How to develop the 10 key skills you need to

work in Education
There are a lot of different roles in education, requiring different skills. Here we look at
why you should consider a career in teaching and the skills you need to be a teacher,
trainer or tutor.

Why work in teaching?

 Variety: The routine is constantly being broken up with sports days and school
trips, celebrations, holidays and occasionally something completely unexpected.
It’s an ideal career for people who don’t want to sit at a desk all day.
 Making a difference: A great teacher can be literally life-changing to children.
Some teachers go into teaching because they loved their time at school and want
to pass that on. For others, it’s the opposite – they felt let down by poor teaching
and want to give other kids a better experience.
 Financial support while you train: With some in-demand subjects you can get
bursaries that amount to a good salary while you train.
 Using your degree: Outside academia, teaching is one of the few careers where
you get to make real use of everything you learned during your degree. While
graduates in all subjects are welcome in city jobs, it’s only in teaching that you
can pass on your enthusiasm for rock formations, Greek philosophers or right
angle triangles. 
 Decent salary: Teaching will never make you a millionaire, but if you excel and
take on responsibility you can build up to a salary of £50,000 or even more. 
 Some teachers are loud and energetic, others quiet and dedicated, and all can
make a difference in their own way. You don’t have to fit the mould perfectly to
be a great teacher. See education roles other than teaching.

Here are the top teaching skills:

1. Communication
A huge part of teaching is communicating information. It might be verbal, written, or via
any other route from practical demonstrations to artistic interpretation – whatever gets
your point across.

How to develop it: 

 Telephone jobs, such as calling alumni for donations or volunteering for a peer
support line, develop your verbal communication skills and build your
confidence. 
 Join a debating society, a student council,  or even an improv group.
  Join a student magazine or take responsibility for a society website. 

Learn more about working in teaching from Ark Teacher Training with this Bright
Network Academy Teaching Sector 101.

2. Patience
People learn at all different rates. If you have to explain something seven times in seven
different ways before it sticks, that’s just part of the job. And when faced with
challenging behaviour, you need to stay calm and patient and not lose your temper.

How to develop it:

 Patience is one of those inherent character traits – but it is possible to improve

yours. Practise thinking before you speak, or make patience your goal for the
day.

3. Creativity

People learn best when they’re doing something fun and interesting. It’s up to you to be
creative in your approach, finding novel and enjoyable ways for your students to learn.
How to develop it:

 Take up an artistic hobby, like painting, music or drama.

 Get used to sharing ideas and brainstorming when you have a problem – it’s a
skill that will help you connect with your colleagues in future and come up with
more creative solutions.
 Get inspiration. Take any opportunity to volunteer in a classroom and learn from
the teacher’s approach.

4. Enthusiasm
Your enthusiasm is infectious. If you love your subject and your job, you’ll be able to
engage the people you teach.

How to develop it:

 It’s hard to fake enthusiasm, so aim to teach a subject you love.

 If you have to do something boring, turn it into something you can be enthusiastic
about – make a game of data entry, or write poems to help you memorise facts.
 In your studies, look for ways you can go above and beyond. Read books that
aren’t on the reading list, take on extra projects, and show that you love what you
do.

5. Confidence
Children can smell fear… no, just kidding. Confidence helps you when you’re standing
up and directing a class, whether your students are kids or adults. A lot of education
sector jobs involve public speaking, so confidence is a must.

How to develop it:

 Try new things and set yourself challenges. If you can do things that scare you,
you can handle anything.
 Confident people can be themselves without worrying about pleasing others and
fitting in. If you find this hard, experiment with saying the words, ‘No,’ and ‘I
disagree’.