is expected of me if I do become a teacher and hearing other people’s experiences will be beneficial.
Within the process of applying for a Teacher Training course, I will have to write a personal statement and arrange references which I will ask the helpline for advice about if I do decide to take the teaching route. I feel that this research has been really helpful as it has opened my eyes to the different routes I can take, and as I have always been uncertain about the future, this helps to settle my nerves. I am hoping to get a job doing art as it has always been something that I have loved.