- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- knowledge of English language
- excellent verbal communication skills
- analytical thinking skills
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to use your initiative
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- knowledge of psychology
- persistence and determination
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- developing teaching materials and preparing for lectures
- delivering lectures, seminars, practical demonstrations and fieldwork
- setting and marking assignments and exams
- uploading materials and supporting student discussions
- assessing students’ work and progress
- acting as personal tutor to students
- supervising student research
- contributing to conferences and seminars
- taking part in staff training
- doing admin
You could work at a university or at a college.
You could work for universities and colleges, law and business schools, or private sector universities and schools.
After 5 to 7 years you could become a senior lecturer. You could then become a principal lecturer, reader or professor. Competition is strong and promotion depends on how well you perform.
You can find out more about working in higher education from the HE Academy.