How to become an RE teacher

Religious education (RE) teachers teach about religions, beliefs and ethics, usually from key stage 3 to GCSE religious studies and often A level philosophy and ethics. To teach RE in an English state school you need a degree, ideally in theology, religious studies or philosophy, and qualified teacher status (QTS). There is no RE bursary for 2026/27. Pay follows the national teachers’ ranges, starting at £34,069 outside London from September 2026.

Where RE sits in the school curriculum

RE is not part of the national curriculum, yet maintained schools in England must teach it to all pupils, including sixth formers. What community and foundation schools without a religious character teach is set by the local authority’s agreed syllabus, drawn up by a conference of local faith groups, teachers and councillors. Each council also has a standing advisory council on RE (SACRE) that advises on RE locally.

Academies and free schools are not bound by the local agreed syllabus. Their funding agreements require them to teach RE, and they can write their own syllabus or adopt one. Voluntary aided schools and most faith academies teach RE in line with their own faith’s guidance, while voluntary controlled church schools generally follow the agreed syllabus. Parents can withdraw their children from RE, though most do not. The academies and maintained schools guide explains how the two types of school differ more broadly.

As a result, RE looks different from school to school. One department may teach a broad survey of six religions and non-religious worldviews; another may focus on one or two religions in depth alongside ethics. Read the school’s curriculum before an interview.

Faith schools

A large share of schools in England have a religious character, mostly Church of England and Roman Catholic, and RE often has more curriculum time there. Within limits set in law, schools with a religious character can take a candidate’s faith into account for some teaching posts, and RE posts are the most likely to be affected. Some Catholic schools ask RE teachers to hold, or work towards, a qualification from the diocese. The job advert and the school’s recruitment policy should say what applies.

Degrees and training routes

Theology, religious studies and philosophy are the most direct degrees. Providers also consider related degrees, such as sociology, anthropology, history or classics, if you can show subject knowledge. Where there are gaps, for example if you know Christianity well but little about Islam or Hinduism, a provider may ask you to take a subject knowledge enhancement course first. You also need GCSEs in English and maths at grade 4 (C) or above.

The training routes are a university PGCE, a SCITT, School Direct (fee-funded or salaried), a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship and Teach First. RE is not on the 2026/27 bursary list, so most trainees pay fees and use student finance. The training routes guide compares the options. After QTS you complete statutory induction as an early career teacher over the full-time equivalent of two school years; it is required in maintained schools and optional in academies.

The job day to day

In many schools RE gets less curriculum time than other GCSE subjects at key stage 3, so you may teach a large number of classes with one or two lessons a week each. That means a lot of names to learn, many sets of books and more reports and parents’ evenings than colleagues with fewer, larger allocations. GCSE religious studies is a popular choice in many schools, and A level philosophy and ethics often recruits well.

RE teachers often teach personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), citizenship or relationships and sex education alongside RE. You handle sensitive topics, from belief and death to abortion and extremism, and pupils bring strong views from home. You need to keep the classroom safe for disagreement and stay accurate about what different groups believe.

Pay

From 1 September 2026 the main range in maintained schools in England is £34,069 to £46,940 outside London and £41,729 to £54,131 in inner London. These follow the 3.5 per cent award in the draft 2026 pay and conditions document, expected in force around early November 2026 and backdated. Academies set their own pay, though many match it. The teacher pay scales page lists the fringe and outer London rates.

Leading RE in a school, or running RE and PSHE together, usually brings a TLR payment. TLR2 is worth £3,651 to £8,913 from September 2026. You pay into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, at 7.4 per cent on a salary up to £36,198.99. The take-home pay calculator shows what that leaves you each month.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Wales replaced RE with religion, values and ethics (RVE) under the Curriculum for Wales, still shaped by a locally agreed syllabus. Scottish non-denominational schools teach religious and moral education, and Catholic schools teach religious education. In Northern Ireland, grant-aided schools follow a core syllabus. Each nation has its own teacher training and pay: the Scottish main grade is £43,383 to £54,453 from 1 August 2026.

Before you apply

Sit in on RE lessons at key stage 3 and GCSE, ideally in a community school and a faith school, to see how much the subject changes between them. Applications go through the DfE’s Apply for teacher training service, and qualified posts are listed under teaching jobs.