Do you want a rewarding and stimulating job where no two days are the same? Or would you like to see personal development in people and make a difference to their lives? If so, then you should definitely consider teaching or classroom support as a career.

There’s no doubt that teaching can be an exhausting vocation at times. But, even if your students don’t seem to want to learn, you can rest assured that your enthusiasm for a subject can sow the seeds which can grow throughout a student’s life!

The latest figures from 2023 report that there were 52,221 school based teachers in Scotland, compared to 52,422 in 2022. Around 95% of Scottish schools are state schools, run by the 32 Scottish local authorities. ¹

What areas can I work in?

There are many areas that you can work in the education sector: primary school teaching, secondary school teaching, learning support teaching and classroom support, private tutoring or teaching, and college or university lecturing.

To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.

What kind of companies can I work for?

Possible employers include: 

• local authority-run pre-schools, primary and secondary schools 
• independent schools or academies 
• commercial language schools 
• young offenders' institutions 
• charities 
• colleges and universities.

What’s the job market like?

According to the Scottish government, in 2023 there were 201 less teachers working in Scottish schools compared to 2022. The pupil to teacher ratio (PTR) in schools has stayed the same at 13.2%. ¹

Demand continues for some subjects including STEM subjects and modern languages. For example the target intake for maths students in 2022/23 was 250 but only 114 was achieved. The target for Chemistry students was 159 but only 48 was achieved. ²

In Scotland’s colleges, employment figures have been relatively stable: in 2021/22 there were 14,321 staff working in colleges (51% lecturing staff and 49% support staff), 69% of whom worked full time. ³

In Scottish universities, the total number of academic staff for the 2022/23 session was 26,745, an increase of 970 from the previous year. ⁴

There is work for teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Scotland, as well as elsewhere in the UK and abroad, as more people want to learn to speak English.

Facts and figures

Want to find out more?

You can find out more information about becoming a teacher at the Scottish government Teach in Scotland website. 

Sources

¹ Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland 2023, Scottish Government (December 2023)

² Teacher workforce planning 2023 Exercise, Scottish Government (October 2022)

³ Colleges Scotland Key Facts 2023

⁴ HE staff by HE provider and activity standard occupational classification (Academic) (Scotland, Scotland, 2022/23), HESA 

⁵ HE student enrolments by HE provider and domicile (Scotland, 2021/22), HESA 

⁶ HE student enrolments by subject of study and domicile (Scotland, 2021/22), HESA

Video

Career Pathway