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PE Teacher

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Primary Secondary Post-16

A PE teacher is a very important person in a school because they help children learn all about sports, exercise, and how to keep their bodies healthy and strong! Imagine getting to play football, netball, athletics, and many other exciting games every day, and teaching other children how to play them too. That's what a PE teacher does! They plan fun lessons, show children how to do different exercises, and help them understand why it's so good to be active. They also teach about teamwork and being fair in games. It's a job where you get to be outdoors a lot and inspire children to love being active.

PE Teacher

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📊 Statistics

Starting Salary

A new PE teacher in the UK might earn around 28,000 to 34,500 pounds a year, depending on where they teach.

Experienced Salary

With more experience, a PE teacher can earn between 39,000 and 55,000 pounds a year, especially if they take on extra responsibilities.

Job Openings

There are usually many job openings for PE teachers across the UK, as schools always need people to help children stay active and learn sports.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Sports Coach for Kids

Help children learn and play different sports like football, netball, or athletics. You'd teach them how to kick, throw, run, and work as a team, making sure everyone has fun and stays active.

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Playground Activity Organiser

Think of fun games and activities for children to do during their break times at school or in a park. You'd help them organise tag, skipping, or even make up new games, ensuring everyone is included and playing safely.

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Outdoor Adventure Leader

Take groups of children on exciting outdoor trips like nature walks, treasure hunts, or obstacle courses. You'd help them explore and discover new things in the great outdoors, teaching them about nature and keeping fit at the same time.

Fun at Primary School

Join in with PE Lessons

Try your best in all your PE lessons at primary school. Have fun with your friends playing games and learning new sports.

Every week at primary school, you'll have PE lessons. This is your chance to try out lots of different sports like football, netball, rounders, and athletics. Listen to your teacher, learn the rules, and practise new skills. It's not about being the best, it's about trying hard, being a good teammate, and enjoying moving your body. Ask questions if you don't understand something.

Join School Sports Clubs

Many schools have after-school clubs for different sports. Ask your teacher or parents if you can join one.

Joining a school sports club is a brilliant way to do more of the sports you love! You might get to play in a team with your friends against other schools. It's a great opportunity to improve your skills, learn about teamwork, and stay fit. Clubs often run after school for an hour or so once a week.

Play Sports Outside of School

See if there are any local sports clubs like a football team, swimming club, or gymnastics club you can join.

Playing sports outside of school helps you to meet new friends and get even better at your favourite activities. Your parents can help you find local clubs in your area. You might try swimming, martial arts, dance, or even something different like cycling. Being active and enjoying sports from a young age is a great start for a PE teacher!

Growing Up and Learning More

Continue with PE at Secondary School

In secondary school, PE becomes even more exciting! You'll try new sports and get to pick some of your favourites.

At secondary school, you'll have more PE lessons and get to experience a wider range of sports and activities. You might try rugby, hockey, badminton, trampolining, or even fitness training. Pay attention to how your PE teachers explain things and how they help everyone learn. This is a good time to think about what makes a great PE lesson.

Study PE or Sport at GCSE

When you're a bit older, you can choose to study PE or Sport as one of your GCSE subjects.

If you really love PE, you can choose it as a GCSE subject. This isn't just about playing sports; you'll learn about how the body works, why exercise is good for you, and the rules and strategies of different games. It's a great way to deepen your understanding of physical education and see if it's really what you want to teach.

Help Younger Children with Sport

Look for chances to help out with sports clubs for younger children, maybe at school or in your local community.

Even when you're at secondary school, you can start gaining experience. Offer to help your PE teacher with primary school sports days or after-school clubs. You could volunteer at a local junior sports club. This helps you learn how to explain games, encourage children, and be a good leader. It's super helpful practice for being a teacher!

Becoming a PE Teacher

Go to University to Study Sport or Education

After secondary school, you'll usually go to university to learn more about sport or how to be a teacher.

Most PE teachers first complete a degree at university. You could study something like 'Sports Science', 'Sport and Exercise Education', or a general 'Education' degree. This degree will teach you all about how bodies move, how to plan fun and safe lessons, and lots more about different sports. This usually takes three years.

Complete Teacher Training

After your degree, you'll do a special course to learn how to be the best teacher you can be.

This special course is called a 'PGCE' (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or School Direct. It usually lasts one year and teaches you all the important things about managing a classroom, creating exciting lesson plans, and helping children learn effectively. You'll spend lots of time in real schools, watching other teachers and then teaching your own lessons with their help.

Get Your First PE Teacher Job

Once you've finished your training, you can apply for your very first job as a PE Teacher!

After successfully completing your teacher training, you'll be ready to apply for jobs in primary or secondary schools. You'll work with other teachers, planning lessons, leading sports activities, and helping children grow their confidence and love for being active. It's an exciting job where every day is different, and you get to inspire young people to stay fit and healthy.

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🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in PE Teacher. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

🎓 View Apprenticeships

Career Progressions

This page showcases various career options and the pathways to reach them. Each career listed here shares transferable skills and knowledge, making it easier for individuals to transition between them.

Your current career is highlighted to help you see how it fits into the broader landscape of potential career choices. By clicking on any career, you can learn more about it, including the training and education required to pursue it.

Remember, progressing in your career often involves further learning and training. This page provides insights into future career options as well as those that can lead up to your current one.

These career progression decisions are informed by comparing the skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, along with data on how people move between them. Explore the possibilities and discover the exciting journey ahead in your career!

Sample Qualifications

The user's input 'PE Teacher' is an exact match for the official job title 'PE teacher' provided in the list, directly reflecting the role of teaching physical education.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

University

Undergraduate degree

You can do a sport and fitness, physical education or sports coaching degree with qualified teacher status (QTS).

Postgraduate certificate

You can complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), if you have a first degree without QTS. This can be done at university or on a school-based training programme.

You need QTS to teach in most primary and secondary schools in England but you do not need a PGCE to teach.

Find out more about QTS from Get Into Teaching.

Change careers to teaching

Find out about the support available if you want to change to a career in teaching.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply to do an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Teacher Level 6 Apprenticeship.

The undergraduate option takes up to 4 years to complete. The postgraduate route takes around 1 year, with both leading to qualified teacher status (QTS).

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • GCSE science at grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) for primary school teaching

  • a degree for a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship

More Information

Work

If you're a PE or sports graduate, you may be able to get into teaching by working as a sports coach in a school or college, then move onto a teacher training programme.

You'll need coaching qualifications in your specialist sport to do this.

Volunteering

You'll find it helpful to get some experience of working with young people though this is not essential. You can do this through paid work or by volunteering at a school, doing youth work or coaching at a sports club.

More Information

Registration

Career tips

You can attend a Get Into Teaching event before you apply to get advice about teaching, funding and the different training routes available. You can attend events in person and online.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a teacher from Get Into Teaching.

You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.

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