English Teacher: Job Profile and Role

English is one of the most spoken languages in the world. It is also the native tongue in the United Kingdom, a fact you, as a UK resident, are well aware of. Naturally, English is also one of the subjects taught in UK schools. This is where an English teacher comes in. Maybe this job is a job you have been thinking of learning?

In this case, the following blog will help you make up your mind. We will give you all the information you need on how to become an English teacher. We will give you an idea about the expected salaries, the potential employers, and your working hours. You will also find out which qualifications and soft skills you need to become an English teacher in the UK. To conclude this blog, we will give you both insights into a day in the life of an English teacher and tips for thriving in this job.

Short Summary

• As an English teacher, you are tasked with teaching your students the English language. This ranges from grammar and vocabulary to important works in English literature.
• As an English teacher, you are responsible for tracking your students’ progress. This involves setting homework and exam papers as well as assessing and marking papers and exams.
• As an English teacher, you will have to take part in various meetings. These include meetings with your colleagues and the head of the school as well as teacher-parent meetings.

Job description

As an English teacher, you are responsible for teaching your students the English language. This includes imparting your knowledge about grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics. You will also check your students’ progress by setting written and oral exams which you will then mark. This way, you can assess the individual student’s progress and see where he or she needs further encouragement, support, and improvement. As an English teacher, you need to be aware of the fact that your job also entails meetings with colleagues and parents. If you work as a Business English teacher, these meetings will take place in a corporate environment.

Responsibilities

• Writing Instruction 
• Literature Instruction
• Promoting Reading Love
• Incorporating Technology
• Teaching Language Skills
• Determining Exam Grades
• Curriculum Implementation
• Students’ Progress Assessments
• Parent-Teacher Communication
• Organising Lectures/Coursework

Different types of English Teachers

• TEFL Teacher
• Online English Tutor
• Business English Teacher
• Creative Writing Instructor
• English Language School Teacher

Salary

The typical annual salary of an English teacher in the UK ranges from ￡29,000 to￡42,000, with an average annual salary of around￡34,900. Note that these figures refer to a school teacher’s salary and may differ depending on the exact job of an English teacher. An English tutor, for example, can expect to be paid ￡40,300 per year, an annual salary that also applies to the job of a TEFL teacher. Besides, the overall salary will be affected by your employer as well as the location and your work experience.

Working hours

The working hours of an English teacher can vary depending on the exact job. Typically, primary and secondary school English teachers work 35 hours per week. Note, however, that these hours only refer to the teaching time at school. The weekly working hours are increased by lesson preparation, marking, meetings, and extracurricular activities. Studies have now found out that an English teacher’s average working hours are 50,9 hours per week.

Also, note that an online English tutor, for example, can work fewer hours per week. This depends on the number of lessons and students.

Employers

As an English teacher, you can find employment in different institutions. Depending on your preference and education, you can look for teaching positions in schools, of course. Since English is one of the most spoken languages in the world, you may also want to check job vacancies at various companies. Some of them are looking for English teachers for their employees. Another option to be an English teacher is to start your own English teaching business, for example, as an online English tutor.

Qualifications

The typical approach to becoming an English teacher is to attend university. Appropriate studies include English Literature, Linguistics, and Education. Note that a Bachelor’s degree in one of these studies sets you up for the QTS, the qualified teacher status. 

Alternatively, you can become an English teacher by doing an apprenticeship, for example, a Teacher Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. 

If you want to approach your teaching career through work experience, you can first do a part-time degree and then a postgraduate teaching course that qualifies you for teaching English.

Skills

As an English teacher, you should have strong communication skills, which almost goes without saying. As an English teacher, you should also have strong time-management and organisational skills that help you stay on top of your workload and administrative tasks. These are only some of the skills you should have or develop when you want to become an English teacher. 

In this section, we will explore three more vital skills an English teacher should have.

Passion

As an English teacher, you should be passionate about your job. How else are you going to inspire your students to achieve their goals and to show an interest in the English language? Being passionate does not only apply to teaching grammar and vocabulary. It also applies to teaching your students about important works in English literature and how these might still influence our daily lives today.

Patience

As a teacher, you need to have the patience of a saint. What applies to any teaching job naturally also applies to the job of an English teacher, especially when you are working in a primary or a secondary school. Both children and adolescents are prone to tantrums as well as attention seeking. This is a part of growing up, as you might remember. Granted, it is not always easy to be patient, but as an English teacher, you will need this skill. It should be further complemented by a strong resilience which also enables you to stay calm and carry on.

Empathy

Speaking of children and adolescents: as an English teacher, you should also be empathetic. Even though your main job is to teach your students the ins and outs of the English language, listening to their worries and fears may be equally important in your job as an English teacher. This can refer to anything from a student’s progress to struggling with parental expectations.

