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Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

Teacher training

I have got a position as a Learning Support Assistant in Maths at the high school academy that I attended. I have both a bachelors and masters degree and feel like there is a better route into teaching.

The concern with this position is that the salary is less than ÂŁ12,000 which is considerably low, however, it is the average in the UK.

Is this a good move or should I consider other options such as Teach First or PGCE?
(edited 5 years ago)
If you know you definitely want to get into teaching, you should definitely look at the PGCE. The bursaries for Maths are huge and if you're in England, you get early career payments as well after you've been teaching for a few years!
Being an LSA isn't an automatic route into teaching, though it may lead to opportunities long term.

If you definitely want to teach and would be qualified to teach maths (or any shortage subject), you should look at the post-grad routes. There are huge bursaries available for PGCEs and you'd also get early career payments as a maths teacher. The starting salary for a teacher would be nearly double what your current job offers, and there's pay progression to a salary of ÂŁ33,000 as a classroom teacher with no extra duties (this isn't automatic anymore but would usually be a pay rise of ÂŁ2000ish a year for the first 6 years). You might still be able to get a place on a PGCE for this September.

Teach first might also be a good option if you qualify. It is salaried, so again you would get money as you train. However, you would be tying yourself into the route for 2 years, and mostly teaching in a disadvantaged school. For teach first, you would need to apply soon for a 2019 start.

You might also be interested in the Schools Direct route. This is similar to teach first, in that you're based in a particular school, you can be salaried or nonsalaried, but if you're nonsalaried you can still access the bursaries. You can pick the school/academy group you apply for which is a bonus for some people.
You could do the LSA position to get some experience for a short while, but if you do want to get into teaching, looking at the PGCE is the better option. Depending on which subject you are looking to teach, you can get a decent bursary.

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