Progressing your career after probation
There are many teaching pathways open to you after your probation period. This section provides an overview of the options available, with more detail available from your headteacher.
Starting out
Your first few years as a fully registered teacher will see you still supported by the the Standard for Full Registration (SFR) and by an ongoing programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Your early years of teaching will reinforce what you have learned as a student and probationer teacher. Once you feel confident (and have fulfilled the time limit for entry) you can consider what route you want to follow in your new profession. These routes are:
- classroom recognition - remain in the classroom and gain professional recognition or consider crossing sectors/teaching another subject
- leadership pathways - consider leadership route, such as faculty head or headteacher
- beyond school - other options open to you
Classroom recognition
Personal development undertaken while remaining in the classroom aims to help you gain recognition for enhancing and sharing your knowledge/experience. There are three routes available.
Professional Recognition
You can apply for Professional Recognition after you've completed 2 years post-probation, regardless of your post or position in school.
This framework allows you, across your career, to gain recognition for particular expertise you may have in your professional practice. It results in a certificate that lasts for five years.
Various areas are possible, both curricular and cross curricular, but you will be required to maintain the status by showing that you are still pursuing interest in the area.
Professional Registration
Professional Registration requires you to have completed 2 years teaching service after gaining full registration. This provides you with the opportunity to add GTCS registration either in different subjects, such as sociology, philosophy and psychology, or in a different sector.
Chartered Teacher
Chartered Teacher status will be available to you once you have reached the top of the salary scale. There are two routes available: the programme route or the accreditation route. Both enhance your pay and allow you to develop skills and interests in the classroom. It is a modular based award and is aimed at experienced teachers. Being a Chartered Teacher does not prohibit you from following a leadership pathway but it is aimed at teachers who wish to remain in the classroom.
Leadership pathways
Many teachers join the profession interested in developing their career through leadership pathways.
These skills are important to the profession and it should be remembered that not every teacher following this pathway wants to go as far as being a headteacher.
This is not mutually exclusive with classroom recognition and you can still gain professional recognition or further registration whilst working your way through any leadership route.
Faculty head and principal teacher
Leadership usually begins through a departmental or faculty role where you can apply for a faculty head or principal teacher post at an increased salary.
This entails perhaps running a department(s), having school responsibilities and leading staff and the curriculum in your stage, subject or subjects. It entails management skills both of your subject and your staff.
Depute head
Some teachers wish to take on more whole school responsibility and being a depute allows you to do just that without the ultimate responsibility of heading up a school.
Some remain classroom teachers but with time allocated to take on your additional role of curriculum, probation, timetabling, management, etc.
Deputes often come with recognised remits that enhance and support the role of the headteacher. Their salary is often role-related.
Standard for headship
The standard for headship provides a framework for a professional training programme for headship, defining the leadership and management capabilities you will need.
At the moment the route to headship is the Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH).
Going beyond school
Some teachers decide to choose other pathways.
Many teachers enjoy and have skills in particular curricular or management areas and choose to take their career out of the classroom and out of the school. This can take you into working in an educational role in a local authority or teacher training institute.
There are also secondment opportunities that will allow you to take forward a particular interest in for example IT, Quality Assurance or Assessment. This can lead to you working with the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education HMIE) or Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
