Popular UK Teaching Jobs in 2020

Are you passionate about learning and teaching?

Are you looking for jobs in education, tailored to your expectations? 

Then look no further:

At Mark in Style, we believe teaching is more than just a job – it’s a vocation.

That’s why we’re here to help you get the outstanding teaching jobs in the UK. Those that are just right for you.

You can choose from a wide range of full-time teaching jobs, part-time teaching jobs, or even voluntary teaching jobs. It’s up to you to decide which working pattern you’re going to go for. 

From Ivybridge to Inverness, and from Derry to Dover – we’ve got you covered.

Don’t hesitate:

According to the latest UK trends, teachers should expect to be fully engaged when it comes to careers in education. In fact, by 2027, there will be a rise of 15% in secondary school pupils. 

So, if you’re already a teacher, there are plenty of opportunities waiting to be explored. And if you’re looking to start your career in the education sector – there’s never been a better time.

Why not let us guide you on your way? 

Let’s give it a try.

Types of UK Education Jobs

Nursery Teaching Jobs

Job Description

Early years teachers and nursery teachers educate kids up to the age of 5. The preschool education settings in which kids are being brought up and educated provide the perfect preparation to get them ready for primary school. 

Throughout this crucial stage of development, nursery teachers are there to inspire and nurture the kids. The end goal of nursery teachers is to help the kids reach their full potential by introducing educational activities that are also fun. 

General Responsibilities

The typical responsibilities and requirements of a teacher when applying for nursery teaching jobs in the UK are the following:

• Developing lesson plans, work schemes, and education activities that are within the framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Creating a learning atmosphere during class.
• Maintaining records, as well as monitoring and recording progress.
• Liaising with parents and professionals such as health visitors and carers.
• Organising activities such as cooking, dancing, and reading, to help the kids develop their soft skills and socialise.

Key Skills and Competencies

The same skills and general qualifications are required for both public and private nursery teacher jobs. Every nursery teacher has to gain an Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), which can be obtained by completing an Early Years Initial Teacher Training Course (EYITT). 

School teacher graduates can apply for a Postgraduate Certificate Diploma or Certificate in Education and specialise in the early years course. 

Other programmes are the School Direct Programme, the SCITT (School-Centered Initial Teacher Training) programme, and the Teach First programme. 

Before taking a course in early years, teachers need to meet the following requirements:

• A grade C/4 in English
• Knowledge in maths and science
• Pass a professional test for literacy and numeracy

Here are the top skills every nursery teacher should have:

• Creativity
• Patience
• Responsibility
• Adaptability
• A good sense of humour
• Resourcefulness

Popular Nursery Teacher Jobs

Some of the preschool teacher jobs include: 

• Nursery Teacher
• Classroom Teacher (Grade 1 to 4)
• Teacher-Preschool
• Infant Teacher 
• Nursery Assistant 
• Teacher-Infant Toddler
• Pre-Kindergarten Teacher. 

Reception Teaching Jobs

Job Description

As an Early Years Reception teacher, you’ll be working with the children of the reception class. Your teaching should primarily take the form of games and play. Since children are in their most crucial stage of development, your job is to prepare them for primary school. The age group of children in reception is between 4 and 5. 

General Responsibilities

The responsibilities of reception teachers are the following:

• Holding responsibility for the education and welfare of a designated class of young children.
• Creating an exciting learning atmosphere that will engage all children.
• Delivering and planning lessons.
• Following the children’s progress and adapting the method of teaching to meet each student’s needs. 
• Inspiring young children and ensuring everyone is thriving in the environment.
• Supporting the other Early Years staff you’ll be working with.
• Nurturing strong relationships with the parents/guardians/carers.
• Attending parent/guardian/carer consultation sessions.

