Becoming a Special Educational Needs (SEN) teacher

The job of a teacher, although stressful at times, can be very rewarding. If you have a passion for helping people then teaching can be the perfect job for you. The job of a SEN teacher is to help children in school who have special educational needs and often finds learning difficult. It is imperative that children who require additional help at school are offered the opportunity to do so and as a special educational needs teacher, this role will fall to you.

You may be working with individuals who have physical disabilities, hearing or visual difficulties, speech and language difficulties, learning difficulties such as dyslexia, autism or social issues as well as mental health needs. You may also be required to work with children who are extremely gifted and need work setting for them that is more of a challenge.

Your main role will be to assess the individual needs of each child and create a plan that allows them to learn in a safe and stimulating environment at a pace that is right for them.

In England and Wales, you can expect to start on a salary of around £25,000 per year and then as you move up the teaching scale work towards a salary of around £33,000 per annum.