What do people value about this career?
In our careers and skills survey, science educators told us that they appreciate that their work:
- is intellectually stimulating
- allows me to be creative
A ‘teaching’ career
If you enjoy communicating science and in particular teaching, a career path in secondary education can be an option for you.
Roles and responsibilities
On a day-to-day basis, you will:
- prepare and deliver lessons
- mark classwork, coursework and exams
- monitor student progress
- prepare lab activities
- provide pastoral support to students
- contribute towards other school activities and governance
Career entry and progression
Requirements for these positions are specific to national educational systems. A small number of programmes, e.g. TeachFirst in the UK, provide a fast-track option for graduates, and some private schools also do not require a full teaching degree. But for the vast majority of teaching positions in schools, you will require a formal qualification from a teacher training course.
Knowledge and skills
In our careers and skills survey, 5 science educators told us about the competencies they used most often. The most commonly selected competencies were:
- effective communication (selected by 80% of respondents)
- broad scientific knowledge (selected by 60%; and ranked as most important for success)
- organization (selected by 60%)
- mentoring and leadership (selected by 60%)
- self-management (selected by 60%)