Key Skills and Competencies

To become an early years teacher, you’ll need to gain Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). EYTS is a specialist qualification that allows you to work with children up to five years old only. For that purpose, reception teachers are required to have the following competencies:

• Understanding of the EYFS National Curriculum.
• Meet the Teachers’ Standards (early years).
• A certificate for passing an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). 
• Capacity to multitask.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Organisational skills to plan the day and respond to the different needs of the children.
• Ability to motivate young children.
• Understanding of young children’s needs.
• Nurturing and caring approach and patience.
• Ability to work in a team with other members of staff.
• Ability to foster relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Some primary schools require previous experience, but that’s not always the case.
• Energetic and proactive to keep up with young, lively children.
• Interest for professional development.
• ICT skills to support the educational process.

Popular Reception Teacher Jobs UK

You’ll find reception teacher jobs under the following titles:

• Reception Teacher
• Reception Class Teacher
• Teacher (Reception)
• Reception Class Teacher (Maternity Leave Cover)
• Reception Class Teacher Full time, Permanent contract

KS1 Teaching Jobs

Job Description

Key Stage 1 teacher jobs involve working with children aged 5 to 7 (Years 1 and 2). Pupils are introduced to maths, English, and foundation subjects. At the end of Year 1 and 2, pupils are assessed with a phonics screening check. As a KS1 teacher, you’re expected to disseminate knowledge following the KS1 National Curriculum.

General Responsibilities

As a KS1 Teacher, your general responsibilities will include:

• Planning and preparing courses and individual lessons according to the needs and existing knowledge of the pupils in the designated class.
• Teaching a class, classes, groups, or individual pupils.
• Marking and assessing the pupils’ work and documenting their progress.
• Facilitating positive student behaviour and respect for others.
• Safeguarding health and safety.
• Building collaborative relationships with parents/guardians/carers and updating them on pupils’ development.
• Sustaining a stimulating classroom environment.
• Providing or contributing to oral and written assessments and reports.
• Professional development with regards to current educational thinking and practice by attending courses, workshops, and meetings.

Key Skills and Competencies

Every KS1 teacher should have the skills and competencies listed below:

• Understanding of the National Curriculum and the principles of effective planning.
• Understanding of the principles of effective monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of pupils’ progress.
• Understanding of the principles of safeguarding.
• Excellent behavioural management skills.
• Setting high expectations for pupils and self.
• Ability to work in teams with high levels of collaborations.
• Ability to foster relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Good emotional awareness and empathetic skills.
• High levels of communication skills.
• An inspiring character that can create inclusive and interesting lessons for the pupils.
• ICT skills to support the Primary School curriculum.

Popular KS1 Teaching Vacancies in the UK

You’ll find popular KS1 teacher jobs under the following titles:

• KS1 NQT
• KS1 Teacher
• KS1 Primary Teacher
• Class Teacher – KS1

KS2 Teaching Jobs

Job Description

As a primary school Key Stage 2 teacher, you’ll be working with students aged 7 to 11 (Years 3, 4, 5, and 6). You’ll be expected to teach in all subjects that are part of the curriculum. Primary teaching jobs require an understanding of the National Curriculum since during this stage the students are also prepared for the National Curriculum Assessments. So, you’ll have to maintain high expectations for yourself and your class.

General Responsibilities

Your responsibilities as a KS2 Teacher will include the following:

• Planning and preparing courses and individual lessons according to the needs and existing knowledge of the pupils in the designated class.
• Setting and supervising work by pupils.
• Teaching classes, groups, or individual pupils.
• Marking and assessing the work of the pupils and to document their progress.
• Maintaining positive behaviour and respect for others among pupils.
• Safeguarding health and safety.
• Building collaborative relationships with parents/guardians/carers and updating them on pupils’ development.
• Sustaining a stimulating classroom environment.
• Providing or contributing to oral and written assessments and reports.
• Professional development with current educational thinking and practice, by attending courses, workshops, and meetings.

