what is a special educational needs teacher?
As a special educational needs teacher, or a SEN teacher, you work with children who need additional learning support. Some of the children you teach have physical disabilities and emotional, learning, behavioural and communication difficulties. You can also work with children with dyspraxia, autistic spectrum disorder, sensory impairments and mental health issues.
You provide the same education as other teachers, but you develop individualised learning activities to make it easier for the children to understand. The job requires a lot of patience and enthusiasm. You also need creativity to develop teaching methods and techniques to help you engage the children.
As a special needs education teacher, you teach children individually or in small groups. However, you provide personalised attention to each student through further learning exercises and private sessions. You customise standard teaching methods and introduce specialist equipment and learning tools. For instance, you can use braille for children with visual impairment, sign language for deaf students and computers to assist children with dyslexia. To improve children's learning outcomes, you may liaise with speech therapists and healthcare assistants. They will advise on learning strategies to help the children achieve better results.
Would working in education as a special educational needs teacher suit your passion for teaching children? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a special educational needs teacher role.
SEN teacher salary
According to National Careers, the average salary of a special educational needs teacher at the beginning of their career is £27,984 per year. With more experience, your earnings can increase to around £46,083 per year.
Apart from basic salaries, you also receive various benefits and allowance. Most employers provide transport and housing allowances. You also enjoy medical and life insurance. When you work overtime, you receive overtime pay at higher hourly rates. Some institutions also have bonuses and other benefits.
what factors affect the salary of special educational needs teachers?
Experience and academic qualifications are the top determiners of salaries for special educational needs teachers. When you have many years of experience or additional qualifications, you will earn more than SEN assistant teachers.
As a special educational needs teacher, your employer influences your salary. When working in the private sector, you are likely to earn more than in government facilities. Small educational institutions also pay less compared to large institutions. Big cities also have better salary prospects compared with smaller towns.
types of special educational needs teachers
A SEN teacher can specialise in teaching children with various disabilities. Some of the types of special educational needs teachers include:
- autism special educational needs teacher: your job is to assist children with a specific developmental disability. Autistic spectrum disorder usually affects social interaction and verbal or nonverbal communication. You develop learning activities that help children interact with others and increase their resilience to environmental changes.
- learning disability special educational needs teacher: children with learning disabilities usually have difficulty understanding or using written and spoken language. Your job is to help them speak, write and do simple calculations.
- visual impairment special educational needs teacher: you help special educational needs children with partial or total blindness to learn. You teach them to use specialised techniques like braille for learning activities.
working as a special educational needs teacher
Working as a special educational needs teacher involves assisting young people and children with various disabilities to learn. It is a hands-on job that requires constant interaction with children.
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special educational needs teacher job description
Some of the tasks of a special educational needs teacher include:
- creating a positive and supportive environment: as a special educational needs teacher, you need to create a supportive learning environment for children with disabilities. You help children express their emotions and build positive relationships to accommodate their learning and communication impairments. Assisting them in maintaining positive friendships is valuable in improving learning outcomes.
- understanding children's needs: children with learning disabilities have diverse needs, and it's essential to understand each child to provide the best learning environment. When you learn their specific needs, you can personalise learning strategies and interventions to improve their educational outcomes.
- communicating with parents and healthcare assistants: when working with an SEN child, you need to communicate openly with parents and various professionals. A social worker or healthcare assistant can often provide detailed information about the child and their area of need. You can also provide feedback on the child's progress and inform parents of any difficulties the child is having. Collaborating with other professionals improves educational outcomes.
- creating learning objectives and evaluating progress: as a special educational needs teacher, you develop learning objectives before starting training. When you begin teaching, you need to continually assess children to ensure they are on track to achieving their goals.
- recommending the correct teaching and learning aids: if a child has a disability, you should introduce learning techniques to help them overcome it and improve their educational outcomes.
- organising trips and events: part of your work as an SEN teacher is to improve children's interaction with the environment. You organise social events to enhance their social skills. For instance, you can take them on a community visit, theatre outing or sporting event.
