What does a Secondary School Teacher actually do?

The short version

Secondary teachers take one subject to five year-groups a day — deeper expertise than primary, heavier marking and exam pressure, and teenagers instead of children. Pay follows the same published national scales as primary, with London weighting on top, and shortage subjects (physics, maths, computing, languages) come with tax-free training bursaries worth up to £██K.

AI is absorbing planning and objective marking — helpful, because workload is the sector's real problem — but recruitment shortfalls in shortage subjects mean strong job security.

Entry routes that actually work

• Degree + PGCE/SCITT — standard route; Subject Knowledge Enhancement fills degree gaps.
• Salaried school-based ITT / Teach First — earn while you train.
• Shortage-subject bursaries — tax-free funding during training; check the current DfE list.
• Assessment-only — for experienced unqualified teachers.