More teachers than ever applying to Edge Hill

Edge Hill University has seen a 32 per cent rise in applications to study teaching, compared to last year.

The biggest increases have been in maths, science, design & technology, music and those wishing to teach sixth form pupils.

Figures released by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) indicate that one in 10 workers nationally are now considering a career in teaching, with teacher recruitment web enquiries up 45 per cent compared to last year.

It is thought that applicant numbers for the main route into teacher training in England have hit their highest level in at least eight years due to career changers affected by the credit crunch.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA attributed the rise in applicants partly to the turmoil in financial services. He said: "We're seeing an unprecedented and sustained rise in enquiries about teaching. People in business, especially in finance for instance, have skill sets particularly suited to teaching certain subjects, such as maths and science. The current economic conditions have simply provided the spur for people to make the change into teaching.

"Over 1,000 people have visited our city seminars for those in the financial sector considering teaching, and our new TDA Facebook pages - where people who are interested in teaching can chat to existing teachers - are receiving up to 2,700 unique views per day."

Edge Hill University is the largest provider of Initial Teacher Training for secondary education in the UK, with the education courses offered ranking top in the North West in the latest National Student Survey.

Incentives for trainee teachers include training salaries, Golden Hello grants for some subject of up to £5,000 and flexible courses, some of which start at different times throughout the year.

The University is also one of the fastest growing institutions in the UK, increasing applications three-fold since 2000.  This unprecedented growth continued with a further 14.1% rise in 2008.

The University leads the delivery of Every Child Counts, a Government programme to improve the numeracy skills of 30,000 primary school children across the country.

Edge Hill offers advice and guidance for anyone considering a career in teaching. For details contact the University on 0800 195 5063.

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