- carrying out administrative tasks: as a special educational needs teacher, you perform administrative roles like maintaining class records and updating pupils' progress reports. Sometimes, you create schedules for teaching assistants and train them to implement learning strategies.
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work environment
When you are a special educational needs teacher, you work in state and private schools. You will work in a learning environment with teaching aids to assist children with various disabilities. When you provide private tutoring, you work from the child's home or in group facilities and learning centres. If you are based in one school, you rarely travel unless you attend training, meetings and conferences. With private tuition, you make residential trips. Some SEN teachers are based in teams outside schools and need to travel to provide their services.
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who are your colleagues?
As a special educational needs teacher, your colleagues include Key Stage 1 teachers, primary school teachers, teachers in secondary schools, early years teachers and special educational needs coordinators. You may also work alongside drama therapists and learning disability nurses, as well as other specialists that could include SEN teaching assistants, communication support workers, and teaching assistants.
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work schedule
As a special educational needs teacher, you work a typical school day from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm on weekdays. Your working week in Scotland is 35 hours with 22.5 hours of classroom time. Most SEN teachers work 39 weeks a year in schools and spend a few hours weekly preparing, planning and assessing children. You can provide private tuition in the evening or attend conferences over the weekend. Some private institutions have part-time options and career breaks or training opportunities.
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job outlook
Becoming a special educational needs teacher is a rewarding career with promising career prospects. You have many options for growth and specialisation. For instance, if you improve your qualifications and skills, you can become a special educational needs coordinator who heads special educational needs departments in schools. Some SEN teachers become special needs assessment officers or special needs officers. Alternatively, you can move to supervisory or management roles like becoming a headteacher. Some special educational needs teachers get additional training and become lecturers in further or higher education.
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advantages of finding a special educational needs teacher job through randstad
Finding your special educational needs teacher job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent teaching contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a special educational needs teacher is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Some of the ways of starting your special educational needs teacher career include:
- university degree: you can start your career with a bachelor's degree in education, arts or science. If your first degree doesn't provide you with QTS (qualified teacher status), you need a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). Teaching courses come with options for special educational needs training. You need 2 to 3 A levels to join the course for an undergraduate degree.
- apprenticeship: if you have a degree, you can become a special educational needs teacher by completing a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship. You will start as an SEN teaching assistant before becoming a qualified teacher.
skills and competencies
Some of the skills that a SEN teacher requires include:
- empathy: as a special educational needs teacher, you need to understand the children and put yourself in their shoes. Empathy allows you to engage with their thought process and help them cope.
- communication skills: communication is essential in all teaching professions. However, SEN teachers need to hone their skills and qualities to a higher level. Communication skills help you impart knowledge better through verbal and non-verbal communication. You also must be a good listener to understand your pupils.
- organisational skills: as a special educational needs teacher, you juggle numerous tasks. All children require specialised attention to improve their learning outcomes. Organisational skills help you manage your work and personal life more effectively.
- flexibility and adaptability: as a special educational needs teacher, you need to adapt your teaching and learning activities to your pupils. Being adaptable and developing new strategies helps them overcome barriers to learning.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a special educational needs teacher
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what A levels do you need to be a special needs teacher?
You need two to three A levels to join an undergraduate degree course and become a special educational needs teacher. You may also need a postgraduate teaching qualification if you don't have a QTS.
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do SEN teachers earn more?
SEN teachers have lucrative careers and enjoy attractive salaries compared to other teachers. They also have opportunities to increase their income through private tuition.
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what is an SEN teacher?
SEN teacher helps children with special needs to improve their learning outcomes. They help children with visual impairments, autistic spectrum disorder and other learning disabilities.
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How do you become an SEN teacher?
SEN teachers need a teaching degree with a QTS. They can also specialise in special needs teaching or take a PGCE.
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what skills do SEN teachers have?
An SEN teacher needs to be compassionate, empathetic and adaptable. Communication and administrative skills are also crucial to the role.
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how do I apply for a special educational needs teacher vacancy?
Applying for a SEN teacher job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