Key Skills and Competencies

Some of the key skills and competencies are:

• Understanding of the National Curriculum.
• A passion for all subjects.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a team with other members of staff.
• Ability to foster relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Interest in professional development.
• Some primary schools require previous experience. They might offer support for NQT by providing support from an experienced KS2 team.
• Bringing fresh ideas to the role.   
• An inspiring character that can create inclusive and interesting lessons for your pupils.
• Serve as a leading example for your pupils and the other members of staff.
• ICT skills to support the educational process.

Popular Primary Teaching Opportunities in the UK

You’ll find this teaching position under the following titles:

• KS2 Classroom Teacher
• KS2 Teacher – full time, permanent contract
• KS2 Teacher (fixed-term, 12 months, maternity cover)
• Key Stage 2 Teacher vacancy
• KS2 Teacher

Secondary School Teaching Jobs

Job Description

As a secondary school teacher, you’ll be working with students aged 11-16 (Key Stage 3 and 4) At the end of each Key Stage, you’ll be formally assessing the pupils’ progress and performance. During this stage, the students are prepared for taking GCSEs or other national qualifications, and high expectations from pupils and self have to be established and maintained. 

Secondary school teachers follow the national curriculum unless they are part of a free school. 

General Responsibilities

Your responsibilities as a Secondary Subject Teacher will include:

• Planning, resourcing, and delivering lessons and sequences of lessons with direction from the Subject Leader and within the context of the school’s curriculum.
• Marking and assessing pupils’ work and documenting their progress.
• Safeguarding health and safety.
• Maintaining cooperative relationships with parents/guardians/carers and updating them on pupils’ development.
• Sustaining a stimulating classroom environment.
• Helping to maintain discipline and ensuring the health and wellbeing of pupils at all times.
• Providing or contributing to conducting oral and written assessments and reports.
• Professional development with current educational thinking and practice by attending courses, workshops, and meetings.
• Participating in the preparation of pupils for external examinations.
• Contributing to the school’s life.

Key Skills and Competencies

Every secondary school teacher should complete an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education or Training (ITT) programme to obtain a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree or a degree in a subject that is part of the secondary school curriculum.

Then, they need to complete a postgraduate teacher training programme, such as a PGCE or PGDE. In addition to the certificate, there are other skills and competencies they should have.

These include:

• Awareness of current developments in the teaching at all levels, including KS3 and 4, GCSE, and KS5.
• Excellent subject knowledge. 
• Excellent communicator with effective interpersonal and organisational skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a team with other staff members.
• Ability to foster relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Commitment to professional development.
• Possess an inspiring character that can create inclusive and interesting lessons for your pupils.
• You should serve as a leading example for your pupils and the staff.
• Confident user of IT.
• Willing to contribute to all aspects of school life.

Popular Secondary Teaching Jobs

You’ll find this teaching position under the following titles:

• English Teacher Jobs
• Teacher of English
• UK Music Teaching Jobs
• Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages
• Teacher of Spanish
• Teacher of Geography
• History Teacher Jobs UK
• ICT Teacher Jobs UK
• Teacher of Biology
• Art Teacher Jobs UK
• Teacher of Music
• Science Teacher
• Teacher of Art
• Maths Teacher Jobs In UK

UK University Teaching Jobs

Job Description

To become a lecturer at a UK university, you’ll need to be a holder or a candidate for a PhD degree. The main aspect of your teaching will include lecturing, leading seminars, doing research, and administration. You’ll be working with graduate and post-graduate students aged 18 and above. 

Depending on your level of experience and other important criteria, your responsibilities will be to lead or contribute to courses, seminars, tutorials, labs, and lectures as well as to evaluate the students’ success. 

