Skills for life teacher
Skills for life teachers work with adults and sometimes 16 to 18-year-olds to improve their English and maths.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In your day-to-day duties you could:
- carry out skills assessments
- talk to students about what they want to achieve
- design learning plans to suit the needs and abilities of students
- prepare teaching materials
- use a range of resources like worksheets and computer packages
- deliver individual and group teaching sessions
- keep records
- guide and support learning support assistants and volunteers
Working environment
You could work in the community, at a training centre or at an adult education centre.
Career path and progression
There may be opportunities to move into more senior roles like head of department, or to train other teachers.
You could be self-employed and work as a freelancer.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- the ability to work on your own
- leadership skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to create the best conditions for learning or teaching new things
- customer service skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
You'll need a minimum of a level 3 qualification, like an A level, in the subject you wish to teach.
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
If you have a degree in a relevant subject, without qualified teacher status, you can apply for a postgraduate teacher training course like:
- postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
- professional graduate diploma in education (PGDE) in teaching disabled adults
GOV UK has further details on postgraduate courses.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
- a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
More Information
You'll need a recognised teaching qualification or be willing to work towards one. Examples include:
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training
- Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training
- Level 5 Education and Training Diploma - need access to 100 hours of teaching practice
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
More Information
You can complete a learning and skills teacher higher apprenticeship.
This typically takes around 24 months to complete.
You'll need a qualification or experience in the subject you want to teach. Employers will be looking for relevant up-to-date industry experience.
You'll also need to show ability in English, maths and IT.
More Information
Further information
You can find out more about becoming a skills for life teacher from:
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.