Teacher Support Network is an independent charity dedicated to providing vital support to teachers like you – when you are training, throughout your career and beyond. Our free services include:

• Telephone and online coaching: practical and emotional support personalised via a secure email system or phone.
• Telephone and online counselling: confidential, solution-focused counselling on personal and professional issues.
• Information and support material: news, guides and factsheets on relevant issues such as stress management, work-life balance and classroom management.
• Signposting: help finding relevant partner organisations, including unions, local authorities and other service providers.
• Money advice: individually tailored strategies to address financial difficulties restructure debts and secure benefits and obtain other statutory entitlements.
• Financial assistance: the needs-based provision of grants and loans for qualified teachers.

Our online coaching includes eight unique focussed programmes covering virtually any area on which you would like to work with a coach. Each of our online programmes consists of six sessions, including an initial assessment and a final evaluation. These sessions should span no more than six weeks but the time and frequency of communication is up to you and your coach. You can choose from the following themes:

Work Related Issues | Professional and Personal Development | Health and Fitness Issues | Personal Finances | Work-Life Balance | Relationship Issues | Emotional Wellbeing | Action Learning

Remember you are not alone. There are people within your school who will support you, along with your union, your local authority and independent organisations such the Teacher Support Network. To ask for help is not to admit defeat: it is a sign of strength.

If you can develop your own personal style while building strong relationships with those around you, you’re already on the path to success. Your future career awaits: good luck and happy teaching!

Getting started on your job search

If you are training or a trainee it is a good idea to start looking out for jobs at the beginning of the spring term. This may sound early, but should give you plenty of choice, particularly if you want to work in a specific location.

However, if you have difficulty finding what you’re looking for, don’t despair. It’s not unusual for some schools to wait until the beginning of the summer to advertise their vacancies, so there will still be opportunities later on in the school year.

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Testing times

As part of your assessment to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) you will be required to submit coursework and complete assessments. Balancing this with lesson planning, marking and other school work can be a challenge. Reflection or evaluation is also a crucial aspect of the teacher training process.

You will need to provide written evidence that you have reflected upon most of the lessons you teach or observe. It is worth spending 15 minutes each day on this so that it doesn’t mount up. When filing observation notes or any other work that can contribute to your final portfolio, it is useful to use a ring binder with sections for each QTS standard. This will prove invaluable when you come to create your final presentation for your QTS assessor. For more information on the QTS standards, visit the TDA website.

Many training institutions stagger deadlines across the year, so students don’t get too overloaded, but it is easy to get caught up with the demands of your training. It may sound obvious, but it is important to spend a couple of hours on your diary at the beginning of the year. Your training provider can give you a list of key dates and deadlines at the beginning of your course.

Noting these down in your diary, along with reminders about coursework and assessment deadlines, will help you plan your workload. In addition, don’t forget to be realistic; build in enough time for lesson planning. If each period or lesson lasts for one hour, it is likely that you will need at least this much preparation time.

Nevertheless, there may be times when you feel tired, stressed and overworked. If this happens, don’t keep it to yourself. Talk to other trainees, your school mentor or tutor about how you are feeling. As well as providing a listening ear, they may be able to offer practical help or solutions. Studying, planning lessons or even marking with fellow trainees are great ways to share ideas and ease the load. Alternatively you can call the Teacher Support Network support line where our coaches and counsellors are there to offer to both practical and emotional support.

You’re beginning an inspiring and rewarding career where no two days are the same – and these are probably some of the reasons you chose to teach in the first place.

As a new teacher, you will be faced with challenges unique to the environment you are working in, where there are social as well as professional dynamics to consider. Some of these challenges cannot always be predicted and so the experience of every trainee and NQT will be different.

Find your pressure points

Schools can be pressurised places at the best of times. But you may find some times in the school year are particularly hectic, when you may have to contend with report writing or marking coursework in addition to your usual workload. And if you’re involved in running extra-curricular activities, such as drama or sport, you may find yourself rushed off your feet in the run up to the end of term production or school sports day.

Being aware of potential ‘pressure points’ can help you plan ahead, so you don’t become overloaded. At the beginning of the school year, spend a couple of hours filling in your diary.

Make a note of any important deadlines, such as reports and coursework marking and aim to start at least three to four weeks before each deadline.

Setting yourself manageable daily or weekly targets is an effective way to ensure big projects, such as writing reports or coursework marking get completed on time. It will also help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

Wherever your pressure point lies, make sure you plan well ahead to avoid feeling overloaded later.

Although you will be assigned a school mentor, you will be responsible for managing your own performance and training needs. If you identify any gaps in your training you will need to talk with tutors and your mentor about how you might gain the necessary experience. Your school mentor will carry out lesson observations and support you in your efforts to meet the standards required to achieve QTS. Before planning lessons, refer to the QTS criteria, which will increase your chances of delivering a higher-graded lesson.

