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Emma-Louise Do you enjoy sharing what you know to help others? Have you ever used that to help someone get better at something? Even something as small as teaching someone how to tie their shoelaces? If so, it could be a sign that a career in education might be right for you.

Frankie Did you know that as of 2020 this sector had a workforce of almost 2.7 million? There are so many different types of job roles available and one thing to keep in mind is that we all continue to learn over the course of our lives so there are many ways to be involved in education. Some you may not even have had the chance to consider.

Emma-Louise Let's take a look at the main places you could work in this sector. As of 2020 there are over 32,000 schools in the UK, the majority of these being primary schools (which number just under 21,000) and secondary schools (of which there are just over 4,000).

Frankie There are also around 280 higher education institutions in the UK. Higher Education, or HE for short, is the continuation of study after the age of 18. This can be at HND (Higher National Diploma), degree, degree apprenticeship or postgraduate level. Further Education, or FE, includes any study after secondary education that is not taken as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree. There are a wide range of courses. FE includes colleges, but also adult learning centres.

Emma-Louise There are lots of different jobs in HE and FE – some involve teaching, but there are plenty that don't do.

Frankie Vu When it comes to teaching there are different levels of learning, from primary education to Further and Higher Education and these all come with different opportunities to contribute to the learning experience. Pay varies depending on the level you teach, with median salaries in 2020 ranging from just under £43,000 per year for teaching in Further and Adult Education, to just above £59,000 per year in Higher Education. Primary and nursery teachers, along with secondary teachers, earn in the middle of that range, with median salaries of just over £47,000 per year and a touch below £51,000 per year, respectively.

Emma-Louise There's also scope to work in supporting roles, helping teachers. As of 2020, there were over 280,000 teaching assistants and educational support assistants in the UK, earning a median pay of approximately £21,500.

Frankie Let's have a closer look at Higher and Further Education. You might think of lecturing staff, tutors, and course leaders, but there are lots of support roles in colleges and universities. For example, you could work with students with additional needs or in a role that doesn't involve directly working with students, such as a job in administration, management, security, or marketing. The scales of pay are as varied as the job roles.

Emma-Louise Another type of role you might not have heard of is in welfare and housing. Your school probably has senior teachers who are responsible for similar things – year heads, for example. At university, welfare and housing associates give advice and support on things like wellbeing and managing your money. They earn a median pay of approximately £26,500 per year.

Frankie Security guards keep students and buildings safe and, in this sector, the median pay is just over £23,000 per year, with a projected growth of 2% by 2025. That means there are expected to be 2% or roughly 75 more jobs by 2025 than there were in 2020. Caretaker's responsibilities can range from looking after a small primary school to a large college or university campus. So, if you've always been handy and like to see the immediate impact of your work this could be really fulfilling.

Emma-Louise In teaching routes into jobs depend on what level of education you choose to work in.

Frankie Two common routes into teaching are a three or four-year specialist undergraduate degree course in education, known as a Bachelor of Education degree BED, or a degree course in your chosen subject, followed by a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education PGCE or Professional Graduate Diploma in Education PGDE in Scotland. The Bachelor of Education route is especially popular for primary school teaching.

Emma-Louise Another route in is through a school-based training programme like Teach First, which requires an undergraduate degree and leads to a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Leadership, PGDE, worth double the credits of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, PGCE. You'll be based in school for your training and will receive a salary and there's an option to study part-time for an extra year to get a master's degree if you want to. To teach in most state-funded schools in England and Wales, you'll need what is called qualified teacher status or QTS.

Frankie The system is slightly different in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but teachers must register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland or the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.

Emma-Louise If you want to work as a lecturer teaching in Higher Education, you'll need extra qualifications. As well as a degree relevant to the subject you want to teach, you'll need a postgraduate degree or to be working towards one. You'll also need to do a teaching qualification, which can usually be completed through the university while you're working. Alternatively, you could do a postgraduate apprenticeship as an academic professional specialising in either teaching or research.

Frankie And if you want a career as a lecturer teaching in Further Education, you can do a Further Education teaching qualification at university, a diploma or certificate at a college, a Learning and Skills Teacher Higher Apprenticeship, or you can apply directly for a job if you have the relevant qualifications and experience. You can gain experience by volunteering at a college or a school as well. To teach work-related courses, you'll need experience and a technical qualification in your chosen subject too.

Emma-Louise There are also options to specialise in particular areas of teaching, such as special educational needs.

Frankie You could build up experience by working with young people with special educational needs or disabilities through paid work or volunteering at a school, youth club, or on a holiday scheme.

Emma-Louise A slightly different role with teaching at its heart is sports coaching – teaching others how to excel in sports or physical fitness.

Frankie For this role, practical experience such as volunteering as an assistant sports coach at a local club is invaluable, and recognition through coaching awards is often more important than academic qualifications.

Emma-Louise Some employers may be looking for qualifications though, such as completion of a relevant university or college course.

Frankie Let's hear from Jodi, a history classroom teacher: "I enjoy: working with young people, getting to know their unique personalities; the continuous professional development and learning new History topics to teach and how best to teach them and I enjoy learning from other inspirational professionals; and the holidays!"

Emma-Louise Allan is a head of year at a school in Altrincham. He says: "Teaching is and always will be an exciting area to work in and any graduate coming into the profession is able to immediately access the latest teaching approaches and research thinking. This means teachers at all levels and schools always learn and develop from each other, so that all young people have access to new and exciting approaches to aid their learning in the classroom." There are so many different ways to support other people's learning and contribute to the education sector.

Frankie One other thing if you're not sure teaching is right for you – it's worth knowing that plenty of people go into it after working in a different type of role. So, you could be a baker, a musician, an accountant – all your skills and experience will benefit your students if you decide to go into teaching later.

Emma-Louise So, if this has piqued your interest, why don't you do a little bit of homework and see if it's right for you? Alright now, class dismissed!