9th December 2021

Teacher Development: How To Track Your Growth Over Time

There is a clear route for those looking to become a teacher. From choosing your degree subject, applying to a teacher training programme and beginning your career as a qualified teacher, the path that most educational professionals take is mapped out. But development doesn’t stop once you become a qualified teacher. You’ll need to continue to learn and develop your knowledge throughout your career, adding to your skills and keeping up to date with the latest teaching methods and research.

Why Is Tracking Your Own Career Development Important?

Whether you are planning to stay in education for the long term or you are have recently changed careers, setting goals will help you to realise your full potential as a teacher. There are a huge number of opportunities for teachers to develop their career, move into senior leadership roles or specialise in a preferred subject. Your school should offer development opportunities and training and your agency may do too. At Engage, we have a dedicated Partnership and Development team who run regular CPD and training events on a wide range of subjects.

Create A Professional Development Plan

A Professional Development Plan is essential for anyone looking to progress their career in a particular profession. For teachers, it’s an opportunity to lay out your goals, aspirations and timeline and see how your progress is matching up to your plans. Your Professional Development Plan should include:

1. Self-assessment – Include what you are great at and what you want to improve upon
2. Goals – Goals should be specific and achievable and have a realistic timeline. Use the SMART check to analyse the potential success of your goals. Are they Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely?
3. Strategies – How will you achieve your goals? What training courses would you like to attend, which subjects would you like to develop your knowledge in?
4. Resources – What resources do you have available? Are you making the most of the resources provided by your school, agency or university?
5. Timelines – Set short, mid and long-term goals.

Seek Out CPD

Continued Professional Development refers to ongoing training that continues through your career. Many schools will be happy to provide training courses and development opportunities which are classed as CPD. In some countries, a certain number of hours of CPD is compulsory – for example, in certain areas of Canada you’ll need to complete six training days per year. This varies across locations, so check with your local education authority. Your agency may also provide free training – at Engage, we regularly run CPD events through our Partnership and Development team for all our candidates – find out more by speaking to your Engage consultant!

More CPD Resources For Teachers:

Find out more about the Partnership and Development Team

Our Partnership with Creative Education

CPD For STEM Teachers

Mentorship

Mentors are an essential feature of our Teacher Training Programme, but mentors can also support you in your continued career development after you have qualified. Mentors tend to be experienced teachers who are passionate about inspiring the next generation of teachers – they can be an excellent source of knowledge, ideas and someone to talk through any issues that arise in your classroom. An experienced mentor will be able to help you track your progress and feedback on areas you may need to focus on more or seek out further development in. Speak to your school about mentorship and how a mentor could help you to grow as a teacher.

We hope these tips have helped you to think about how you can plan, track and progress your career. At Engage, we are committed to supporting our candidates at every stage of your career, if you are thinking about a move to the UK, we can help you make the best choices for a successful career in teaching.