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It is a widely known fact that there have been STEM shortages in the UK for some time and that the government is emphatic in its need to combat them. A report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology in the summer of 2021 found there is an estimated shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the STEM sector, which represents an average of 10 unfilled roles for each business in the UK.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills stresses that ‘the UK’s economic future lies in high value, innovative and knowledge-intensive activities’ with maths skills a key factor in achieving this goal. Indeed, the Reviewing the Requirement for High Level STEM Skills report adds: “To pursue this course a highly skilled science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce is essential.”
There is, therefore, huge demand for further education (FE) maths teachers. A comprehensive study of FE maths teachers undertaken by researchers from the School of Education at the University of Nottingham as part of the Nuffield Foundation-funded Mathematics in Further Education Colleges (MiFEC) project found that “routes into teaching maths at this level often differ from the traditional pathway into school teaching”.
The report explains: “The most common routes are from business, industry or self-employment, but transitions from teaching another subject in FE, or from teaching maths in school, are also common.”
For a number of reasons, teaching FE maths can be an attractive career choice or opportunity for progression. Switching from a career in industry, business or self-employment for one involving teaching maths at FE level has been found to be the most common entry route. This was found to be 24% of 500 maths teachers analysed in the MiFEC study, while those who have taught maths elsewhere before moving into FE came in a close second (23%).
The report flagged up the most common reason for wanting to pursue a career teaching A-level maths as being a desire to work with 16-18 year olds (25%), ahead of moving away from teaching in a school (17%). Personal enjoyment of the subject was cited by almost half of respondents (49%).
Although most people teaching A-level maths have undertaken a teaching qualification or are in training, this doesn’t need to be in maths specifically, as research has shown. Although “much of the workforce has experience of teaching mathematics and/or teaching
in FE but just under half (45%) do not hold a specific mathematics (or numeracy) teaching qualification”.
In terms of the specific qualifications achieved by FE maths teachers in the UK workforce, these vary according to individual circumstances; from undergraduate degree, Master’s or Level 2 qualifications. As a general rule, most maths teacher roles will require a teaching qualification, PGCE, or else must be prepared to obtain one within a specified period after appointment.
An FE maths teacher’s core duties will include lesson preparation and planning, and delivering a high standard of teaching and learning resources on a regular basis. You’ll also be expected to assess, record and evaluate the progress and work of students, while providing them with constructive feedback and guidance. Good interpersonal and presentation skills are highly desirable for potential employers.
The charity Gatsby explains in its profile of maths teachers in the college sector in England that “essential knowledge for effective teaching includes understanding the context and situation you find yourself teaching in, and this depends upon spending time in a college to learn, for example, its routines, systems and processes”.
John Stancliffe, a maths lecturer at City of Liverpool College, states: “Enthusiasm for teaching maths is a must in order to get the most from the role. It’s hard work but comes with great rewards. And can you show your students that you are investing in them and are a leader they can follow.”
Stancliffe says: “The curriculum is pretty set — we all teach the same topics at the same time but individual lesson content is down to each teacher. A key task is planning actual lessons and ensuring they are differentiated enough to cater for students of all abilities.”
FE maths teachers will be expected to ensure that all students receive appropriate enrichment activities and support services wherever this is appropriate. As Stancliffe states: “There’s also the pastoral side where we look out for our students — we are currently handling a number of safeguarding issues — plus admin, keeping attendance records up to date, monitoring progress and feeding back to students.”
Addressing the STEM shortages has been cited by the government as being crucial to maintaining the health of the UK economy. Indeed, each year the UK economy suffers a loss of £1.5bn due to skills shortages in this area. This explains why the training of maths teachers is of such importance that bursaries are on offer for those wishing to enter the maths teaching arena.
Bursaries for pre-service trainees wishing to become FE maths teachers are available from the government. The largest incentive available is for maths, science, engineering and computing and stands at £26,000. According to the Education & Training Foundation’s website: “The conditions are that the trainee is accepted onto an FE ITE [initial teacher education] programme (minimum level 5 ie DET, Cert Ed or PGCE) and holds at least a level 3 qualification or appropriate professional experience related to their teaching subject.”
Meanwhile, government grants are also available for in-service trainees who have been accepted onto an ITE programme. These are worth £18,200 to the employer to cover the cost of the training and the release from teaching.
A qualified FE maths teacher can expect to earn between £24,702 and £37,258. With experience and promotion, this can rise to almost £42,000 for those gaining advanced teaching and training levels.
Payscale puts the average maths teacher salary at £31,504 in the UK. In general, salaries vary according to your locale. For example, maths teachers in London earn an average of 23.7% more than the national average. Outside the capital, maths teacher jobs in Manchester pay an average of 14.2% more than the national average, while in Wolverhampton, you can expect to earn 11.1% more than the national average.
https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/exec-summary.pdf
https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/profile-of-the-maths-teaching-workforce.pdf
https://www.theiet.org/media/8186/addressing-the-stem-skill-s-shortage-challenge-report.pdf
https://www.feadvice.org.uk/want-work-sector-i-want-be-teacher-fe/incentives-new-teachers
https://www.ucu.org.uk/fescales_england#ql
https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Mathematics_Teacher/Salary
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