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education community The education sector can be divided into three main areas: - school education;
- further education (FE); and
- higher education (HE).
Education also takes place in non-school settings, such as hospitals and prisons. Teaching is the main area of work, but is not the only role in education. There are roles in finance, administration and technical support, with roles for teaching assistants and educational psychologists. Ads by Google The primary and secondary education systems in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are similar in their administration. Scotland runs a completely separate system, with its own laws and practices. There is a constant demand for graduates in teaching, although there can be shortages in certain subject areas, such as science and mathematics. There are currently more positions available in secondary education, whilst it is more competitive to get a primary school vacancy. What kind of work can I do?There are different roles available within the sector, such as: - primary school teacher;
- secondary school teacher;
- special needs co-ordinator;
- teacher in a further education (FE) college;
- lecturer in a university;
- school librarian;
- adult education provider, teaching basic skills to adults in the evenings;
- teacher in a prison or hospital;
- bursar responsible for the financial running of a school;
- educational psychologist working with children in schools;
- English teacher in a foreign school or college.
What’s it like working in this sector?The education sector is a challenging, rewarding and inspiring area in which to work. Many educators feel the reason they enjoy their work is the satisfaction of imparting knowledge, normally about a subject they are passionate about. Teaching is not easy though, and there will always be difficult pupils, and class control can be challenging. Graduate salaries are improving, especially in teaching, where a newly qualified teacher (NQT) will start on a salary of at least £20,133 (£24,168 in London) and can rise to as much as £34,281 (salary data collected Aug 07). Additional allowances may be paid for excellence and for management responsibilities. There are training bursaries available for some postgraduate courses for priority subjects and ‘golden hellos’ are paid. In 2008, there will be a £4,000 bursary for primary postgraduate training. The subjects and the amounts paid do alter yearly and up-to-date information is available from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Working hours are generally Monday to Friday and usually between 8am and 6pm, although not all of that time is spent in the classroom or lecture theatre. Teachers get up to 13 weeks holiday a year, and there are generous holidays and opportunities for flexible working in both the school system and in higher education. Lecturers will get on average 30 days' holiday, public holidays and the opportunity to catch up on research during the university vacations. Although the holidays appear generous, jobs in the education sector will involve preparation time and work out of hours to complete administration and marking. After-hours clubs and staff meetings will require you to work into the evenings, and HE lecturers will be expected to pursue research and funding opportunities in the vacations. The hours can be long and hard, especially at the beginning of your career, but they can be flexible and there are opportunities for part-time work and job-share positions. How big is this sector?In January 2006, there were 8.2million pupils in 25,200 maintained and independent schools in England and Wales. Scotland runs its own education system and there are over 702,000 pupils in 2,900 schools. According to the Department for Education, formerly the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), there are over 382,000 teachers working in England, split mainly between primary and secondary schools. In higher education, higher education institutions (HEIs) support approximately 280,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, equivalent to 1.2% of total UK employment, according to Univerities UK (The Economic Impact of Higher Education, Universities UK, May 2006). Where can I work?Geographically, there are opportunities everywhere. There are also numerous opportunities abroad, with countries in the EU, Asia and Africa requiring English language teachers (ELT). . | 
