Secondary School Teacher
What the work is
Teaches one or more subjects within a prescribed curriculum to secondary school students, and promotes students' social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Delivers differentiated learning programs in one or more subjects to secondary school students
- Employs effective classroom management skills to maintain a safe, supportive and positive learning environment
- Develops students' interests, abilities and coordination by way of creative activities
- Guides discussions and supervises work in class
- Prepares, administers and marks tests, projects and assignments to evaluate students' progress, and records the results
- Discusses individuals' progress with students and parents, and prepares written reports on a regular basis
- Seeks advice from School Counsellors and senior teachers
- Participates in staff meetings, educational conferences and workshops
- Liaises with parents, the community and business groups
- Participates in extra-curricular activities such as sport, school concerts, excursions and special interest programs
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a secondary school science and maths department, with classes from Year 7 to Year 12. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A student who has coasted all term asks a question that shows they were really thinking
- A practical experiment works first time and the room fills with noise and delight
- A Year 12 student you taught years ago comes back to say they got into the course they wanted
Hard days
- A Year 9 class on a hot Friday afternoon, with phones out and no one in the mood
- Marking a stack of assignments the night before reports are due
- A student argues with you in front of the class and you have to stay calm
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 251331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.