General Responsibilities

The responsibilities for this teaching position are as follows:

• Delivering lectures, seminars, and tutorials.
• Preparing or contributing to the development of new modules and teaching materials.
• Developing and implementing new methods of teaching to reflect changes in research.
• Assessing students’ coursework.
• Preparing or contributing to setting and marking exams.
• Supervising students’ research activities, undergraduate and Master’s dissertation, or PhD theses.
• Being a part of or supervising a research group.
• Undertaking research projects and preparing peer-reviewed publications.
• Carrying out administrative tasks.
• Involvement in conferences and seminars in your research area.
• Establishing cooperations with other institutions, industrial and public organisations, and individuals.
• Participating in the overall life of the institution.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Enthusiasm for a certain research area of specialisation.
• Participating in or publishing research. 
• Keen on participating in professional conferences and seminars.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to support you in writing reports, applications for funding, delivering lectures, workshops, and presentations.
• Networking skills to support you in establishing and maintaining relationships with fellow researchers and research groups in your home institution, nationally, and internationally.
• The ability to multitask between organising your workload and research group and administrative responsibilities.
• Analytical skills.
• Expertise in your subject area.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Commitment to professional development.
• You should serve as a leading example for your pupils and the staff.
• Confident user of IT.
• Willing to contribute to all aspects of the institution.

Popular Lecturing Jobs

These teaching positions can also be found under the titles of Teaching Fellow, Research Fellow, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, and Professor.

UK Teaching Assistant Jobs

Job Description

Teaching assistantships are supporting roles in schools. To be a teaching assistant, you should already be qualified or be keen on getting a qualification. Depending on the position, you’ll be working with pupils of different ages and different educational needs. Teaching assistant roles are available in primary and secondary schools, as well as in universities.

General Responsibilities

If you consider yourself to be a good fit in this teaching position, some of the daily responsibilities of UK teaching assistants are:

• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils.
• Participating in the planning and evaluation of learning activities.
• Monitoring and providing feedback on pupil behaviour.
• Intervening in resolving complex, difficult, or very challenging issues.
• Carefully monitoring the health and wellbeing of the pupils.
• Maintaining high expectations of behaviour.
• Supporting the development of the cognitive, social, emotional, behavioural, and physical wellbeing of the pupils.
• Cooperating with the team, as well as the parents/carers. 
• Attending to pupils’ care needs.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Commitment to the work. 
• Positive and creative in meeting pupils’ needs.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Competent ICT skills.
• You should serve as a leading example for your pupils and the staff.
• ICT skills to support the educational process.

Popular Teacher Assistant Jobs in the UK

Based on the different education phases a teaching assistant can be a part of, some of the most common titles for this teaching position are the following: 

• Teaching Assistant (Special Educational Needs)
• Teaching Assistant for Early Years
• Teaching Assistant – Primary
• Teaching Assistant Level 1
• Teaching Assistant Level 2
• Higher Level Teaching Assistant
• Teaching Assistant – EYFS and KS2

Volunteer Tutors

Job Description

As a volunteer tutor, you’ll be expected to support individuals or groups in achieving better performance at certain courses or for the overall education process. You’ll be responsible to inspire, motivate, and encourage pupils, as well as identify their needs and respond to them. The age of the pupils may vary according to the position.

General Responsibilities

• Planning and preparing courses and individual lessons according to the needs and existing knowledge of the pupils.
• Teaching groups or individual pupils.
• Assessing the pupils’ work and documenting their progress.
• Building collaborative relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Maintaining a stimulating learning environment.
• Your responsibilities may vary according to the particular job opportunity.

Key Skills and Competencies

• There is no standard qualification training in the UK for tutors.
• Understanding of the school curriculum if needed. 
• A passion for all or specialised in certain subjects.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to nurture relationships with parents/guardians/carers.
• Interest in professional development.
• Previous experience may be required, but that’s not the case everywhere. 
• An inspiring character that will motivate your pupils.
• ICT skills.

