Further Education Lecturer Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Further education lecturer

Hours

37 per week
Starting salary

£22,000 + per year

Further education (FE) lecturers teach students over the age of 16. Also known as further education teachers, they also teach some 14 to 16 year-olds studying work-related subjects. If you enjoy spending time with young adults and want a teaching career, this could be perfect for you.

To become a further education teacher, you will need to be able to relate well to students of all ages and abilities. You’ll need good organisation and planning skills. You’ll also need patience and a sense of humour.

A qualified FE Lecturer needs at least a level 3 qualification in the subject you want to teach. For some academic subjects you may also need a degree.

The work

As an FE teacher, you could work in a variety of learning environments, ranging from colleges and community centres to prisons and the armed forces.

The types of courses you could teach include:

academic subjects, like maths and English - often leading to qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels
vocational courses that train students for careers such as catering, construction or childcare - often leading to qualifications like City & Guilds or BTEC
the 14 to 19 Diplomas delivered in colleges or at partner schools
leisure and hobby courses, such as photography.

Depending on the subject you teach, you would use a variety of teaching methods, such as seminars, tutorials and demonstrations.

Your daily tasks would normally include:

planning and preparing lessons or seminars
setting and marking assignments, tests and exams
monitoring and assessing students’ progress
developing new courses and teaching materials
keeping records and carrying out other administrative tasks
going to meetings, professional development courses and workshops
interviewing prospective students
acting as personal tutor - supporting students and helping with problems
supervising practical work, work placements or field trips.

You could teach full-time, part-time (day or evening) or day release courses.

Hours

You would usually work up to 37 hours a week, and would spend about 25 of these hours teaching.

You could also be on a permanent contract to teach for a part or a fraction of the week (known as ‘permanent fractional’) or do part-time non-permanent work. This could be, for example, teaching a series of evening or daytime leisure courses.

You could be based in a classroom, workshop or laboratory, depending on the subject you teach. You might need to travel during your working day, for example to accompany students on field trips or assess students in the workplace.

Income

Qualified further education (FE) teachers in colleges can earn from around £22,000 to £33,000 a year.

FE teachers in leadership and management jobs can earn from £33,000 to around £80,000 a year.

FE teachers working in London may get an additional allowance.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You will need to have:

at least a level 3 qualification in the subject you want to teach – for example NVQ/vocational level 3. For some academic subjects you may need a degree
level 2 (GCSE or equivalent ) English, maths and ICT to apply for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS). See 'full teacher qualifications' below.
appropriate teaching qualifications.

The Award in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) is a short introductory course, which you could do at the beginning of your teaching career.

You would then need to take further qualifications, depending on whether you want to qualify as a 'full' or 'associate' teacher.

Full teacher qualifications

The Level 5 Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) is the minimum qualification you will need as a full teacher. It will also allow you to apply for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

As a full teacher, you would have a full range of teaching responsibilities. Your work would involve:

using teaching materials that you have designed and evaluated
teaching a range of levels, subjects and types of learner
teaching programmes that take varying lengths of time.

The Level 5 Diploma is roughly equivalent to the PGCE/Cert Ed in Further Education (or in Post-Compulsory Education). Some universities and colleges may use these titles for their courses, but they cover the same areas as the Level 5 Diploma.

Associate teacher qualifications

The Level 3/4 Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS) will qualify you as an associate teacher. As an associate teacher you would have fewer teaching responsibilities than a full teacher. Your work would involve at least one of the following:

using teaching packs or pre-prepared materials, with little involvement in designing curriculum and materials
teaching on a one-to-one basis
teaching one particular level, subject or type of learner, rather than a full range
teaching short courses.

If you want to qualify as a full teacher, you can do the Level 5 Diploma without completing either the PTLLS or CTLLS.

See the Talent website for full details of qualifications and training providers.

Talent

You can train to become an FE teacher on a full or part-time basis. If you want to do a part time course and you are not already employed as a teacher, you will need to arrange to do some teaching hours. You may be able to do this on a voluntary basis, although many people find paid teaching work whilst still training.

Under government regulations, all FE teachers need to register as members of the Institute for Learning (Ifl). See the IfL website for details.

Institute for Learning

You may also need to have Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance. See the CRB website for details.

