How to become a chemistry teacher

Chemistry teachers in England teach the subject from key stage 3 to A level, and practical work in the lab is a big part of it. To train you need a degree with a good amount of chemistry, GCSEs in English and maths at grade 4 or above, and qualified teacher status (QTS). Chemistry is a shortage subject: in 2026/27 trainees can get a £29,000 tax-free bursary or a £31,000 scholarship. Once qualified you start on £34,069 outside London from September 2026.

Practical work in the lab

Lab work sets chemistry teaching apart from most other subjects. GCSE and A level specifications include required practicals, such as titrations, rates of reaction and making salts, and pupils are examined on them. At A level, pupils also need to show practical skills through a practical endorsement, which teachers assess across the course.

That means you plan practicals weeks ahead, order chemicals and equipment through the prep room, and run lessons where a full class handles acids, flammable solvents and hot apparatus at once. Classroom management becomes partly a safety matter: you need clear routines for goggles, bench space, spills and clearing away, and you need to be able to stop a class quickly.

Chemistry also leans heavily on maths. Moles, concentrations, yields and rates all need calculation, and exam questions test them at GCSE and A level. A good part of your teaching is about those quantitative skills, alongside the abstract ideas pupils find hardest, such as bonding and the particle model.

Safety rules you work within

Schools must control hazardous substances under the COSHH regulations, so every practical has a risk assessment. Most schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland subscribe to CLEAPSS, an advisory service that publishes model risk assessments and guidance on handling and storing chemicals; Scottish schools use SSERC. As a chemistry teacher you use these to plan practicals and adapt them for the class in front of you.

Demonstrations of more hazardous reactions, such as those involving reactive metals, are normally done by the teacher only, with extra precautions. Your training course and each department you join will show you their own procedures, including who may carry out which demonstrations.

Working with technicians

Science technicians prepare solutions, set out equipment, dispose of waste safely and keep the prep room running. Learn the technicians’ requisition system early and order on time, because a practical cannot happen without them. The science technician profile explains how the job looks from the prep room.

Degrees and funding

A chemistry degree is the direct route. Providers also accept degrees in pharmacy, pharmacology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science and some natural sciences or environmental science degrees with enough chemistry content. If there are gaps, a subject knowledge enhancement course may be a condition of your place.

For 2026/27, chemistry trainees on fee-funded courses can get a £29,000 bursary, or instead apply for a £31,000 scholarship awarded through the Royal Society of Chemistry, which runs its own selection process. Salaried trainees cannot get either, but their school receives a grant of the same amount as the bursary. Both bursary and scholarship are tax-free. The teacher training bursaries guide explains who qualifies.

Training routes

You can train through a university PGCE, a SCITT, School Direct (fee-funded or salaried), a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship or Teach First. Many chemistry trainees are career changers from laboratories, pharmaceuticals or industry, and salaried or apprenticeship places suit people who need an income while training. The teacher training routes guide compares the options.

After QTS you complete statutory induction as an early career teacher, lasting the full-time equivalent of two school years. Maintained schools must provide it; academies, free schools and independent schools may.

Pay in 2026/27

Teachers in maintained schools in England received a 3.5 per cent award from 1 September 2026. The new rates are in the draft 2026 pay and conditions document, expected in force around early November and backdated to September. Academies set their own pay, though most follow the national ranges.

Pay point	Outside London	Outer London	Inner London
M1	£34,069	£39,196	£41,729
M6	£46,940	£52,241	£54,131
U3	£52,835	£58,120	£64,684

Leading chemistry within a science faculty, or becoming head of science, usually brings a TLR payment: TLR2 is worth £3,651 to £8,913 from September 2026. You join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, paying 7.4 per cent on a salary up to £36,198.99. See teacher pay scales in England for every point, and the take-home pay calculator for monthly figures.

Before you apply

Ask a local secondary school if you can watch a practical lesson and spend time in the prep room. A Get Into Teaching adviser can check your degree against chemistry course requirements and tell you whether a scholarship application is realistic. The bursaries apply in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland train and pay teachers under their own systems: the Scottish main grade is £43,383 to £54,453 from 1 August 2026, and Northern Ireland’s latest confirmed main scale (from September 2025) runs from £32,916 to £43,830. Qualified posts in England are advertised on Teaching Vacancies and listed under teaching jobs.