Popular Volunteer Tutor Positions 

You’ll find this teaching position under the following titles:

• Volunteer English/Maths Tutor
• Voluntary Teaching Jobs in London
• Maths Tutor
• Drama Tutor
• Italian Tutor
• German Tutor

Online Teaching Jobs

Job Description

Are you looking for UK-based online teaching jobs? Now, you have the chance to be miles away and do the work remotely. You can even get some jobs that UK private school teaching jobs would have an open position for.

As an online teacher, you will be working with different age groups. Your competencies and skills need to meet the individual or group needs of a certain available position. 

General Responsibilities

• Providing engaging online lessons to pupils.
• Planning and preparing courses and individual lessons according to the needs and existing knowledge of the pupils.
• Teaching groups or individual pupils.
• Assessing the work of the pupils and documenting their progress.
• Your responsibilities may vary according to the particular job opportunity.

Key Skills and Competencies

• ICT skills are vital.
• Understanding of the school curriculum if needed or preparing your own.
• A passion for all or specialised in certain subjects.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Previous experience may be required, but it’s not necessarily.

Popular Online Teaching Jobs

If you want to get an online teaching job, here are the titles under which you should search for this position:

• Secondary Online Teaching
• Online Lecturer
• Online Learning Tutor
• Online Maths Teacher
• Hindi Teaching Jobs UK
• Photography Teacher Jobs UK
• Urdu Teaching Jobs
• Classics Teacher Jobs UK

Teaching Jobs UK for Foreigners 

Can foreign teachers teach in the UK?

Indeed, they can. 

Here’s the deal:

If you are considering relocating to the UK and you are looking for a job as a teacher, there are a few things you should keep in mind. That includes information such as what are the teaching certificates required, how to obtain a visa to be eligible for work, and whether previous experience is needed. 

Check out the details below. 

Teaching Certificates

Broadly speaking, the UK educational system includes maintained and independent schools. Academies and free schools don’t have to follow the national curriculum, but they participate in the same KS3 and GCSE exams.

Maintained schools, on the other hand, must follow the national curriculum. Depending on the type of school, teachers are hired based on different criteria and with different contracts.

Now:

To teach in maintained schools, you have to obtain a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by undertaking Initial Teacher Training (ITT) or Initial Teacher Education (ITE). For some independent schools, academies, and free schools, QTS (England and Wales) or TQ (Scotland) may not be specified as an entry requirement.

This is important:

Teaching jobs in the UK for overseas teachers, including teaching jobs in the UK for Indian teachers are available only for qualified teacher status (QTS) in a maintained primary school, secondary and special school, and a non-maintained special school. 

Maintained schools are part of the state-funded school system in England. In maintained schools, funding and oversight are generally provided by the local authority. Maintained schools make up the majority of schools in England.

Teaching Experience

If you already have a qualification in your home country which is outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the US, you will usually need to complete an accredited training programme in England. As soon as you get a QTS, you’ll be able to apply for a job in maintained or non-maintained special school.

However, experienced teachers who have obtained a degree may be able to demonstrate that they already meet the QTS qualification by assessment only route.

Visa Sponsorships

Unless you are aged 18 to 30 and a citizen of certain countries, in which case you’ll need to apply for a Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) Visa, you’ll need to apply for a Tier 2 Visa, which is the general UK work visa.

If you happen to be a qualified teacher from one of the countries mentioned below, you’re eligible to work for up to 2 years in the UK on a Tier 5 Visa. The list includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. You can also apply if you’re aged 18 to 30. 

You will also have to pay the application fees and the healthcare surcharge. After that, you can live and work in the UK for up to 24 months. It’s important to note that you will have to have £1,890 in savings.

Tier 2 Teaching Jobs

To be eligible for UK Tier 2 teaching jobs and apply for a working visa, you’ll need sponsorship by a licensed sponsor. Not all schools in England are licensed sponsors, so you will certainly need to partner with schools that can sponsor you. 

You can apply for a visa no earlier than 3 months before you’re due to start work in the UK. The date you can start is listed on your certificate of sponsorship. And you will get your visa decision within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK. You can also request a faster decision, which will cost you more.

