tefl to sen

By Sean Russell

As far as SEN teaching is concerned, you don’t need qualifications unless you wish to work with children who have a serious visual or hearing impairment.

Question: I would like some advice about Special Educational Needs. I am a TEFL teacher working in Riyadh and have QTS. I have no experience or qualifications in this area of teaching but I am interested and would like to find more out about it. Is it possible to get a post in SEN without formal qualifications?

I want to return to UK soon and would like some interviews in London. Is there an agency which deals with this sector or a helpful organisation to steer me in that direction?

Sean Russell, Jft’s careers adviser, answers: If you wish to teach in the maintained sector, you have the necessary qualifications: QTS status. You will also be able to teach in the independent sector. However, it seems that you have only taught TEFL over the past few years, so it may be an idea to enrol on a refresher course to bring you up to date with current issues such as the national curriculum in the subject you wish to teach.

The Teacher Training Agency runs returnee’s courses that may be appropriate for you. They run for between six and 12 weeks at various locations around the country and cover areas such as the national Curriculum, use of ICT and classroom and behaviour management. They also include a supported classroom placement. Further details can be found on their website: www.canteach.gov.uk.

There are also bursaries available that may apply to you. The Department for Education and Skills also runs a Welcome Back scheme, have a look at their website for details: www.dfes.gov.uk. The information above applies to England, so do check with relevant departments for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There has been a shift over the past few years to integrate children with special educational needs into mainstream education and join in the activities of other pupils. Additionally, some schools may have specific units on site to provide extra support. Separate schools do exist (some of them residential) for children with extreme difficulties.

As far as SEN teaching is concerned, you don’t need qualifications unless you wish to work with children who have a serious visual or hearing impairment. Teachers training at the moment first become qualified teachers by attending a course of training and then gain experience as a regular classroom teacher before enrolling in relevant courses.

There aren’t exclusive special needs training courses as such for those entering the profession. However, your chances of employment will be increased if you undertake in-service training in SEN. To get an idea of the kind of courses available, have a look at Just for teachers’ list or the advertisement of course providers in the Times Educational Supplement.

The other route you might consider is to get a job as a classroom assistant. This will enable you to work with SEN children and get a chance to find out first-hand what has changed while you have been abroad.

As for agencies, again, have a look at the TES website and also sites like www.aft.co.uk, www.teacher-recruitment.co.uk, www.tagteacher.net and a search on a website search engine will reveal more. Many offer you the chance to register and then post your CV on their site.