How to become a drama teacher

To teach drama in an English state school you need a degree and qualified teacher status (QTS). Most drama teachers have a degree in drama, theatre studies or performing arts, but graduates in English, film or music with strong practical experience also get onto courses. There is no drama bursary for 2026/27. From September 2026 you start on £34,069 outside London, and the job comes with a lot of after-school work on productions.

Which degrees count

Training providers look for a degree with enough drama or theatre content to teach the subject to GCSE and A level. Drama, theatre studies, performing arts and acting degrees are the obvious fit. Joint honours with English is common and useful, because many drama posts include some English teaching. Graduates in other subjects can still be accepted if they have substantial practical experience, such as youth theatre, directing or professional performance.

You also need GCSEs in English and maths at grade 4 (C) or above. Interviews for drama courses often include a practical task, such as leading a short workshop, alongside the usual questions about why you want to teach.

Training routes and funding

The routes are the same as for other secondary subjects: a university PGCE, a SCITT, School Direct (fee-funded or salaried), a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship and Teach First. Drama courses are fewer than in the larger subjects, so you may need to look further afield or train in a combined course such as English with drama. Drama is not on the 2026/27 bursary list, so most trainees pay fees and use student finance. See the teacher training routes guide.

Once you have QTS you complete statutory induction as an early career teacher, lasting the full-time equivalent of two school years. It is required in maintained schools and optional in academies, free schools and independent schools.

What drama teachers teach

The national curriculum includes drama within English at key stage 3, so how much timetable time it gets depends on the school. Some schools give every key stage 3 class a weekly drama lesson; others fold it into English or a rotating arts carousel. At GCSE and A level, drama and theatre are full qualifications with practical and written components. Pupils devise work, perform scripted extracts and write about live theatre they have seen. That written side surprises some new drama teachers: pupils sit a written exam that asks them to analyse a set text from a performer’s, director’s or designer’s point of view, and to evaluate a live production. Theatre trips are part of the course, so you organise tickets, transport, consent forms and risk assessments, and sometimes find ways to cover the cost for pupils who cannot pay.

Some schools also run vocational performing arts qualifications, which suit pupils who want more practical, coursework-based study. In smaller schools the drama teacher may be the whole department, teaching every year group and managing the drama studio, its lighting and sound, and its budget.

Productions and the hours outside lessons

New drama teachers often underestimate the school production. Auditions, rehearsals, set building, costumes, lighting and front of house all need organising, mostly after school and sometimes at weekends. In the weeks before a show, late evenings are normal. Drama teachers also run clubs, organise theatre trips and often support whole-school events such as awards evenings and open days.

Full-time teachers in England have 1,265 hours of directed time across 195 days, and schools vary in how much production time they count within that. Ask at interview how many productions the school expects each year, whether other staff help, and whether rehearsal time is recognised in your directed time or timetable. Practical exams add their own pressure: GCSE and A level performances have to be scheduled, filmed or assessed, and pupils need rehearsal time with you before them.

Pay and responsibility payments

From 1 September 2026 the main pay range in maintained schools in England runs from £34,069 (M1) to £46,940 (M6) outside London, and from £41,729 to £54,131 in inner London. The figures follow a 3.5 per cent award and come from the draft 2026 pay and conditions document, which is expected in force around early November and backdated. The teacher pay scales page has every point.

A head of drama or head of performing arts usually gets a teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payment. From September 2026 a TLR3 is worth £727 to £3,600 and a TLR2 £3,651 to £8,913, depending on the size of the role. Our TLR payments guide explains how they work. Academies can set their own pay and allowances, though many follow the national framework.

You pay into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme at 7.4 per cent on a salary up to £36,198.99, rising to 8.9 per cent from £36,199. The take-home pay calculator shows what that means each month.

Finding drama jobs

There are fewer drama posts than English or maths posts, and many are combined with English or another arts subject, so being able to teach a second subject widens your options. Independent schools and schools with performing arts specialisms often have bigger drama departments. Posts are advertised on Teaching Vacancies and listed under teaching jobs. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own training and pay arrangements. In Scotland the main grade runs from £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.