A physical education teacher is responsible for planning, educating, and tutoring students in a school setting. They offer a range of sports and allow young people to develop and improve their social and physical qualities.
You will teach physical education classes to youngsters aged 11 to 18. It requires considerable effort, including organising after-school activities and games.
Time is also spent developing lessons and units of work, commenting on the most recent research in publications such as Physical Education Matters, and thinking through current projects and government policies to ensure they benefit students.
Responsibilities
Throughout your apprenticeship, you may help:
- prepare lessons and teaching materials
- teach and coach a range of sports and physical activities to pupils of different ages and abilities
- manage class behaviour, motivate and encourage all pupils to take part
- work with learning support assistants to help pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- set and mark assignments and prepare pupils for exams
- attend meetings and training
- talk to parents and carers about their children’s progress
- work with other professionals such as educational psychologists, counsellors, social workers and mentors
- organise events like sports days, field trips and matches with other schools and colleges
- take registers, update records and write reports.
Salary
- Starting salaries for a qualified PE teacher is £25,714 per year.
- Experienced PE teachers can earn up to £41,604 per year.
Working hours
You will typically work 37 to 45 hours per week, including some evenings and weekends attending events.
Working environment
You could work at a school or at a college.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
Qualifications
Qualifications you can achieve as an apprentice PE teacher include:
- Level 6 Teacher – Entry requirements for this level include a degree for a teaching apprenticeship. This qualification will take 12 months to complete.
Skills
On a PE apprenticeship, you’ll learn:
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- be able to motivate and inspire pupils of all abilities to take part and learn new skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- knowledge of English language
- the ability to work well with others
- excellent verbal communication skills
- leadership skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently.
Career path and progression
You could become a specialist leader of education, supporting teachers in other schools. You could also become a curriculum leader, head of department, deputy head or headteacher.
You could use your experience to work in coaching or sports development.