A day in the Life of a Secondary School English Teacher
June 2022: A day in the life of Lucie, a secondary school English teacher
My journey into teaching
As getting into teaching goes, I probably have taken the most unconventional route possible. I had no intense desire to become a teacher as a young person, no sudden epiphany at sixth form and no sudden discovery at university. If anything, I actively fought the idea of becoming a teacher. As several of my friends enrolled onto primary teaching degrees at the age of eighteen, my firm response was ‘teaching is not for me.’
During sixth form, I could not have had less of an idea about what to study at university, or in fact, whether I should go to university at all. I distinctly remember scrolling through the alphabet of courses on UCAS. I only got as far as A. Applied Social Sciences. That would do. The problem when you do this is, you sign up to a course you have no idea about at a university you have never heard of. Pressing fast forward on the next four years, I dropped out of university, got a full-time job, hated the job, re-applied to university, had several part-time jobs, volunteered, and generally lived a life saying ‘YES!’ to every opportunity and worrying about time later.
Whilst conducting interviews for my dissertation, I accidentally started working in one of the schools for a few hours a week and when leaving university, they offered me a full-time job as a teaching assistant. I threw myself into everything at the school. Because of this, a Deputy Head Teacher noticed the work I was doing and asked if I would be interested in becoming a teacher without going back to university. Yes please! From here, I was enrolled on an ‘Assessment Only’ route into teaching: two years of unqualified teaching whilst being supported by the school with a 12-week intensive assessment period. English felt like my natural subject and so, here I am.
You’ll be forgiven if you’re concerned you’ve learnt nothing about the ‘Day in the Life of an English Teacher’ yet. However, knowing that there are different routes into teaching is important. Yes, I had a degree at the time, but I have met other teachers who didn’t and have completed a degree along the way. There are so many opportunities out there.
Pressing fast forward again, I’ve been working as a fully qualified English Teacher for the past four years. Teaching, much like most jobs, has its ups and downs, but on the whole, is so rewarding. If you are interested in helping others, love being busy and don’t mind a challenge, teaching could be for you.
A typical day
Mornings are usually a hectic mix of finding a photocopier that works, meeting colleagues in staff briefings and getting your tutor group kitted out for the day. Just like it is for you, an English teacher’s day is dictated by the bell and particularly in secondary schools, it is a continuous cycle of different year groups, different texts and different students. Getting to know so many different young people is a huge perk and is probably my favourite part of the job.
What can be quite difficult in teaching is the number of hours you need to plan and prepare for, as well as the marking (particularly in a heavy writing subject like English). On average, teachers are given around 2 or 3 hours in the school week to complete everything that needs doing to be ready to stand in front of a class. In that time, there are around 23 lessons to plan, prepare and mark whilst also consulting other staff in the department, manage any behaviour logs and rewards, make phone calls home, photocopy, report any safeguarding issues, make displays and tidy classrooms (this list could definitely go on!) As you many have already guessed, unless you have magical powers, you are going to have to work outside of the 8.30am-3pm school day. Have a think about the teachers you have come across, particularly the ones who always try to make lessons exciting. Each resource was made and created with their students in mind. Lots of the resources, prizes and treats will have been bought out of their wages. I’m sometimes wandering around Tesco with ‘Year 7 sweets’ on my shopping list. Getting into teaching because you think it will be easier, is not a good idea. Getting into teaching because you want to make a difference, is a wonderful idea.
Teachers are rewarded with so many things: the gratitude of students and parents when you help someone achieve their potential, going on wildly adventurous school trips, the feeling of making a difference and of course, longer holidays than any other job you can probably find. The intensity of the school term is most certainly made easier knowing you will get well deserved time away from the classroom. Of course, most school holidays have a little unfinished marking, an extra revision class and new topics and lessons to plan, but if you enjoy the subject you teach and supporting the students in your classes, it doesn’t feel like too much of a chore.
My advice to you would be to get involved RIGHT NOW in as many opportunities as possible. You never know where they might take you. If you are interested in teaching, then be prepared to work hard, but perhaps have one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet. And if teaching is not on your radar (much like it wasn’t for me), don’t forget that it will never be too late to become a teacher. There will always be a route for you wherever life may take you in the meantime.
Your questions answered!
Question 1- Do you think teaching is a job for life? Do you think you will stay in teaching? Are there other jobs you could do with your experience as a teacher now?
I definitely think teaching can be a job for life if that is what you are looking for and at the moment, I have no intention of leaving the profession. However, like with most jobs, it’s important to remember that you always can try new things. That might be within the profession e.g. trying a slightly different role or, changing job completely. I think it can sometimes feel that if you ‘become a teacher’, there isn’t another option later. However, you become a master of so many skills in teaching: time management, organisation, creativity, patience and communication. The list could go on! These skills are applicable to many job roles, so there will always be the opportunity to try new things.
Question 2- I heard some people who train to be a teacher get bursaries if the do certain subjects. Do you know about this and which subjects?
There is such a variety of ways to get into teaching now, including different bursaries. Although I am not an expert, the different routes allow people from all walks of life the opportunity to become a teacher. I did quite an unconventional route into teaching called ‘Assessment Only’ which only a few universities offer. Because I already worked in a school, it meant I could train on the job and still earn a wage.
The best way to see the variety of routes into teaching is through the government website: Inspire the next generation | Get Into Teaching (education.gov.uk) This website is updated with the latest information and bursary subjects which change within the teaching subjects that are most in demand. The website will also tell you about all the different routes into teaching: some which mean you can ‘learn and earn’ at the same time.
Question 3- If you weren’t a teacher, what do you think you’d be doing?
This is a tricky question! I was never one of those students at school who knew what they wanted to do and in a strange way, teaching found me rather than the other way around! However, I think if I wasn’t a teacher, I would still be working with children and young people. It has always been really important to me to work at something that I felt made a difference to other people.