Meet Dina, 24, from Northampton. Find out about her life as a Maths teacher. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Dina:Hi, I'm Dina. I'm 24 years old and I'm a Maths teacher. I'm preparing lessons every day for students from the age of 11 to 18 and helping them to reach their full potential in Mathematics and get ready for exams. It takes a lot of confidence to be teacher and it takes a lot of patience. You always need to be ready for any situation that is thrown your way. It does get stressful at times and every day can be different. However, when you are in a classroom teaching and a student is struggling on a concept, it's that light bulb moment that makes everything worthwhile when they finally understand exactly what they're doing and they're as proud of themselves as you are of them.
Before I was able to become a teacher in a school, I had to do one year's training for my PGCE. Half of the year is spent on placement in a school and the second half of the year is spent in university. I learnt all the skills needed to be a teacher and I learnt how to overcome any situation that you might face in a school. When I was at school, I really enjoyed Maths lessons and the main reason for this was because of the teachers that I had. I hope to have the same impact on my students that the teachers had on me when I was a student.
Dina's colleague:Me and Dina met doing our teacher training so it's been really nice to have a friendly face around and we always support each other as much as we possibly can. She's a really reliable person and she's always willing to go above and beyond the needs of all the children.
Dina:I have never regretted my decision to become a teacher. It's such a rewarding career and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me as a teacher.
Being a young teacher means children relate to me more and I can to them!
- Dina studied Maths at GCSE and A-level and enjoyed the logical nature of it. It was a natural step for her to study it at degree level at university
- She thought she would work in accounting or actuarial science but soon realised that a nine-to-five career in an office didn't suit her
- She chose to do teaching training instead (a PGCE, which is a post-graduate course) and has never regretted her decision! She loves interacting with her students and, although it can be stressful, she finds it very rewarding.
What to expect if you want to be a secondary school teacher
- Secondary school teacher average salary: £33,000 to £51,000 per year
- Secondary school teacher typical working hours: 37 to 45 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a secondary school teacher?
You could get into this role via a university course, an apprenticeship or working towards the role.
Sources: National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
Learn more about routes into teaching on the Get Into Teaching website.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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