Criminal Records Bureau (Home Office website)

Training and development

You could complete a teaching qualification whilst you are working as a teacher. To do this you should:

be well qualified or experienced in the subject you intend to teach
find an employer who is willing to support you in working towards qualifications
complete a teaching qualification within a set time.

As a newly qualified teacher you would need to apply to the Institute for Learning (Ifl) for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status. A requirement of Ifl membership is a commitment to keep your skills up to date through continual professional development (CPD). See the Ifl website for details.

Institute for Learning

An FE teacher qualification does not qualify you to teach in schools.

Please see the primary school teacher and secondary school teacher job profiles for more information.

The Higher Education Academy accredits a range of teacher training courses. See their website for a list of accredited courses.

Higher Education Academy

Skills and knowledge

To become a further education teacher, you will need to have:

extensive knowledge of your subject and the ability to explain it at a level suitable for your students
the ability to relate well to students of all ages and abilities
enthusiasm and the ability to motivate students
the ability to express yourself clearly, both in speech and writing
creativity, for devising interesting activities and materials
good organisation and planning skills
patience and a sense of humour.

More information

University and College Union (UCU) (Opens new window)
www.ucu.org.uk

FE Advice at LSIS (Opens new window)
Tel: 0300 303 1877
Email: fe.advice@lsis.org.uk
www.excellencegateway.org.uk/feadvice

Institute for Learning (Ifl) (Opens new window)
www.ifl.ac.uk

Opportunities

You could teach at further education colleges, sixth-form colleges, community colleges, adult education centres, within the prison service and at work-based learning locations.

With experience at a college, you could progress to senior teacher or head of department. There are not many available positions of this kind, so you will probably need to move to another college for career progression.

You may find the following links useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The further education industry is part of the lifelong learning sector, represented by Lifelong Learning UK Sector Skills Council, which also includes: community learning and development; higher education; libraries, archives and information services; and work‐based learning. The sector as a whole currently employs over 1.2 million people in a range of educational institutions, as well as public and private sector organisations.

The further education industry includes staff involved in the delivery, support and management of learning who work in general further education (FE) colleges, tertiary colleges, sixth form colleges, independent specialist colleges, Scotland’s further education colleges and post‐16 learning in Northern Ireland and Wales.

Key facts:

There are 305,243 people working in further education, of which:
- 263,257 staff are in England
- 6,357 staff are in Northern Ireland
- 21, 604 are in Scotland
- 14, 025 are in Wales
A higher proportion of female staff is employed part‐time than male staff.
A further education lecturer usually works 37 hours a week, with around 25 hours spent teaching.

Jobs in the industry include: head of department, senior lecturer, team leader, curriculum leader, lecturer, teacher, trainer, learning support staff, assessor, internal verifier.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There are an estimated 22,087 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

9.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
8.2% of the workforce are teaching staff
60.8% of teaching staff work part‐time
Pay is the second lowest of all English regions.

East of England – There are an estimated 23,091 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

10.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
7.8% of the workforce are teaching staff
53.4% of teaching staff work part‐time

London – There are an estimated 34,406 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

33.2% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
14.8% of the workforce are teaching staff
59.7% of teaching staff work part‐time

North East – There are an estimated 15,488 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

3.3% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
5.1% of the workforce are teaching staff
49.6% of teaching staff work part‐time

North West – There are an estimated 43,001 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

6.4% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
16.1% of the workforce are teaching staff
56.2% of teaching staff work part‐time

South East – There are an estimated 37,189 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

8.8% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
14.5% of the workforce are teaching staff
57.8% of teaching staff work part‐time

South West – There are an estimated 27,539 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

9.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
10% of the workforce are teaching staff
68.2% of teaching staff work part‐time

West Midlands – There are an estimated 30,894 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

12.9% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
12.4% of the workforce are teaching staff
59.4% of teaching staff work part‐time

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are an estimated 29,562 people in the further education workforce in the region, of which:

6.7% of the teaching staff are of a Black or Minority Ethnic origin
11% of the workforce are teaching staff
58.9 % of teaching staff work part‐time

Northern Ireland – There are an estimated 6,357 people in the further education workforce: 2,142 staff work full‐time, 51% of them were male; and 3,465 staff work part‐time, 37% of them were female.

Scotland – There are an estimated 21,604 people in the further education workforce, of which: