Primary Teacher: Job Profile and Role

He or she was one of the first persons to have an educational impact on you: the primary teacher. Maybe your first experience already happened at pre-school, and hopefully, this experience did leave you with many happy memories. Primary teachers are the teachers that start a child’s educational path. They are responsible for instilling a willingness to learn, a curious mindset, and the ability to slowly but surely develop critical and multi-perspective thinking.

In this blog, we will explore the job of a primary teacher in detail. We will not only look at the skills and qualifications needed but also at the salaries and potential employers of primary teachers. Last, but not least, we will give you first insights into a day in the life of a primary school teacher and three very important tips for thriving in this profession.

Short Summary

• As a primary teacher, you are responsible for setting young children between the ages of 5 to 11 on their educational path.
• As a primary teacher, you are in charge of your charges’ intellectual growth and you ensure this by being an empathetic, compassionate, and passionate teacher who listens to the pupils’ needs, interests, worries, and expectations.
• As a primary teacher, you are also tasked with maybe slightly less riveting responsibilities, such as meetings, networking events, and assessments and grading.

Job description

A primary teacher’s main responsibility is the education of children in the 5 to 11 age group. A primary teacher is also responsible for ensuring his or her charges’ well-being by assessing their levels of education, needs, and interests. Where needed, a primary school teacher gives individualised support, thus, ensuring that the student does not fall or feel left behind. It is also the job of a primary teacher to liaise with the head of the school, colleagues, and parents. 

Responsibilities

• Safety
• Instruction
• Assessment
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Professional Ethics
• Curriculum Planning
• Classroom Resources
• Individualised Support
• Classroom Management
• Extracurricular Activities

Different types of Primary Teachers

• ESL Teacher
• Reading Specialist
• Early Years Teacher
• Special Education Teacher
• General Primary School Teacher

Salary

Primary teachers in the UK can expect annual salaries ranging from ￡27,700 to￡39,000. Note that these numbers apply to full-time primary teachers with a QTS (qualified teacher status). If your approach to the job of a primary teacher is through work, you should expect considerably lower annual salaries. A teaching assistant, for example, earns around ￡12,400 per year.

The annual salary of a primary teacher is further affected by the employer and the location of the teaching institution. Generally, it is to be expected that higher salaries are paid in the South of England. This, however, is not the case for primary teachers. Currently, Scotland pays higher wages than England. The annual salary comes in at around ￡37,000 for Edinburgh as one example. There is another factor that can increase your primary teacher’s salary in Scotland, the so-called Preference Waiver Payment scheme (PWP).

Working hours

Primary school teachers work traditional working hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. which amount to 35 hours a week. These hours refer to the time spent in classrooms and on breaks. Note that your working hours can increase through after-school activities and tasks, such as lesson preparation, marking, filing reports, and meetings with other teachers and parents. Typically, this means that primary teachers continue working in the evenings and sometimes also at the weekends. 

Also, note that time spent on marking and lesson preparation is not paid but is being done under your own steam, so to speak. Another factor you should keep in mind is that extracurricular activities can have a similar effect on your working hours.

Employers

Naturally, primary teachers can start looking for employment at primary schools. Alternatively, you can look for a job at independent schools, free schools, nursery and preparatory schools, and specialised schools. Further employment options are LEAs (local education authorities) and MATs (multi-academy trusts).

The National Curriculum and the Division of Primary School Teaching

Did you know that in the UK, primary teaching is divided into several categories? In England and Northern Ireland, these categories are the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2, whereas in Scotland, the categories are called Early Level, First Level, and Second Level. Here, the guidelines are set not by the national curriculum but by the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). Wales only has two categories, the Foundation Phase and Key Level 2.

Qualifications

If you want to become a primary teacher, you first need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C). Mandatory GCSE subjects are English and Maths. This educational requirement applies to both an academic and an apprenticeship approach to primary teaching. Note that universities also accept two to three appropriate A Levels instead of GCSEs. For the approach through work, a part-time degree should be earned. Moreover, you should earn the qualified teacher status (QTS) if you want to work at a UK state school. 

Skills

As a primary school teacher, you need a whole bouquet of soft skills which ensure that you are both fit for the job and excel at it. Interpersonal skills and empathy are two important competencies you should have if the job of a primary teacher is your chosen career path. Naturally, you should also not shy away from communicating with people. Or else your teaching will be a very quiet affair indeed.

In this section, we will now take a close look at other vital skills a primary teacher should have.

Self-Confidence

Yes, little children tend to be uber-cute little darlings. However, children are very perceptive and notice even the most minute insecurity in the people they deal with. This does not mean that they will take advantage of you if you show the odd insecurity. But it may happen that they will try to run rings around you. This is why you should have a strong self-confidence. It helps you to come across as someone not to be messed with. It also helps you to hide your own insecurities and get on an even level with your pupils. Lastly, strong self-confidence ensures that your classroom can be a haven of tranquility – and not a place where mayhem and chaos reign.