Career Path

Even though there is no classic entry-level in teaching jobs, you will start your career as an English teacher basically from scratch, meaning that you will have to gain relevant work experience through your first teaching post. With a few years of experience, you can look into more senior teaching positions, such as the head of the English department or even the head of the school. You can also look into starting your own English teaching business, for example, as a Business English Teacher or an online English tutor.

Educational Background

Your educational background sets you up for your future career as an English teacher. You can either choose an academic degree, such as a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature or Education. If university is not your cup of tea, you can become an English teacher by completing your Teacher Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. Another option is to become an English teacher through work experience, for example, as a teaching assistant. This job enables you to do a part-time degree which is then followed by the completion of a postgraduate teaching course.

Training

To become a certified English teacher in the UK, you need both training and qualified teacher status. In some cases, you may have to earn your PGCE, your postgraduate certification in education. These certifications qualify you to teach English at UK state schools and are, in fact, mandatory to get a job at a British school.

Continuous Learning

As a future English teacher, you already know that learning is not only mandatory but also important. This important fact is something you will teach your students. And it is something you should adhere to. As an English teacher, you should always strive to improve your knowledge of the latest teaching methods as well as digital tools. Even though books and real-life teaching tools are still needed and used, digital approaches are also a vital part of teaching a subject.

The most sought-after English Teaching Jobs

Teaching English in a school is not the right career path for you? In this case, you might want to explore teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language or Business English. These two English teaching jobs are currently two of the most sought-after. They allow you to work in a corporate environment as well as working abroad. They can also mean higher salaries than the ones paid to school teachers.

A Day in the Life of an English Teacher

A great deal of an English teacher’s working day takes place inside a school – or, at least, if he or she works as a school teacher. In this case, your working day starts at around 6 a.m./6:30 a.m., giving you plenty of time to wake up and get ready for the day ahead. Your actual teaching day starts at 8:30 a.m. with the first lesson of the day. So far, so good. What else shapes the day of an English teacher? Let’s take a closer look.

Teaching Classes

Teaching classes is the main part of your working day as an English teacher. You will likely teach multiple lessons per day as well as teaching different age groups. Depending on your lesson plan, you will have to prepare the lessons accordingly, thus, ensuring that they fit the education level and needs of your respective classes.

Admin and Meetings

Administrative tasks are an important part of an English teacher’s job. It includes lesson preparation, follow-ups, and marking. In fact, the time spent on admin will likely increase your weekly workload. This also applies to meetings with both colleagues and parents. Even though they are not a daily occurrence, meetings will be a regular part of your job as an English teacher.

Attending/Planning a Play

As an English teacher, you will not only teach inside a classroom. It is also an option to take your students to see a play. This part of an English teacher’s job description will not take place daily or even weekly. It is, however, one of the things that may be part of your job. Alternatively, you can discuss performing a play with your students. This may involve collaboration with drama teachers and allows all of you to “live” a work of literature.

Tips for Thriving as an English Teacher

Regardless of your work experience and/or your teaching position, it always makes sense to thrive as an English teacher. Be it personal improvement or having the ability to make your English lessons exciting and interesting. These things are not the only ways that help you thrive as an English teacher. 

In this section, we will take a look at three tips for thriving as an English teacher:

• Use digital tools
• Differentiate instruction
• Colleague collaboration

Use Digital Tools

The times of static blackboards and overhead projectors have long gone. Whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations, and online work have taken their place. What does this mean for you as an English teacher? Nothing else but knowing how to use these digital tools in your lessons and to your advantage. Shying away from digitalisation in the classroom will not help you to thrive. Instead, you should embrace digital options and include them in your lessons. This way, you will not only thrive as an English teacher. You will also have the tools to make your lessons even more interesting, approachable, and relatable. 

Differentiate Instruction

Since every one of your students is an individual, each one of them comes with his or her individual needs and progress levels. As an English teacher, you need to be aware of these things. This way, you can develop tailor-made lessons that meet your students’ requirements. Use different teaching methods and teaching resources that are at your disposal to achieve the needed teaching instructions. If you adhere to this important tip, you will thrive as an English teacher.

Colleague Collaboration

Colleague collaboration can be both cross-departmental and departmental. It is always a good idea to liaise with your fellow English teachers as well as with drama or arts teachers, for example. Working with your respective colleagues gives you insights into different teaching approaches, new ideas for curricula, and the chance to turn your imparted knowledge into a play or an exhibition, for example. Therefore, colleague collaboration is our third important tip for thriving as an English teacher.

Frequently Asked Questions