Put simply, a sixth form college is an institute of education offering general academic and technical education, predominantly for 16 to 19 year olds. Sixth form college is classed as further education (FE), which is compulsory in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are 44 sixth form colleges in England as of September 2022, compared with 161 general further education (FE) colleges.

Sixth form colleges are education providers to students in years 12 and 13, acting as a key bridge to university and/or the world of work. They offer technical and vocational courses, including T levels, and often offer students a combination of A levels and applied general qualifications (level 3).

Some FE colleges in the UK have dedicated sixth form centres/campuses, while some sixth form colleges have merged with general FE colleges. Others have chosen to converted to academy status, becoming a type of 16-19 academy.

In terms of qualifications, sixth form colleges are preferably looking for a teaching qualification but a willingness to work towards one is enough in most cases. Either way, you’ll likely need to show industry experience in the subject you want to teach. Aside from a skills, knowledge and experience in a specific subject, showing a passion for it to would-be employers is a must.

As a rough side, a range of qualifications are available. These include:

• Level 3 Award in Education and Training
• Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training
• Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training
• Level 5 integrated specialist diplomas.

These qualifications are broadly made available on a full or part-time basis by FE colleges, universities, as well as other training providers.
Once you’ve updated your CV and covering letter, and an interview with a prospective sixth form employer has been secured, the next step may well be delivering a micro-teach lesson so they can assess your teaching ability and competence in the role. Candidates should therefore focus their attentions on nailing the micro teach session.

Due to the weighting of the interview day landing more heavily than the micro teach session, Jon Downing, HR Systems and Development Manager for Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, explains that “if someone performs poorly at the micro teach, they'd have to do something extraordinarily special at interview to pull that back and vice versa, if somebody does a brilliant micro teach, they’d almost have to throw it away at interview”.

Experience (or lack of it) need not be an impediment to success in the micro teach session, as Jon stresses: “Just because someone’s been teaching for 20 years and has a teaching qualification, does not always translate when they come for interview; in fact, much of the time, it doesn’t.”