Multitasking

This can also be supported by strong multitasking skills. Even though your main task as a primary school teacher is to impart your knowledge and wisdom, teaching will not always go smoothly. Be it that some of the little ones have short attention spans or that some of them are proper little attention-seekers – all while you are trying to a) teach and b) supervise possible projects and tasks. Multitasking will come in handy since it helps you to stay at the helm of your class.

Creativity

Creativity is another skill a primary school teacher should have. It does not matter whether you teach Maths, English, or PE. The more creative your teaching approach, the more likely it is that your little students hang on to your every word and movement. Creative teaching approaches also mean that your pupils get an easier and better understanding of the things you want to teach them. It also encourages questions and reflection in your students. And this is always a very good thing since it supports their intellectual education and growth.

Career Path

Your career path as a primary teacher starts with your first job in this field. By gaining work experience, you can think about either specialising in a different sector or progressing to a more senior role. Possible positions can be a curriculum leader, a deputy head, or the headteacher of the school you are working at.

Educational Background

There are three ways in which you can become a primary school or junior school teacher: an undergraduate degree at university, an apprenticeship, or an approach through working as a teaching assistant. Each of these approaches comes with specific entry requirements that involve GCSEs.

Depending on your approach, the following number of GCSEs and grades are required: for an undergraduate degree at university, you need five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or, alternatively, two to three A Levels that are equivalent to said GCSEs. If you complete your Bachelor of Arts (BA) or your Bachelor of Science (BSc), you are already set up for the QTS. Alternatively, you can earn your Bachelor of Education (BEd).

Almost the same applies to doing an apprenticeship. However, A Levels do not seem to be accepted in lieu of GCSEs. Here, you should keep in mind that you may need a degree for a teaching apprenticeship.

If you approach your career as a primary school teacher through work, you can do a part-time degree which takes place parallel to your job as a teaching assistant, for example.

Teacher Training

If you become a primary teacher through working as a teaching assistant, you will already have gained valuable experience. The same is usually true for the other two possible approaches. Regardless of that, you should strive to earn your QTS or a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). 

Continuous Learning

Learning is the reason why pupils go to school every day (except during term breaks). And learning is not a pupil’s prerogative or monopoly, respectively. It is also one of your daily tasks as a primary teacher. Even though you will already have learned a lot during your chosen educational approach, you should make sure that you improve both your subject knowledge and your knowledge of current national curricula, teaching methods, and useful digital tools.

A Day in the Life of a Primary Teacher

A typical day in the life of a primary teacher starts relatively early in the morning. After a healthy breakfast and a cup of tea or coffee, you are ready to face your primary school world. In this section, let’s take a look at what, besides over-excited pupils, awaits you as soon as you have entered the school building.

Morning Meetings

Before you start your first class of the day, you usually have meetings with your teaching colleagues and possibly your head of school. In these meetings, you go over the day’s lessons, the curricula, and possible extracurricular activities. The breaktime supervision may equally be discussed. Besides meetings with other teachers, you may also have to discuss the day’s schedule with your students as well as impart important information.

Teaching Classes and Supervision

It goes without saying that the main part of a primary teacher’s working day is spent teaching and supervising classes. Generally, several teaching blocks shape the day of a primary school teacher. The first teaching block takes place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., whereas the second teaching block starts after the lunch break at 1 p.m. and lasts till 3:30 p.m. Besides teaching classes, a primary teacher may also be in charge of breaktime supervision, which tends to take place between lessons at around 11 a.m. and during lunchtime from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

At-Home Lesson Preparation

A primary teacher’s day does not necessarily stop once he or she has left the school building. In fact, a lot of primary teachers spend another few others at home on lesson preparation, assessments, grading, and reports. Depending on your preferences and principles, this time can also be spent replying to emails or chatting with parents.

Tips for Thriving as a Primary Teacher

We are sure that one of the things you tell your students daily is that they should always strive to be the best at everything they do. What is an important life lesson for them also is an important factor for you as a primary teacher since it helps you to thrive in your profession. 

But what things can help you thrive as a primary school teacher? Let’s take a look at three surefire ways that will help you to become an even better primary teacher:

• Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course (SKE)
• Build strong relationships with your students
• Professional networking

Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course (SKE)

A Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course (SKE) is an interesting option for both teachers and those who are thinking about changing careers. This course helps you to refresh your subject knowledge which makes sense if you have not used this knowledge in quite a while, for example, due to a sabbatical or maternity leave. Getting all the latest developments referring to your chosen subjects will help you thrive as a primary teacher.

Build Strong Relationships with Your Students

One way to thrive as a primary teacher is to build strong relationships with your students. This does not mean that you need to be or even should be friends with them. But going the extra mile by listening to them and finding out about their interests, needs, and worries will go a long way to ensuring that you will be a teacher your students will remember fondly. And who knows? By adhering to this tip, you may even become an inspiration for them.

Professional Networking

Networking has always been one of the main keys to being professionally successful. What applies to corporate jobs also applies to the job as a primary school teacher. By attending conferences, book launches, and book fairs, you can both broaden your horizons and enlarge your network. This way, you will always be up-to-date with the latest teaching methods, and the most current teaching publications.

Frequently Asked Questions