Special Education Needs Career Guide

This blog has been written by Senploy. If you are looking to further progress your career, find your dream job in Special Education (SEND), or see what opportunities are out there, then www.senploy.co.uk is the go-to platform for jobs in SEND. Take a look today and see what you can find at Senploy.

Around 351,000 children aged 0-17 have a learning disability in the UK. The job outlook for special education teachers is expected to grow by 8% in 2030.

This guide is designed to help you make sense of the special education teacher’s career path. It offers insight into this profession’s average salary and the steps you need to take to start working in Special Education Needs (SEN).

Is SEN a good career path?

Special education is a great career. It is gratifying, provides a sense of purpose, and offers many diverse opportunities in education, therapist, and administrative positions.

Special education experts work with children from birth to age twenty-one who have serious disabilities or developmental delays. They may be classed as having autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, mental illness, multiple disabilities, or other health impairments.

Special education teachers make a difference in their students’ lives. These professionals are not only teachers; they work closely with other professionals such as doctors, psychologists, and lawyers to help children succeed academically and socially.

The benefits of a career in Special Education Needs

• Work is challenging and fulfilling.
• It provides a unique perspective on life.
• You get to work with kids, which is rewarding for many teachers.
• You can take on a variety of roles, including directing special needs programs, being a classroom teacher or an administrator.
• The pay is competitive with other industries that require similar levels of education and experience.
• Most special education school days are shorter than the average school day.

SEN Teacher salary

Many factors determine the salary of a special education teacher. These factors include the experience the teacher has, the geographic location of the school, and the size of the school.

The starting salary of a Special Education Teacher in the UK is around £25,000, which rises incrementally to £37,000. More experienced SEN Teachers see a salary of over £40,000 with lead practitioners earning £65,000+.

How to start a career in Special Education

Becoming a special education teacher is not an easy task. The SEN career requires a lot of dedication and patience. Many students with different disabilities and abilities will be in your classroom and you will need to teach them in a way that they can understand.

As a result, you need to make sure that you are taking care of their emotional, mental, physical, social, and academic needs as well as challenging them to prevent them from becoming bored.

Furthermore, you need to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) before you can go on to train as an SEN teacher.

Requirements for a career in Special Education

• If you want to teach in the public sector in the UK, it’s necessary to have a ‘qualified teacher status. Most schools and colleges require either a BEd or BA/BSc with QTS.
• In addition, you may need a SEND qualification and may also need more specific qualifications (depending on the type of disability).
• A Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a complete qualification with a renowned endorsement. Working towards a PGCE can be a great addition to any degree and for those who have an existing Qualified Teacher Status.
• There are various work-based routes to teacher training – School Direct, Teach First or school-centered courses. All of these can allow you to gain experience in a school while working towards QTS.

Here’s a useful guide to finding UK graduate jobs.

Finding SEN Jobs

Would you like a career working in Special Educational Needs?

Senploy is making it easier to connect talent with SEND institutions. Hundreds of new roles are added daily.

Create a Candidate Profile and make yourself visible to over 100+ employers, which enables them to seek you out directly.

By creating a Candidate Profile, you make yourself visible to over 100+ employers, which enables them to seek you out directly.

Here is a list of the most popular roles to date:

• Special Education Teacher
• SEN Teaching Assistant
• SEN Support Worker
• Graduate Roles
• Unqualified Roles

Head over to Senploy today to see what opportunities you can find.

For further guidance on taking the next step in your Special Education Needs career as a teaching assistant or support worker, explore these practical tips on securing your next Teaching Assistant job in our recommended article by Margaret Buj.