Although some may pursue a career in teaching with a very clear idea of what subject they want to specialise in, it’s also quite normal to be attracted to the idea of teaching without being sure on a subject too. This can be particularly common in the case of anyone starting to look at making a move into teaching in later life, or immediately after having already completed an undergraduate degree. So, if you’re in a similar position, how do you figure out what subject should you teach?
Take a Second Look at Your Degree
Okay, so if you have a degree in geography then it’s obvious that specialising as a geography teacher is a suitable option, but not all cases are as cut and dry. Many degree subjects aren’t taught widely in schools, such psychology or philosophy, and more still won’t be taught in school at all.
The good news is that teaching isn’t off the table just because your degree doesn’t seem relevant- you may just need to think a little harder about the knowledge and skills you learnt and see how they fit into the subjects available.
Let’s say you studied for a degree like Computer Games Design. It’s a great example of the more niche topics that you can only really focus on in higher education, but even a niche degree will require and build upon knowledge from a lot of core subjects studied at school. In the case of Computer Games Design, there will be a lot of IT, potentially some learning connected to Business Studies and, if there was any kind of coding involved, a strong grounding in logic and problem-solving too.
When thinking about your degree in terms of the modules you studied and specific skills you learnt, it becomes apparent that the specific focus of your degree isn’t the most important consideration when figuring out what subject to teach. Of course, you may still feel there are gaps in your knowledge – maybe big ones – that need to be bridged. Luckily, most institutions recognise this and can offer help…
Topping Up Your Knowledge
The teaching profession has been aware for a long time that there are many candidates who are well suited to teaching but may not have the required subject knowledge to jump right in. To address this issue, and ensure that candidates with a real passion for teaching can still apply, most schools or universities will offer Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses.
SKE courses are usually offered after application and can range in length from a couple of weeks up to several months, depending on how much your knowledge needs developing. The availability and content of these courses varies from institution to institution, but combining an SKE with the ideas and understanding carried over from an indirectly related degree can open up more options than you might have thought possible.
Consider What Captures Your Interest
An obvious response to the question “what subject should I teach?” is to ask what someone enjoys… but it’s also the most important point to make. A career in teaching can be long lived, so you should absolutely take time to think deeply about what subject is most likely to keep you interested and engaged for years to come.
This might be another good opportunity to break down the various modules and assignments you completed as part of your degree: consider what elements captured your attention and how that might relate to the available subject specialisms. Don’t just rely on memories of your own school days either. We can sometimes have some negative memories of tough subjects like maths or physics; however, by analysing how the fundamentals of these subjects were applied during your degree, you may realise that you’d enjoy teaching them more than you initially thought.
Hands-On Experience
It’s quite typical to seek classroom experience before fully committing to a PGCE course, and is the perfect opportunity to get a taste of what teaching certain subjects (and teaching more generally) might be like. After all, it’s easy to debate the pros and cons of teaching different subjects in theory, but real experience could help you pick a winner. Having this work experience can enhance your application too.
Looking to the Future
Ultimately, it’s important to remember that the subject you choose now doesn’t have to be forever. Gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), the main goal of teacher training, technically allows you to teach any subject. Granted, if you don’t have any experience in a subject it’s not going to be realistic to target a job teaching it, but as you develop in a teaching career it is possible to change direction if you feel it’s right for you. There are also roles, often at primary education level, that allow you to teach multiple subjects.
If you’re looking to discover more about teacher training courses to help you make an informed decision about what you can or should be teaching, then our Teacher Training website has a wealth of course information, testimonials and video content to help you on your journey. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.