3rd July 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Research from the Sutton Trust has recently shown that there are more graduates from Oxford and Cambridge universities teaching in state schools than in private schools. Teaching is placed near the top of the list of career destinations for students from these universities, with many graduates choosing to take part in the teach first scheme which puts high achieving graduates into disadvantaged schools. The Sutton Trust puts the rise in graduates going into teaching down to the popularity of schemes such as teach first, and maintains that both graduates and students benefit considerably from these programs.
Many tuition agencies such as Blue Tutors recruit a high proportion of their tutors from Oxbridge, some of whom are aspiring teachers and others who simply want to maintain their academic interests whilst they go into other jobs. The Sutton Trust has spoken of the importance of encouraging graduates from top universities to go into teaching, their high levels of academic skill and ingenuity being valuable assets in the classroom. The issue is that whilst schemes such as teach first are rewarding for high achieving graduates, a career in teaching is not as attractive as it should be. Whilst tutors enjoy teaching on the side, many would not consider it a good career option.
Teachers in this country are not well paid compared with teachers in other European countries, some of which pay teachers in line with other professions such as medicine and law. This is certainly a significant factor, but not all high achieving graduates are necessarily after high earning careers. Another important factor is that they are able to reach their potential in teaching, enjoying the work and inspiring their students to thrive in education. Sadly, this too seems out of the reach of teachers in many schools, where league tables, rapidly changing policies and, in some areas, poverty amongst the student body can make teaching a losing battle. Schemes such as teach first are on the right track, but in order to retain high achieving graduates in the teaching profession, wide reaching changes are required which should begin with affording the teaching profession the respect which it has in other countries.