How to become a chemistry teacher

Years of declining recruitment have left the UK desperately short of chemistry teachers. But although headlines warning of the horrors of life at the educational coalface may seem off-putting, there’s a lot to be gained from training as a teacher – as well as the opportunity to enthuse a new generation about a vital and necessary subject.

Rosie Coates caught the teaching bug during her chemistry PhD at University College London, when she opted for an assistantship that enabled her to spend time teaching undergraduates while also doing science outreach in local schools. Realising that a research career wasn’t for her, she took up a role at Cardiff-based Science Made Simple, writing and performing high-octane science shows for school and adult audiences across the country. After a year, she started to question what she was doing. ‘I enjoyed doing the shows but I found it really frustrating that I was going to a school and kids would have all these interesting questions but then I would have to leave,’ she explains. ‘I started to feel that we were filling a gap that should be filled by good teaching instead.’