The job description, general responsibilities, and the key skills and competencies vary accordingly to the advertised vacancies.

Salaries

The salaries differ depending on whether you’re a qualified teacher or not and are based on your performance.

Additionally, they vary depending on the location. Teaching jobs in London are usually better paid, for instance. In any event, teachers in the UK are on competitive salary pay. The more you develop your expertise, the higher your salary will be.

So, you should start with teacher training and then continuously learn to achieve progress in your career.

Working Hours

When it comes to teachers’ working hours, it depends on the individual position. However, surveys show that the majority of the teachers’ workload is reserved for preparing classes. Teachers are not excluded from working over hours.

Teaching Jobs for Everyone

Nowadays, a teaching job can also be a viable option for students and freelancers. So, if you don’t have a degree, it doesn’t mean that you can’t apply for an online teaching position. There are many teaching posts that provide positions for interns. 

In addition, we’ll provide some information concerning these teaching job positions:

Teaching Jobs for Freelancers

Some of the basic requirements when it comes to such teaching jobs in the UK are the following:

• Previous experience in teaching one or more of the following subjects: Maths, English, courses for elementary and high school, and SAT.
• Ability to work online from a computer, basic computer skills, and proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Experience with different teaching platforms and willingness to learn new teaching platforms.
• Ability to work remotely, while using multiple communication and collaboration tools, such as Skype, Zoom, and Google Docs.

When it comes to salary expectations, the teaching jobs UK salary starts from £12 per hour.

Teaching Jobs for Students/Interns

Interns are required to work closely with the teachers, assist them, and take part in class discussions, lesson planning, homework, testing, etc. Some of the basic requirements that interns need to meet when applying for teacher training jobs in the UK are the following:

• Most of the time, it’s expected for the applicants to be at least third year at university and have a passion for teaching. 
• High GPA, as well as personal and professional integrity.
• Knowledge and proficiency in computer programs such as Google Calendars, Excel, MS Word, Gmail, etc.
• They should be collaborative, detail-oriented, communicative, and approachable.

The salary of interns varies highly, depending on the company. Let’s say that for education jobs in Manchester, the average salary for interns would be £17,000 yearly.

Top UK Cities for Teaching Jobs

In general, studies show that Scotland is on top when it comes to working as a nursery and primary school teacher. In addition, Wales is the best working place for secondary school teachers. 

Outside London, the North East of England would pay nursery and primary school teachers an annual salary of £31,390. 

However, the top cities for education jobs in the UK are London, Manchester, and Liverpool. In all three cities, there are plenty of teaching jobs on offer. Teacher’s salaries in England range between £24,373 to £30,480, the highest being in London. 

Let’s take a look at a more detailed description, defining the differences between the cities.

London

It’s expected that within the next 5 years, there will be a shortage of 7,500 teachers. And it’s all due to the trend among Londoners to leave their teaching jobs. 

Manchester 

A teacher’s average salary in Manchester is £37,500. In order to deal with the shortage of teachers, school leaders held a North West Education Summit in 2018. The major decisions revolved around the need to increase the funding and get more teachers into schools to cope with the increase in the workload. 

Liverpool 

Four out of ten teachers in Merseyside plan to quit. The reason behind this worrying trend is excessive accountability and huge workloads. This means there will be a pressing need for new teachers in the next few years.

Final Thoughts

Many people wonder:

Is there a teacher shortage in the UK?

The answer is an unequivocal Yes.

But this also means that there’s no shortage of opportunities for you to indulge your passion for teaching. 

Whether you’re looking for positions in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland:

At Mark in Style, we’re here to assist you on your exciting journey towards a fulfilling career in education. 

And now that you know what teaching jobs the UK has to offer, you’re all set to take on the job market with our help.

And when you look back to where it all started, we’ll be right here, waving you on. 

Happy job hunting!