{"id":9106,"date":"2026-09-09T12:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=9106"},"modified":"2026-09-09T15:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T14:12:07","slug":"six-steps-to-becoming-a-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=9106","title":{"rendered":"6 steps to ‘Becoming a teacher’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Becoming a teacher is rewarding, fulfilling and provides the opportunity to inspire and shape the lives of current and future generations. This career pathway involves a combination of education, practical experience and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Follow these 6 steps to explore different routes to teaching careers with the help of our\u00a0 \u2018Becoming a Teacher\u2019<\/a>\u00a0 online guides for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Research academic and other \u00a0requirements<\/h2>\n

The first crucial step in your journey is to research the academic and non-academic requirements for gaining a teaching qualification. Read the \u2018Entry Requirements\u2019 section of your nation\u2019s \u2018Becoming a Teacher\u2019 guide.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Choose your specialism<\/h2>\n

Teachers often specialise in a particular subject area or age range. Consider your interests and strengths when choosing your specialism. For help in deciding, read the \u2018What age range do you want to teach?\u2019 section in your nation\u2019s guide. \u00a0Clarify your goals with our 3-minute careers check-in<\/a> and then plan a structured route to success by working through the Navigate Your Future activity pathway<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 4: Gain practical experience<\/h2>\n

Practical experience in a classroom setting is invaluable for aspiring teachers. The Open University has partnerships with schools and organisations to give you a hands-on understanding of the teaching profession. Find more information on the \u2018Getting work experience\u2019 pages in your nation\u2019s \u2018Becoming a Teacher\u2019 guide. Search opportunities<\/a> for student teaching, internships<\/a> or volunteer work<\/a> in educational settings on OpportunityHub.<\/p>\n

Step 5: Professional development and networking<\/h2>\n

Keep up to date with educational trends and teaching methodologies through workshops, conferences, and ongoing professional development. Find the latest career skills training and other opportunities on our careers events<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n

Step 6: Connect with OU alumni<\/h2>\n

Alumni insights can provide valuable perspectives on the teaching profession and potential career paths. For inspiration, read alumni stories<\/a> on the OU\u2019s Alumni Association Portal, the OU\u2019s student stories<\/a> and our Careers Stories blog.<\/p>\n

By following these steps and using the OU\u2019s \u2018Becoming a Teacher’ online guides, start your journey into teaching and make a positive impact on the lives of students and the future of education.<\/p>\n

OU Careers and Employability Services<\/a><\/h5>\n

\"Photo<\/a>Annabel Bennett is a Development Coordinator in the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Becoming a teacher is rewarding, fulfilling and provides the opportunity to inspire and shape the lives of current and future generations. This career pathway involves a combination of education, practical experience and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Follow these 6 steps to explore different routes to teaching careers with the help of our\u00a0 \u2018Becoming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9106"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9127,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9106\/revisions\/9127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}