Once you have been teaching for four or five years, you may feel that you have refined your trade sufficiently to take on more responsibility. If you feel a passion for your subject and you think you can get the best out of others, it may be time for you to step up into a leadership role.
The teaching profession boasts a strong ethos of career progression and, although budgets may be restricted, there are a great range of courses and development routes open to education professionals.
How to start
If you have not done so already, start taking more responsibility in college by shadowing a senior staff member, asking to attend leadership meetings for your own development and voluntarily giving your time to support department heads.
It’s worth drawing up your own career development plan as a starting document. Once you have a skeleton plan, work with your Head or faculty leader to flesh it out with the exact qualifications or experience they think would be most useful for you to work towards over the next two years.
Stepping up from teaching to a first leadership post
1. Draw up your own career development plan
2. Maintain a professional CPD portfolio
3. Stay abreast of further education developments via journals – reflect on these and your own learning
4. Join your subject association and attend the meetings
5. Join a union or association that offers CPD opportunities
6. Present all or part of an INSET
7. Widen your responsibilities e.g. exam marking or moderating
8. Update your profile on FEjobs so colleges with opportunities can find you
Qualifications to consider
– Masters modules in coaching and mentoring, leadership or lecturing and learning
– Masters in your specialism
– Institute qualifications for specific subjects – summer schools and evening/weekends
