Why become a teacher
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops”
- Henry Brooks Adams
Choosing to become a teacher is choosing a career full of challenges and extraordinary rewards. Teaching is about leading and encouraging true learning through engagement and conversation. You will make a difference every day that will have a lifelong impact on others.
Inspire others
Most people can remember an inspiring teacher. Every day, teachers mould the future through impacting their students’ views and understanding. Teachers foster creativity, develop character, give students lenses with which to view the world, and provide them with the skills they need to reach their potential and lead fulfilling and productive lives.
Developing
Teaching nurtures creativity, discovery and character development in students. You can see your hard work every day as you make a lasting and positive difference to children as they develop skills that will lead them through their education and into rewarding careers.
To read teachers' experiences of making a difference click here.
Every day is different
Teaching can sometimes be challenging and frustrating, but every day is different and each day is as exciting and stimulating as the next. Every day you will learn more about your own vocation. Children will ask you questions that make you dig deeper, and every day you will be learning just as much as they do.
Achievement
Not only are you developing the minds of children and influencing them to progress, you are also developing and nurturing your own career. Teaching is a rewarding profession that offers a fascinating journey, and fantastic career and development prospects. There are many management and leadership opportunities within subjects and key areas, and you can progress to a senior leadership position such as deputy or head teacher. In Hertfordshire, you will benefit from an established network of likeminded professionals, with extensive training and support throughout your career from HFL Education, the UK's largest school support company.
Competitive salary
The starting annual salary for a newly qualified Early Career Teacher, at £30,000, is high compared with other graduate starting salaries. Pay can progress quickly for high-performing teachers, with leading practitioners earning up to £73,393 and headteachers earning from £53,380 to £132,352. View full pay data for Hertfordshire here.
There are a number of different routes into a teaching career, but they can be divided into university based and school based.