It’s the teacher who makes the difference, not the classroom. So says storyteller extraordinaire Michael Morpurgo.
The former primary school teacher and author of a gazillion bestsellers isn’t bigging himself up. He’s acknowledging learning can happen pretty much anywhere, if there’s someone standing up at the front to inspire and motivate.
And although most of us can probably remember a gold star Miss or Sir – the one who inspired us to understand Shakespeare or try out for the hockey team – great teachers are not just the preserve of schools.
They can feature at any time in our lives: in further education, in our first job or in the community. And they don’t always require a teaching qualification – being an educator can take many different forms.
Although s1jobs’ education sector is bulging with school posts, there are lots of other educational opportunities a world away from gym halls and textbooks.
Museums, theatres, outdoor spaces and community venues are just some of the less obvious places where education programmes play an important role – and where pros are needed to deliver them.
It’s never too early to help children build the foundation blocks for learning and being a nursery play worker is one of the roles that kick-starts this process.
Play workers organise play and leisure activities for children and this needs someone with a good imagination, sense of fun and patience.
For those keen to work with older children but in a setting free of school targets and attainment markers, an out-of-school club role could tick the boxes.
Working with children before and after school and during the holidays, out-of-school assistants can be found overseeing arts and crafts, as well as organising drama and games.
Gaining access to learning isn’t always easy and that’s where community education workers come in. Their job is to encourage people to participate in literacy, numeracy and computing programmes or life skills such as budgeting and cooking. It can be a challenging role but incredibly rewarding.
Because visiting a museum sadly is not like the hit film where the exhibits come to life, museum educators help to tell the fascinating stories behind the display cases. They ensure collections act as a learning resource for all ages.
So do education officers based in theatres, national parks or bird sanctuaries.
Other opportunities where education plays a major part include tutoring, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), working as a careers officer or in youth work.
If variety is the spice of life, teaching is the saffron of professions.
For the best vacancies in Education visit s1jobs