The best way to learn about teaching is to get in the classroom. You will make mistakes but reflecting on what went well and what you can improve on is a crucial part of successful teaching. As well as reflecting on your own practice, you will need feedback from your mentor and other experienced teachers. While your mentor should highlight your strengths, he or she will also need to identify areas for development. It isn’t always easy to take criticism, but it is necessary if you want to develop as a teacher.

You may find yourself in the situation, however, where you feel the criticism is unjustifiably harsh or negative. If this is the case, you may wish to discuss this with your mentor or the observing teacher. If you decide to do this, it is vital to explain your position calmly and listen to what they have to say. They may well be unaware of how they are communicating and an honest chat may be enough to improve the situation. If the problem persists, you may need to discuss it with a senior member of staff or a tutor from your training institution.

If you are interested in school leadership the The National College for School Leadership website is a great place to start. The NCSL is responsible for developing excellent leadership in England’s 23,000 state schools through professional development programmes, strategic initiatives, support and networking opportunities.

The College exists to serve the development needs of school leaders – from aspiring school leaders to experienced headteachers and from school business managers to leaders of extended schools. For more information on the programmes available, visit the NCSL website.

A home to call your own

Renting
Scouring the local paper can take a lot of time and energy. The Association of Residential Letting Agents’ website at www.arla.co.uk lists all the letting agents by area, as do both www.yell.com and www.thomweb.co.uk To search specifically for properties try www.homes2rent.net or www.fish4homes.co.uk.

If you’re still training and are looking to rent or share, your university, college or training provider should be able to offer support. They may have lists of local accommodation and many also have hardships funds if you’re finding it difficult to cover the cost of your rent.

Once you have found a rental property, you will need to find money to cover the deposit and usually at least one month’s rent in advance. If you have high housing costs and only one income in the family, you may be eligible for Housing Benefit.  You can contact Teacher Support Network to check your entitlement on 08000 562 561 in England and 08000 855 088 in Wales.

Key worker living
Key worker living is a government-funded scheme that helps key workers in London, the south east and east of England to buy a home, upgrade to a larger property to meet household needs or rent a home at an affordable price.

What is a key worker?
For the purposes of this scheme, a key worker is someone employed by the public sector in a frontline role delivering an essential public service in the areas of health, education and community safety where there are serious recruitment and retention problems.

Who can benefit?
As a teacher in a school, further education institution or sixth form college you are categorised as a key worker. Eligibility criteria can vary across regions depending on local recruitment and retention priorities. A full list of eligible roles can be found on the Housing Corporation website.

How do key workers apply?
To find out what is available locally and to obtain an application form, key workers must contact the HomeBuy Agent for the area in which they work.

What is a HomeBuy Agent?
A HomeBuy Agent is a registered social landlord (commonly known as Housing Association) that markets housing schemes including those for key workers across an area. HomeBuy Agents provide a one stop shop and point of contact for potential purchasers of the Open Market and New Build products. They deal with applications and arrange the help that key workers need.

A complete list of HomeBuy Agents and their contact details can be found on the DirectGov website.

For further information on all aspects of the key worker scheme visit the Communities and Government website.

Getting on the property ladder
Several schemes have launched in recent years, aimed at assisting people who cannot afford to buy property on the open market.

• Housing corporation – The Housing Corporation is the national Government agency that funds new affordable housing and regulates housing associations in England. They have about 500 staff based at nine offices throughout England (they do not work in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales).
• Housing options – The Housing Options Service has been designed to help those people in London who are unable to afford to buy their own home or rent a good quality home. For eligibility criteria and to apply visit their website.
• Housing Associations – have a range of affordable housing options on offer for low to middle income earners, including Shared Ownership schemes. Visit www.lhog.co.uk for more information.
• Shop around for the best mortgage offers – www.charcolonline.co.uk is a mortgage broker providing free, online advice.
• Contact your local authority to ask if it operates, or is aware of, local initiatives aimed at helping teachers.
• Shelter now provides free advice, information and help with legal and practical issues of finding accommodation. Either visit their website or call the support line on 0808 800 4444, available 8am-8pm seven days a week. If you would rather talk to someone in person check their website for advice centres near you.

Finding the right route for you

There are a wide variety of routes that you can take into teaching. The one which you choose will most likely be specific to the age group or subject that you wish to teach. This will include studying alongside a degree, straight after a degree, as a part-time course alongside work or as a full-time course. For more help on choosing your preferred route, you can answer a short set of questions on the TDA website.

Here we have put together a toolkit of useful resources, organised by country. If you know of additional resources that could be useful to new teachers, please add them to this section.