You can visit schools to get experience in the classroom.
It can help you:
- decide if you want to train to be a teacher
- discover which setting you’d like to teach in (primary or secondary)
- build a relationship with a school you might want to work for later
What to expect
Your experience will either be in a school or joining classes and meeting teachers online. Placements usually last one or 2 days, but some can last up to 3 weeks.
During your experience, you’ll get to do things like:
- observe lessons
- see how teachers manage a classroom
- find out how specific subjects are taught
- speak to teachers and interact with pupils
- learn more about teacher training - including the application and interview process
Find school experience
Use our Get school experience(opens in new window) service to search for and request experience in England.
If you cannot find what you’re looking for, you can call a school directly. You can find schools near you(opens in new window) and ask who to talk to about getting school experience. They may ask you to have a DBS check before attending.
Teaching internships
If you’re currently doing an undergraduate degree and are interested in teaching maths, physics, computing or modern languages, you could apply for a paid teaching internship.
Attend teacher training events
Teacher training events can also give you an insight into teaching. You can choose from our Train to Teach events, online Q&A sessions and events run by training providers.
Watch pre-recorded lessons
Observe teachers’ lessons on the Oak National Academy website(opens in new window).
These videos are not a claim of best practice but can help you get to know teaching better.
Use our Get school experience service to search for and request experience in England.