Teacher - Secondary School - Modern Languages
Parlez-vous français? Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Help your pupils learn and appreciate languages and cultures from around the world.
About the job
What it's like
You would inspire and motivate young people to learn other languages so they can make connections and communicate with people from other countries and cultures.
You would teach young people from 11 to 18 years old, in state and independent schools. You might also work in a college or learning centre.
As a modern and foreign languages teacher, you’d teach your pupils how to develop their skills in talking, listening, reading and writing in a foreign language. You could teach languages such as French, Spanish, German or Italian. You might teach more than one language.
Learning a foreign language will help young people explore other cultures and get a better understanding of their role as global citizens.
You’d teach students of different ages and abilities and prepare young people to take the National Qualifications and Highers in this subject.
There is national guidance for Curriculum for Excellence Modern Languages and National Qualifications which you would use when planning your teaching.
You would:
prepare lessons and teaching materials
assess students’ progress and mark their work
set homework
manage classroom behaviour
discuss students' progress with parents and carers
organise study trips, social activities and sports events
You’d encourage the students to take pride in their achievements inside and outside school. You’d support them to build good relationships with other students and teachers and play a positive part in the life of the school and the local community.
You’d help them get the knowledge, skills and attributes they’ll need for a successful and positive life when they leave school.
Sometimes you will need to deal with challenging behaviour. It may be difficult to get some teenagers to study so you’d need to be imaginative and enthusiastic to keep them interested.
You’d need to attend meetings and training courses. You’d work closely with colleagues to plan the school’s timetables and work with other professionals, such as education psychologists and social workers.
Hours
Teaching takes place for 39 weeks a year, usually from 9am to 3.30pm or 4pm. You are likely to spend several more hours outside of these times, planning lessons, marking pupils' work and taking part in activities such as outings, parent evenings and training.
Environment
Secondary school teachers often have a base classroom. However, from time to time they may have to carry books and equipment from room to room. This is subject to the space available in each school.
Travel
You could do supply teaching where you work in different schools for short periods to cover the absences of permanent teachers.
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Top skills
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It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- curriculum development
- language education
- continuous improvement process
- working with children
- christian education
- microsoft teams
- language translation
- language interpretation
- generally accepted accounting principles
- business process reengineering
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- motivating others
- mentoring
- coaching
- ethical
- social conscience
- respecting
- empathising
- written communication
- verbal communication
- supporting
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Modern Languages
English
French
German
Italian
Mandarin
Spanish
You'll need an honours degree in one or two of the following languages:
French
German
Italian
Mandarin
Russian
Spanish
To become a qualified teacher, you'll need to complete the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Modern Languages (SCQF Level 11).
Your degree should contain 80 credit points in the language you want to teach. If you want to teach more than one language you'll need 80 credit points for your second language choice.
You'll need to have lived for six months in a country where your first language choice is spoken. This time is reduced to three months for your second language choice.
Native speakers who have a degree in their own language can train to teach their native tongue.
If you have a degree with three years of study in a language other than your native language, you can train to teach this language plus your native language.
To enter a language degree usually requires National 5 qualifications and at least four Highers at BBBB, including the language you want to learn.
Qualifications and experience that demonstrate the ability to work with children or young people, communication skills and experience using languages will be helpful.
You will be expected to support literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing as well as your own subject.
To be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
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