There has been a rapid growth of colleges offering equine qualifications over the past decade, and equine courses are proving very popular. These students all need teaching, so consequently there is also a demand for suitably qualified people to train them. A range of opportunities are available, with lecturing posts ranging from teaching under 18s in Further Education (e.g. First Diploma, National Diploma) and over 18s in Higher Education (Higher National Diplomas, Foundation Degrees, Honours Degrees and even post-graduate M.Sc. and Ph.D.). The lecturing might involve practical training (e.g. equitation, horse management) or classroom theory (e.g. equine science, equine business studies), or a combination of both.  Lecturing can provide an enjoyable and rewarding career, especially if you have an enthusiasm for your subject, are good at communicating and enjoy working with people.

What is involved?

Lecturing is not the ”cushy option with long holidays” that many assume it to be! During term time the hours may be long (including some evening and weekend work with time off in lieu), and those holidays… Yes you do get a good break, but when do you think the planning for the next term/year is done?

Lecturing involves far more than simply delivering sessions on the yard or in the classroom or laboratory. Teaching needs preparation: there are schemes of work to produce, lessons to write, and handouts and other materials to develop. Assessments need to be written, and marked (quite a time consuming task if you teach large groups, and of course, there is always the pressure from your students, who will want their work back immediately!) Records of attendance need to be kept, student grades, lesson plans, syllabuses etc. and you can expect these to be regularly scrutinised by external assessors to ensure appropriate standards are being maintained.

You will also need to keep links with employers and external organisations, useful for both the development of courses that have vocational relevance and are responsive to the needs of industry, and also for arranging visits for your students. You might also get the opportunity to become involved in the development of new courses, or to take responsibility for a particular area of the syllabus which you can really make your own. Some times of the year will be busier than others – there is always a mad rush to get ready for the new influx of students in September, and completing all marking and assessments at the end of the year in time for qualifications to be awarded can also be particularly hectic. To balance, other times are less busy – when students have gone home for the summer, there is less pressure and you will be able to spend time updating and developing new teaching materials ready for the next year.

As you can see, a lecturer’s job is not simply teaching in the classroom – a good lecturer will probably spend far more time in preparation, record keeping and office work than they do in front of the class.

Qualifications

What qualifications do you need to become a lecturer? It really depends on the level you want to teach at. If you want to be an instructor (e.g. teaching riding only) then BHS qualifications will suffice, and though these can be useful to have at any level, they are of less importance if you want to teach on a theory based degree. You will normally be expected to hold a higher qualification (in the subject) than the standard you are teaching. If you want to teach Further Education students you will need to have a BHS Intermediate Instructor qualification (or be a very experienced AI). To teach on an honours degree, you will need a Masters. Teaching qualifications are necessary (e.g. a Certificate in Education, or a postgraduate teaching qualification), but do not be put off if you have not got these – most colleges have in-house training that they are happy for you to do alongside your teaching once you are working.

And finally…

Still think you would like to be a lecturer? You will need other qualities as well! It is good to be flexible, to cope with change at short notice, like variety both indoor and out (often in all weathers), like people, have plenty of patience and be able to show an inspirational enthusiasm for your subject. Most lecturers act as personal tutor to groups of students, so the ability to empathise and support but not get personally involved is needed here.

You should also be keen to develop yourself (and your college will support you in this through its staff development programme) and to have a professional approach to your work. Most employers like to see some involvement with the horse industry (vocational reality can give credibility to your teaching), so work experience, and practical involvement with horses is always a useful addition to your CV.

If you do decide to become a lecturer, you can be sure that you will have a busy, sometimes frustrating but very rewarding career.