A day in the Life of a Secondary School Geography teacher

April 2024: A day in the life of Dale, a Secondary School Geography teacher

Studying at university

Whilst at Newcastle University I studied Environmental Science which appealed to me because I’m interested in climate change and the natural world. I chose to complete an optional fourth year which focused on Clean Technology because I felt that my knowledge and skills weren’t focused enough on a particular aspect of the environment. I also really fell in love with learning and academic research and wasn’t yet ready to leave University life behind.

First role after university

I didn’t have a clear career path in mind, and I started a graduate role in recruitment consultancy, which is about as far away from my true interests as you can possibly get. It was a naïve decision as I didn’t know anything about the industry or what the job was about, I just wanted to graduate with a job. I really didn’t enjoy the role and quit within the first 6 months. I then got a job in a call centre which gave me some time to focus on what I truly wanted to do. It was while working here that I saw an advert for Teaching Geography.

Getting into teaching

It wasn’t a career I had ever considered but within 24 hours of seeing that advert I had had a chat with a ‘Get into Teaching’ advisor who arranged for me to observe some classes in a local school. I was nervous about going back to school! But I quickly realised that teaching appealed to me and within the next week I applied and was accepted for a PGCE in Secondary Geography. A PGCE is the more traditional route in to teaching. It is a postgraduate qualification lasting a year studied through university which requires you to complete two school-based placements. You also attend university and study academic theories and practices specific to your subject or age group. Alternatively, many trainees are now opting to take more modern routes in to teaching such as Schools Direct, SCITT and Teach First which give you more time in the classroom with less academic requirements. There are a range of funding options for people getting into teaching which can be influenced by the subject or age range you are training for as well as the training route. I received a bursary of £15,000 and was still able to take out an additional student loan to help cover my living costs. I found the PGCE tough as it tests your mental strength and puts you in a range of challenging situations. You must balance university requirements with teaching classes, so it puts a strain on your time, and you must learn to be organised, resilient and willing to reflect on your practice. It definitely helped to prepare me for the demands of my first job in teaching that I secured before completing my qualification.

Dale’s advice for future teachers

My most important piece of advice to anyone going into teaching is to build relationships with the students. There are so many things going on in the lives of your students outside of your lessons. Take an interest in their hobbies, be personable, be humble, have a sense of humour and remember the teachers that inspired you at school.  As they begin to see that you care about them, they will trust you and buy into your teaching. Yes, it is difficult, however there are moments every day that make all the hard work completely worth it. The opportunities in schools are not just there for students they are there for teachers too.

Read below for a day in Dale’s life as a teacher

06.30 – Arrive at work. This is 45 minutes before the school day officially begins. We tend to start quite early in the Middle East. I get in early so I can review my lessons for the day and make sure resources for the day are ready. This avoids any last-minute chaotic running around during the day which would have a negative impact on my lessons. It also gives me a chance to complete any necessary tasks such as marking that I need to catch up on.

07.15 – 07.30 – Form time. I have a daily routine where I complete the register and then check uniform, homework diaries, behaviour reports and house points. I follow up with any important school information the students need to know about such as upcoming events. There are many administrative tasks that are all essential to keep the students informed and in line with school procedures. This is a pastoral role, and it is my responsibility to offer support and guidance for my students if required. I have a unique perspective with my form as I see them every day and I can spot issues that need attention that other members of staff may miss.

07.30 – 10.30 – Morning lessons. I teach four lessons back-to-back up until first break time. I need to make sure that my teaching is engaging, accessible and linked to the requirements of the curriculum. Every lesson is different, and every student has different needs which is always a challenge. During a week I will teach 30 lessons to over 170 students ranging from year 7 to sixth form. However, being in the class and teaching young people things I’m passionate about is incredibly rewarding!

10.30 – 11.00 – Daily break duty. Teachers have responsibilities outside of their day-to-day teaching requirements such as break duties. I tend to find that this can be a time for students to push the boundaries! It’s therefore important that I’m alert and monitoring what is happening. Outside of lessons this is also a great time to build rapport with the students. They can tend to believe teachers spend their lives hidden away in classrooms – so discussing the weekends sports results or new music is a great way for them to see that you’re a human too and it helps to build those relationships.

11.00 – 14.00 – Midday lessons. I teach two consecutive lessons then have a free period. This free period is a time for me to catch up on administrative tasks such as marking work or planning, but I also need to act on any issues such as a behaviour that I couldn’t resolve at the time. Afternoon break then follows where I can take a breather and relax. I tend to go and speak to other teachers and see how their days have been. The professional but also personal relationships you have with your fellow teachers are so important. I’ve made friends for life in the schools that I’ve worked in. They are your support network and know exactly what you are experiencing, but more importantly they are a friendly face you can have a humorous conversation with during what might have been a stressful day. Then it’s back to the final lesson before the end of the day.

