Education and Teaching

Sector overview

• Jobs in Education – lists a variety of education-related roles
• Working with children - find out more about roles that involve working with children.

Academia

• Academic Researcher and Higher Education Lecturer – these job profiles cover key responsibilities, necessary qualifications and skills and career prospects.
• The PhD Journey – a guide to the key stages of a PhD
• Vitae - careers site for researchers. Includes information on pursuing an academic career and researcher roles

TEFL

• Teach English Abroad – explains the range of TEFL qualifications available and how to find teaching jobs abroad.

To see if there are any Exeter alumni working in the education sector that you can get in touch with, use the LinkedIn Alumni tool.

There are a vast range of roles within the education sector which include, but are not limited to those listed below. Each will have their own entry requirements so visit the job profiles to get an overview of typical duties, entry requirements, and essential skills needed for each role.

If you are unsure what role you would like to work in, but know you have an interest in working with children, visit the Working with Children page. 

To explore common roles within this sector, visit Prospects' Jobs in Education page.

Teaching Roles

• Early Years Teacher
• Special educational needs teacher
• Primary School Teacher
• Secondary School Teacher
• Further Education Teacher
• English as a foreign language teacher 
• Higher Education Lecturer

Teaching in alternative settings

Some roles focus on teaching or supporting education outside of traditional classroom settings, for example:

• Museum Education Officer
• Community Education Officer
• Environmental Education Officer
• Learning mentor
• Careers Adviser

Non-teaching roles

A wide range of non-teaching roles are available in the education sector, many of which are based within universities. Universities offer diverse career paths beyond teaching and research, covering a variety of roles that support students, academic staff, and the broader university mission. Each area offers roles with varying levels of interaction with students, staff, and external stakeholders, and you can often find roles suited to a range of skills, from data analysis to project management to more student-facing roles. Key areas include:

• Administration and Operations e.g. Education Administrator or Admissions Officer.
• Finance and Procurement
• Fundraising and Alumni e.g. Alumni Relations Officer
• Human Resources
• International Recruitment and support
• IT and Digital Services
• Library Services, Data and Information Management e.g. Academic Librarian
• Marketing, PR and Communications
• Student Support e.g. Student Support Advisor

For a closer look at job roles in higher education, visit Jobs.ac.uk.

Academia

• The Different Types of Academic Careers - this page outlines the most common academic career paths.
• FindaMasters and FindaPhD - both of these websites offer useful careers advice. 
• Vitae - supports the professional development of researchers.

To be employed as a teacher in a state maintained school you will need to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through a period of initial teacher training (ITT), followed by a period of induction as a newly qualified teacher (NQT). Although QTS is not a requirement for teaching in academies or independent schools, it may be preferred.

Your postgraduate teacher training course might be provided by:

• A university 
• A school or group of schools (sometimes referred to as school-led training)
• Teach First

The University of Exeter offers the following accredited teaching experience programmes:

• University of Exeter PGCE courses – Information on teacher training at Exeter, including links to upcoming open days.

To learn more about training to teach visit the Get Into Teaching website. 

The Career Zone also has a podcast episode From Campus to Classroom: Entry Routes into Primary and Secondary Teaching which is worth a listen.

Applying for teacher training

To apply for teacher training in a university or school you will need to apply via the Department for Education's Apply for teacher training service in the academic year before you wish to start your training. Applications tend to open in mid-October each year. Popular programmes fill up very fast, so it is advisable to submit your application as early as possible. 

• Get Into Teaching – detailed advice on all aspects of the application process.
• Applying for teacher training – a step-by-step guide to the application process.
• How to write a teacher training personal statement - hints and tips on what to include to make your application stand out.

In addition to the support you can access through the Career Zone, Get Into Teaching also offer free one-to-one support.

Teaching experience

The University of Exeter's Aspiring Teachers programme offers a range of opportunities to gain teaching experience, conveniently gathered in one place to help you start building your skills and experience.

• Get school experience – explains how to find school experience and the range of opportunities available.
• Get teaching experience with an internship - students studying certain degree subjects are eligible to apply for a paid teaching internship. 
• Volunteering in schools – how to get teaching experience in schools and alternative ideas for work experience.
• British Council’s English Language Assistants programme – offers paid 6-month or one-year teaching placements abroad. 
• The Brilliant Club - a non-profit organisation that recruits and trains doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to deliver programmes of university-style teaching to pupils in schools that serve under-represented communities.

Education experience 

There are relatively few advertised internships in the education sector, and most students obtain experience through volunteering or informal work experience.‌

• The Student Campus Partnership (SCP) is exclusively for Exeter UK and international students who want to secure paid work on campus.
• Pathways to Professional Services in Higher Education - take part in four days of training, delivered by industry experts, followed by a paid internship within one of our directorates at the University of Exeter. 
• Research education-focused charities to enquire about volunteering opportunities.

Academia

It can be difficult to obtain work experience in academia as an undergraduate student. Occasionally, Faculties and departments offer undergraduates the chance to work on research projects. Contact your department to enquire about any possible opportunities. One such example is the Research Support Internship Scheme in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. This provides students with academic/research-related experience on campus. All positions are advertised on Handshake. 

Graduate jobs

• Jobs.ac.uk – vacancy site for teaching and non-teaching roles in universities, research organisations, FE colleges and charities.
• Times Educational Supplement (tes) Jobs – the largest selection of academic, education and teaching job vacancies for primary schools, secondary schools and special needs schools in the UK.
• Teaching Vacancies – free job-listing service from the Department for Education
• Engage Education – teaching, SEND, support and leadership positions for teachers and education professionals.
• eteach – education recruitment service. Includes job board and career advice.
• Teach English abroad – lists the main sites to find teaching opportunities outside the UK.

Graduate schemes

There are only a handful of graduate schemes in the teaching and education sector, and most graduates enter the profession through a paid job. Here are a few examples of graduate schemes offered in the sector:

• University of Exeter Future Leaders and Innovators Graduate Scheme - this scheme gives recent graduates the experience of working on rotational placements across Professional Services.
• Teach First – two-year graduate scheme which trains graduates as teachers to work in schools within low income communities.
• Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme – scheme that brings graduates to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers and Sports Education Advisors.
• Some county council's offer their own graduate schemes such as Kent County Council's Graduate Programme.

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page, and for a list of general job search engines please visit our general job sources page. You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students.

As jobs are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and also apply speculatively.

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. Use the job profile listed above to research your further study options.  

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for information about choosing further study. 

Professional bodies, associations and societies are a great source of information and advice. They exist to promote and further a career and the people who practice in it. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector. Many offer student memberships for free or a very low rate.

• Advance HE - aims to improve higher education for staff, students and society
• Association for Learning Technology (ALT) - leading professional body for Learning Technology in the UK
• Association for Physical Education (afPE) - representative Subject Association for PE in the UK
• Chartered College of Teaching (CCT) - professional body for teachers in the Uk
• English UK - national association of English language centres in the UK
• International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) -  professional membership association which supports English language teaching professionals worldwide
• List of higher education professional bodies and groups
• Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) - charity dedicated to supporting everyone working in childcare and early years
• Society for Education and Training (SET) - professional membership body for the Further Education and Training Sector
• Vitae - supports the professional development of researchers 

Most large graduate employers have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer ‘Guaranteed Interview Schemes’ (for disabled applicants) or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as ‘Mindful Employer’ or as a ‘Stonewalls Diversity Champion’. 

The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination. 

To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.