Is teaching a profession or an occupation? In the UK there is no consensus regarding what the minimum level of education has to be in order to have assigned the title of “teacher”. The school and FE sector have different minimum entry requirements to take up the role of teacher/tutor:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/further-education-teacher
The article suggest that it is possible you can become a further education (FE) teacher without an actual teaching qualification, but you will have better prospects of getting a job and further promotion if you have a relevant qualification. Individual institutions will set their own requirements and some may have their own in-house training programmes.
In today’s teaching sector qualifications are available at 3 main levels:
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training: an introductory, knowledge-based course, which does not have a placement and that you can complete before being in a teaching role;
- Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training: develop practical teaching skills and requires you to have at least 30 hours of teaching practice;
- Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training: this is the recognised, full teaching qualification for the sector and you must have at least 100 hours of teaching practice. You can choose to take a specialist pathway at this level in literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), mathematics or special educational needs (SEN).
The National Union of Students in a recent article ( March 2017 – https://www.nus.org.uk/en/advice/careers/could-teaching-swimming-be-the-perfect-student-job/ ) included the following comments:
“One of the best things about teaching swimming at university was I had a good work/study/life balance and could afford the little extras that I wanted. I also got the benefits of free swimming and sauna at some of the places I worked! One of my friends I made through swimming was lucky enough to spend the summer breaks working abroad, teaching swimming for kid’s holiday camps.”
“Demand for swimming teachers is high so some employers will part fund you through the qualification.”
“Average pay is higher than a lot of other student jobs. Assistant Swimming Teachers typically earn around £9.74/hr and Level 2 Swimming teachers earn an average of £14.89/hr compared to the £6/hr average for lifeguards
Qualifi believes that in order to be established as a teacher the minimum standard that ought to apply is level 3 with opportunities available to develop knowledge and skills through to and beyond L4. Qualifi in seeking to support the professionalisation of teaching swimming has developed, with input from recognised experts and swimming school owners, the Qualifi swimming teachers framework. The qualifications are listed on Register of Qualification Framework, are available now and are Advanced Learner Loan approved. For more information please visit our qualifications page: https://qualifi.net/qualifications/