Teaching offers fantastic benefits both in terms of a competitive salary and opportunities for development and progression. As a trainee of a shortage subject such as physics, maths or chemistry, you could be eligible to receive funding while you train.
As a newly qualified teacher (NQT) you can expect a starting salary of £21,588 (£27,000 in Inner London). You may wish to work towards becoming an advanced skills teacher (AST) where you will gain more responsibility as a teacher. ASTs can earn a minimum of £37,461 and up to £56,950 in England and Wales (up to £64,036 in Inner London).
For more information on teacher pay, view our teaching salary scales page
Training bursary
If you train as a physics, maths or chemistry teacher, substantial tax-free bursaries of up to £20,000 are available for people with top degrees, looking to begin their teacher training in 2013/14. The amount of bursary you will be eligible for depends on the subject you want to teach and your degree class. Scholarships are also available in a number of subjects.
To see what funding you might be entitled to, please visit our postgraduate funding page
Institute of Physics (IOP) scholarship
The IOP has 100 teacher training scholarships worth £20,000 available to eligible physics trainees starting their teacher training in the 2013/14 academic year.
The scholarship will be instead of the standard bursary, but trainees who are not awarded the scholarship will continue to be eligible for the standard bursaries.
To be an IOP Scholar you will need to have outstanding knowledge of school-level physics and the potential to become an inspirational physics teacher. Each scholarship also includes a package of benefits including membership and early career mentoring. There are a number of application rounds for the year. To find out the next deadline and to view the full eligibility criteria, visit the IOP website
If you’re interested in a career in teaching, sign up with us for more information and advice. You can take advantage of our new enhanced service, Premier Plus, if you’re thinking about teaching physics or maths and have, or are predicted, a 2:2 degree or above.
