The Department for Education (DfE) is aiming to raise educational standards by encouraging highly skilled individuals into a career in teaching, and for maths trainees with a 2:2 or above bursaries of up to £20,000 are available for courses starting in 2013. The amount of bursary you will be eligible for depends on your degree class.
For further information, please visit our bursary information page
After qualifying from your training, you'll receive a competitive salary with exceptional career development opportunities. If you attain advanced skills teacher (AST) status, you could receive an annual income of between £37,461 and £56,950. This figure could be higher if you work in London.
Find out more about the pay and benefits for maths teachers
Could you teach maths?
Although there is a shortage of maths teachers, it is still a very competitive job. The standards expected of maths teachers are academically high and the demands of the profession leave no room for ever resting on your laurels.
Good maths teachers are hard to find – are you up to the challenge?
What makes a good maths teacher?
Take a few minutes to ask yourself the following:
- Rather than just knowing about maths, could you apply it to everyday life to explain why it's important?
- How would you explain Pythagoras' theorem to a struggling student?
- How would you hold the attention of an easily distracted class?
- How could you be creative to help pupils solve a problem or understand a theory?
- How would you deal with a disruptive student – and could you identify why they were being disruptive?
Don't worry if you don't have all the answers just yet. If you're passionate about maths and pursuing a career in teaching, initial teacher training (ITT) will help you to confidently find positive answers to all of these questions.
ITT will comprehensively prepare you for your future in teaching, with extra support available from subject associations throughout your training and career. Induction for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) will further support your development as you set out on a career path with excellent continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities.
Eligibility
You will need to take an ITT course to become a maths teacher. To train as a teacher on any ITT programme, you must be educated to degree level and have a standard equivalent to a grade C in GCSE English and maths.
Providers will often look for maths ITT candidates to have a strong background in maths. This usually means an A level in maths and an undergraduate degree in maths or a related subject. Don’t worry if you lack confidence in your subject knowledge – this needn't stop you from applying. You can discuss this with your chosen provider both now and at the interview stage.
ITT providers make the final decision on relevant subject knowledge. If your provider feels that you have the right qualities to become a teacher but you need to top up your subject knowledge before you start training, they will talk you through the range of subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses that are available. They will either arrange a placement or help you find a course if they don't run one internally.
Visit our paths into teaching page for information about how we can support you and help you to become a maths teacher.
If you think you fit the bill and want to find out more about training for a career in teaching maths, you can sign up for information and advice today