14.00 onwards – School ends relatively early compared to UK schools (but remember that the students have been here since 07.30). On some evenings I will run a club or after school catch up lessons for GCSE students, but this is generally a time where I work on lesson planning, marking work and preparing for tomorrow.  This can be time consuming, but it is an essential part of the job. This is where the demands of teaching can encroach on my personal time, and I need to be disciplined and organised to minimise this. It becomes easier to do this with experience – I definitely spent more time working at home early on my career. There is always work that I can be doing, but it is important that I manage this and know when to switch off from work for the evening.

Your questions answered!

Question 1 – What exactly are the modern routes to education? For a PGCE you do one year placement along with your degree, is that the same for the other routes to teaching?

Modern routes are commonly known as school-led training and are quite similar to apprenticeships. They can include the following programmes: Schools Direct, SCITT, and Teach First. Though there are still some academic requirements, the focus is to gain on-the-job classroom experience with the intention of gaining employment in one of the schools you are working at (though this is not guaranteed) as your training programme is directed by them.

A PGCE is different as it is more theory based and you have more time in university and less time in the classroom. It is a postgraduate qualification administered by a university. On completion, you will receive a degree whereas you will not through the other routes mentioned above. Throughout the year long course, you will undertake two teaching placements in different schools as well as completing university assignments. The following link provides information on many of the different routes.

Question 2 – What is the most fulfilling aspect of your job?

Seeing young people achieve and aspire to do great things outside of the curriculum. You get to see a whole other side to students you teach in day-to-day lessons and allows you to see the real individual. Every student has something that they are passionate about outside of the classroom. You can help to facilitate this by creating those opportunities or by acknowledging the work that students are doing outside of school.

A student in my current form class really does not enjoy the academic side of school and I tend to see her generally unmotivated and failing to engage in school life. However, I learned that she is a talented swimmer – she represents her country and travels internationally to compete! After taking an interest and asking her about it, I immediately saw a completely different girl in front of me which I hadn’t encountered before – she was passionate and keen to tell me all about her interests in swimming! We have celebrated these successes at school, and it means so much to her to get recognition for achievements that she otherwise would not get from her teachers and peers. School should be about celebrating everyone’s personal successes.

Question 3 – Did you experience a large culture shock when you first started, and if so, how did you navigate that?

I didn’t whilst teaching in the UK. I grew up in very similar socio-economic circumstances to the students in my school so I was quite aware and prepared for what I would encounter. I think the fact that I also remembered my own experiences of school and being a teenager helped to understand the students and deal with challenges. However, I have experienced a culture shock in my current school in the Middle East. The expectations are much greater. I have students, and parents, that see anything less than 100% as failure. It can be a totally different mindset to what is seen as academic success – it can be difficult to explain to GCSE students that they do not need 100% in exams to achieve a good pass. I’ve dealt with this by speaking openly to students and parents, and worked to understand how UK systems differ from more local systems. Cultural expectations to education vary all around the world and it is important to develop that knowledge.

Question 4 – Do you think teaching is a job for life?

Yes, it certainly can be. The vast majority of colleagues I have worked with over the years are fully committed to develop a long-lasting career in education. My wife is a teacher, and she can’t see herself doing anything different. She is as passionate about teaching now as she was when she started 10 years ago. It provides you with a secure career on a competitive salary with benefits such as career development and school holidays! Also, teaching does provide you with skills and experiences that are desirable for a wide range of jobs. I personally will look to leave secondary school teaching in the coming years to hopefully advance into roles within higher education. Teaching has helped me to understand a passion for student support and access to higher education, so even though it is not a job for life for me, it has guided me into other areas of education.

Question 5 – Are there other jobs you could do with your experience as a teacher now?

Yes, absolutely! Teaching puts you in so many challenging situations throughout your career. Teaching remains a reputable profession and people look to teachers as trusted and professional individuals. You’ll often hear people say “Wow, teacher, I don’t know how you can do that!” because people are fully aware it is a demanding job. 

I am considering my next steps outside of secondary teaching and spent the past summer networking with people in different industries including finance, recruitment, and higher education. One of the most insightful conversations I had was with an ex-teacher who had moved into human resources. She said that teachers are in demand because they know how to work and deal with people. She knew other teachers that had transitioned into similar roles in business. Every person I spoke to told me that teachers are very valued and sought after because there are so many skills you will develop that are desirable for other industries: communication, initiative, planning, resilience, team working, reporting, collaboration, organisation, presenting, data tracking, and so on. The list is endless! Teachers are able to leave teaching and pursue other careers because there is a demand for their skills.