Get free advice and support
Thinking about further education and not sure where to start? Whatever stage you're at, our advisers can offer free advice by phone or email.
Get advice and supportFind your local college
Visit your local college's website to get a feel for their facilities, see the courses they offer and browse the latest job listings.
Find your local collegeVisit a jobs website
Browsing a jobs website is a great way to start your search. Discover opportunities in your area with the Association of Colleges job board (link opens in a new tab).
Find an FE jobA few things to bear in mind when searching for jobs in FE
- Further education providers are independent organisations, so they can set their own entry requirements and benefit packages.
- Teaching vacancies within further education may sometimes be advertised as ‘FE lecturers’ or ‘tutors’, so consider looking at these roles too.
- Providers may also refer to trades or industry areas in different ways. If you can’t find a job that matches your specific occupation, try widening your search term or contacting your local further education provider.
Get up to £6000 when you start teaching in a further education college
When you start teaching an eligible course in an FE college, you could get an extra payment of up to £6000.
You can claim your payment within the first 5 years of your FE teaching career. Eligible subjects are:
- building and construction
- computing, including digital and ICT
- engineering and manufacturing, including transport engineering and electronics
- early years courses leading to a full and relevant qualification to work in an early years setting
- maths, physics and chemistry
To learn more, speak to your local college or chat with our friendly advisers.
Getting Started
You don’t always need a teaching qualification to start teaching in further education. Depending on your course and provider, you may be able to do funded training while you work.
This means you could get paid while completing your FE teacher training. Your employer will decide which qualification you work towards.
This may be the best approach if:
- you want to start teaching FE soon
- there is a suitable job available at a local college or training provider
- you do not want to pay for teacher training yourself
If you want to train as a further education teacher before you apply for a job, then you may be able to get financial support while you train.
This may be the best approach if:
- you do not want to be committed to any one provider after you qualify
- you want to get a taste for FE before you commit to teaching
You may be able to apply for a student loan to help pay for your course fees and living expenses. Depending on your subject, you could also get a tax-free bursary. Find out more about training on the job, including student loans and bursaries, on GOV.UK.
There are many initiatives that could allow you to gain some work experience.
For example, the Education & Training Foundation (ETF) offer a free course where you can explore what it is like to be a teacher in FE. Visit the ETF website to find out more about work experience (opens in a new tab).
You can also contact your local FE provider to find out whether they have any upcoming open days or offer work experience.
In the meantime, you can learn more about what it’s like to teach in FE from those who are actually doing it.
If you need more information or advice on finding the perfect further education job for you, then speak to our dedicated support team. They can help you understand:
- whether a career in further education could work for you
- your skills and experience and if they’re the right fit
- your teaching training options
- your timeline to train and apply
- plus much more
To get in touch, you can email teach.FE@education.gov.uk or call 0800 389 2502. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.
Use our college finder to:
- find your nearest colleges in England
- visit their websites to see if they are right for you
- get in contact and apply for a job
Lots of opportunities are advertised locally, so contact your local college to find out what’s available near you.
You can also search for FE jobs on general job sites like:
- DWP’s Find a job (opens in a new tab)
- Indeed (opens in a new tab)
- TotalJobs (opens in a new tab)
- Reed (opens in a new tab)
- LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
Contact our advisers
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated support team.
They’re on hand with any information you need on teaching in further education, as well as one-to-one advice on how to get there. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm.
