Primary school teachers work with students who range in age from 5 to 11 years old. Their responsibilities not only include providing children with an education but also making sure that they develop proper social skills.
The job duties associated with this career include teaching students, writing reports, handling scheduling, and performing a variety of administrative duties.
Qualifications
If you are interested in teaching primary school, there are certain qualifications that you need to meet. This not only includes having the right education but also being able to pass certain background checks to ensure that you are able to safely work around children.
The level of education that is required depends on the school and the position that you are applying for. Even if you don’t have a traditional teaching degree, you still may be able to qualify for a job by taking an approved course to earn a qualified teacher status (QTS).
Specific Qualification Requirements
- A General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in science, math, and English with grades of C or higher.
- A passing grade on the numeracy and literacy professional skill tests.
- The ability to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) background check
Job Requirements
Apart from the educational requirements, there are other skills that are required to be a successful primary school educator.
The Ability To Stay Organized
Good organizational skills are essential when it comes to teaching. Not only do you need to be able to keep track of complex scheduling tasks but you also need to make sure that certain reports are filed on time.
Papers need to be graded promptly and students should receive feedback in a timely manner. Staying on top of all of these tasks requires excellent organizational skills. Check out these tips from Teaching Personnel.
Compassion And Empathy
Working with young students can be quite challenging. Children often have outbursts or misbehave.
In some cases, you may be tasked with punishing them when they break the rules. Having compassion and empathy will put you in a much better position when you face these types of situations.
Being able to help students understand what they did wrong and make better decisions in the future is an important part of being a teacher.
The Ability To Lead
Good teachers know how to take charge of their classrooms, acting as a leader for all of the students. If you take a teaching position, you may also need to delegate work to an assistant. You should be comfortable in a leadership role.
Good Communication Skills
Communication is one of the most fundamental skills that every teacher should have. Teaching requires you to be able to communicate ideas clearly to children while keeping them interested and engaged.
You also need to be able to talk to parents, administrators, and other teachers in a way that gets your ideas across and makes them easy to understand.