Train as an RE Teacher – the career choice for individuals looking for an exhilarating and stimulating challenge.

The Government has reintroduced training bursaries this year – up to £9,000 for individuals with a first or a PhD – and we are hoping to increase awareness of this and help reverse the drop in numbers of people advancing to study for a PGCE as an RE specialist.

You don’t need to have a theology degree.  And while subject requirements do vary according to the PGCE course provider, graduates may still be able to train as an RE teacher and qualify for a bursary if their subject is one of the following: Cultural Studies, Law, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Politics, Social Policy, Humanities, or Criminology.  There are also a number of development courses available to boost subject knowledge, including the online booster course at www.teachre.co.uk.

RE teachers come from all sorts of backgrounds and all walks of life.  There is no single preferred set of beliefs that they share.  And in fact many don’t have any religious faith, just a fascination with people and the world we live in.  The Religious Education Council for England and Wales – which is leading the campaign to increase trainee numbers – includes the British Humanist Society as an active member.

Life as an RE specialist is exhilarating.  What could be more challenging or stimulating as a room of teenagers discussing the big life issues? Witnessing the wow moments as young people quite literally develop and grow in front of you and because of you.  And at the same time developing and nurturing them to be effective members of their own communities and society at large.

Despite the drop in teacher numbers in recent years, numbers of students have grown:

• entries to the full course GCSE have gone up 19% in England and Wales since 2012
• GCSE RE now attracts more entries than any other subjects after Maths, English and Sciences
• A-level entries have also increased more than any arts, humanity or social science subject over the past 10 years

For more information, please see www.teachre.co.uk/beyondtheordinary/.