It only takes a quick look at an employment agency website like Reed.co.uk to see that the competition for job vacancies in London in particular is fierce, with dozens of people often applying for the same jobs. In such an environment, finding a job, let alone a good job, can be a matter as much due to luck as judgement.
Still, there are always sectors of the economy that need good, skilled staff. Teaching is one such example. Despite cutbacks across the sector suggesting that recruitment will be limited, there is a shortage of skills in certain subjects, and a significant number of teaching jobs in London that are unfilled. Recent reports suggest that there are a number of teachers out there who could do better jobs, so talented new recruits who can demonstrate their skills actually have a chance of breaking through into a good job.
Additionally, on the management side of the education system, the need for good managers at our nation’s schools is more profound than ever, particularly as testing economic conditions require schools to do more with less.
For those who aren’t looking at a career in teaching, there are other education-based jobs that should still be considered as a good option. English, more than ever, is the dominant language in the world, and the demand for good quality teachers of English, native speakers at that, has never been higher. Getting a Teaching English as a Foreign Language qualification or an equivalent can be expensive, but for many people it can prove to be a license to travel the globe, and a good and rewarding job at that (if for no other reason than teaching English in Barcelona is a lot more of an attractive proposition than enduring a winter in Barnsley, for example).
Teaching, of course, isn’t for everyone, but stereotypes of having to deal with chaotic and sometimes violent children are far from the truth. There is a career in education to suit just about anyone, and a rewarding career at that.
