Become a
physics teacher

A physics teacher demonstrating how gravity works by juggling balls at the front of the classroom.

Teaching secondary physics is an exciting and worthwhile career. Schools need more specialist physics teachers, so it's a great choice of subject.

You could inspire your pupils to consider rewarding professions, from tackling climate change to artificial intelligence (AI).

Tax-free bursaries of £28,000 or scholarships of £30,000 are available for eligible trainee physics teachers.

Spark curiosity in physics

As a physics teacher, you’ll be engaging students in a wide range of experiments that can spark their interest.

What you'll be teaching

You'll teach the national curriculum for physics(opens in new window), with opportunities to develop your pupils' ability to think like physicists and see physics as a solution to many challenges.

Themes you'll cover when you teach 11 to 14 year olds (key stage 3) include:

  • Energy
  • Motion and forces
  • Electricity and electromagnetism
  • Waves and matter

Themes you’ll cover when you teach 14 to 16 year olds (key stage 4) include:

  • Energy, forces and wave motion
  • Electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism
  • The structure of matter
  • Atomic structure and space physics

Explore what teaching a key stage 4 physics lesson would be like(opens in new window).

Themes you’ll cover when you teach 16 to 18 year olds (key stage 5) include:

  • Fields, vectors and scalars
  • Mechanics and mechanical properties of matter
  • Electric circuits and waves
  • Matter, quantum and nuclear physics

It's inspiring getting 'wow, that's how it works' from pupils as they grasp a subject they thought was hard.

Jane, physics and robotics teacher

Check your qualifications

To train to teach in secondary schools in England, you’ll need:

  • GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths
  • a bachelor’s degree in any subject

Physics teacher training courses have had successful applications from candidates with a range of degrees, including maths, geology, business studies and finance.

Find out more about what qualifications you need to train to teach.

Non-UK citizens can check your eligibility to train to teach in England.

Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course

If your training provider thinks you need to top up your physics knowledge, you might need to do an SKE course before you start your teacher training.

Fund your teacher training

Tax-free bursaries of £28,000 or scholarships of £30,000 are available for eligible trainee physics teachers.

You can get a bursary or scholarship alongside a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan.

You may also be able to get extra funding and support if you're:

  • a parent or carer
  • disabled

Non-UK citizens are eligible for bursaries and scholarships for physics teacher training courses.

Find out more about fees and financial support for non-UK trainee teachers.

Paid internship

If you’re currently doing an undergraduate or master's degree and are interested in teaching physics, you could apply for a paid teaching internship.

The 3-week programme could help you to understand what it’s really like in the classroom and get feel for school life.

Engineers teach physics

If you're an engineer considering a career as a physics teacher, there's a teacher training course designed especially with your experience and skills in mind.

Find out about the engineers teach physics training programme.

Get free one-to-one support

An adviser with years of teaching experience can help you to become a physics teacher. Chat by phone, text, or email as little or often as you need.

Find out more about advisers