Further education lecturers teach their specialist subject(s) to students of all academic levels.
Working in all kinds of institutions, from further education colleges and universities to community colleges and young offender institutes, further education lecturers teach courses that help students to obtain foundation degrees, vocational diplomas, professional qualifications, A-levels, BTECs, NVQs and City & Guilds qualifications, amongst others.
Generally, further education courses are offered to people who are older than 16 and are no longer required to be in compulsory education. However, people of all ages study at further education colleges.
Essentially, a further education lecturer’s job involves planning and preparing lessons in accordance with the relevant curriculum, marking coursework, setting homework assignments and generally helping students to achieve the best possible results that they can.
Furthermore, you’ll be responsible for assessing and grading students’ work, providing feedback and maintaining accurate records of their progress.
Finally, you may be required to attend parent-teacher conferences, offer careers counselling and provide extra pastoral support to students when necessary.
Salary & benefits
Starting salaries for further education lecturers range between £18,000 and £23,000 per annum, while experienced lecturers can earn up to £35,000 a year.
Some further education lecturers work on a part-time or temporary basis. These professionals earn around £15 to £25 an hour.
Working hours
Full-time lecturers work around 35-40 hours per week. Often, you may be required to work evenings or weekends; it really depends on the timetable you’re given.
Further education lecturers involved in vocational work experience projects are also expected to liaise with and monitor the progress of students who are on placements at participating businesses. This may mean travelling around from time to time.
Entry
Further education lecturer jobs are open to all graduates and HND holders, provided they have the necessary knowledge and competence in the subject they choose to teach.
In fact, you don’t even need to have a degree to become a further education lecturer, as long as you have a substantial amount of relevant work experience.
However, candidates applying for further education jobs also need to complete some initial teacher training. Within five years of starting work as a further education lecturer, you must obtain a Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Sector, a Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Sector, or a PGCE/Cert Ed in Further Education.
Furthermore, if you start without any of the prescribed qualifications, you should complete the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Sector (PTLLS) qualification within your first year of employment.
Training & progression
Every further education lecturer is required to become a member of the Institute for Learning (IfL). In order to satisfy the membership criteria, further education lecturers are required to comply with certain continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.
In addition, lecturers also need to provide the IfL with evidence of their professional expertise, including proof of their teaching qualifications and evidence of their level two credentials in English and maths.
As you progress in your career as a further education lecturer, you may become a senior lecturer, a head of department or move into a senior administrative role.
Alternatively, you could move laterally into other areas of education, such as higher education or community education.