A welcome from Mary Bousted

Welcome to teaching and congratulations! Says ATL's general secretary. Plus, listen to Mary on being a new teacher.

Welcome to teaching and congratulations in choosing what we hope will prove to be a thoroughly rewarding and motivating career.

If you’re reading this page you’ll have already made that first step towards becoming a teacher and you’re now either ready to start your training or you're about to step into the classroom. 

The road ahead may appear a little daunting right now but don’t worry. By the time you finish your induction or probation year you'll have all the skills, knowledge and confidence you need  – whether it be in a primary, secondary or further education setting, in the maintained or independent sector.

To help you get there we have created this unique website for you, which should answer most of your questions, queries and concerns whilst studying and during your first year of teaching. 

It’s not just while you are a student and new teacher that ATL can be of service – we are committed to hard work and meticulous preparation in the defence of our members’ interests. At ATL, we want you to succeed because, as the education union, we care about teaching. With the ever-increasing demands on teachers it has become more and more important to have a collective voice. 

Successive governments have played with education and our conditions of employment for far too long. With your help, as a successful teacher and future member, we will be able to influence policy before it is cast in stone.

What's so special about this website is that it also provides a forum for you to talk to others who are new to teaching, to learn from each other and share best practice and resources. You can set up your own blogs, email the experts and chat about teaching and education in general in the discussion forums. It's your website.

Do also make use of our publications, which are second to none and will provide you with stimulating support throughout your course. 

I hope you find this site useful in your first steps into teaching. May I take this opportunity to wish you a successful and rewarding course – we look forward to supporting you throughout your career!

 

 

Dr Mary Bousted

Listen to Mary talk about learning to be a teacher today and her own days as an NQT: An interview with Dr Mary Bousted

Resources

• An interview with Dr Mary Bousted, Mp3 audio, 12177 KB