Trainee Teacher of Geography

Would you like to train as a teacher in sixth form education, whilst being paid to do so? Reigate College offers the opportunity to gain your PGCE alongside paid employment as a trainee. The College has substantial and successful experience of training teachers.

With an exceptional reputation both locally and nationally, Reigate College focuses on excellent teaching, learning and support to make it one of the best sixth form colleges in the country. The College is a great place to work and study, with an active, inclusive and supportive community ethos at the heart of everything it does.

The Opportunity

The College is seeking to appoint a dynamic, enthusiastic and motivated graduate to join the Geography Department and train to become a teacher. The successful candidate will be given a fixed-term contract over the 22-month training period and will divide their time between teaching and learning support duties.

The College has a well-developed mentoring system and comprehensive professional development opportunities, through which, trainees will be fully supported towards a PGCE in Post Compulsory Education (paid for by the College).

The Qualification

The post holder will undertake a PGCE in Post Compulsory Education over the duration of the fixed-term contract. They will work at the College during the day and complete the lectures and seminars for the qualification on Tuesday nights from 5.30pm until 8.30pm each week. These sessions will take place on the College campus.

The Post

As a trainee, your typical week will comprise of teaching between 2 and 17 periods per week (21 is full-time teacher), in addition to planning, preparing and marking time. The remainder of your time will be spent as a Learning Facilitator (Teaching Assistant) either supporting in class or working with individual students.

In addition to the PGCE sessions, you will be expected to attend various events throughout the year including Open Evenings and Student Review Meetings.

The post is a fixed-term, full-time appointment and is effective from 26 August 2025 to 2 July 2027. It is important to note that the College is unable to guarantee you any employment once your training is complete.

Applicants must have a relevant degree in Geography or a related subject and must not already hold a teaching qualification. The successful applicant will need to demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in teaching and preferably have experience of working with young adults.

The Department

The Geography Department is located in the Langham Building in fully equipped classrooms. The team consists of six other teachers, who work closely in a collaborative style, contributing to central teaching resources.

The Department is led by a Head of Department. The Department meets once a week during the College’s dedicated Meeting Slot during the College day.

The Department has an excellent record of outstanding student achievement, high quality provision and innovative curriculum development. Students regularly progress onto university courses for Geography, Environmental Science, Zoology, Marine Biology and Geoscience, as well as a range of highly competitive apprenticeships.

Courses

The Department offers:

• A Level Geography on the Pearson Edexcel specification. For more information about the course, please visit www.reigate.ac.uk/courses/Geography-a-level

Salary

Trainees are paid from £20,975 to £23,764 per annum, depending on the balance of duties between teaching and learning support.

The current starting salary for a fully qualified teacher is £33,707 per annum.

Applying

Full details and an application form can be downloaded from our website (www.reigate.ac.uk/job-vacancies) or found in the Supporting Documents section of this page. Applicants are asked to complete and return the Teachers application form to the Personnel Department by email to jobs@reigate.ac.uk as soon as possible, but no later than 9.00am on Monday 10 March 2025.

When completing their application, candidates are asked to indicate:

• Why you are interested in a career in teaching
• Any experience you have of working or shadowing in an educational environment
• Any previous experience of working with young people and what you gained from this as useful development/preparation for a career in teaching
• Any evidence of collaborative working with adults
• Personal qualities that you have that you believe would make you a suitable teacher
• Specific areas of your degree/employment that are relevant to the post advertised
• Particular strengths, experiences and interests that you would bring to this post
• What you can bring to college life outside of your teaching commitment, including extra-curricular activities

Safeguarding

Reigate College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. These posts are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on successful applicants including an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Please note that it is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. The college will carry out an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates in accordance with the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.