Your Progress

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There are some roles and responsibilities expected from teachers. As a guidance and advice practitioner in the lifelong sector, you will be expected to abide by any relevant codes of practice and relevant regulations in place. As a practitioner, you are by no means free to do what you like. You are bound in your work by all sorts of rules, regulations, practises and procedures.

Secondly, you are bound not only by them but also expected to be professional to your learners, colleagues, management and any other stakeholders such as members of the public.Thirdly, these rules, procedures and expectations, in a way, define you as a good teacher and are the basis of your teaching and professional behaviour. In other words, you should not follow regulations and procedures because you are required to, but because they are in tune with your professionalism and own advocacy of good practice.

As a practitioner, you will be expected to inspire your learners and ensure you meet needs. You will be expected to observe and respect any internal and external procedures in place. For example, keeping the attendance register and carrying out assessments. You might also be expected to represent your organisation at special functions and actively participate in research and evaluation of services.

As a practitioner, you will be expected to plan your support sessions and use appropriate resources. You will need to be inclusive and create a conducive learning environment. Other responsibilities will be discussed later such as the need to provide developmental feedback, work with others and commitment to continuous professional development and maintain subject competence. You might also be expected to be registered with professional and trade bodies.

You will also need to respect boundaries with other professionals and your learners. You should not provide support or advice beyond your role as a teacher. You should also avoid crossing professional lines and being too friendly with your learners.

As trainees and as teachers, you are not working in a vacuum. Instead you are working within a complex community of common interest, tied together by commitment and mutual agreement, as well as rules, regulations and procedures.

Your personal commitments are to your students, your institution and to the subject or area that you teach. But these commitments bind you into a web of requirements and duties. As well as teaching responsibilities, you are in some way guardians of safety, the emotional and professional needs of your students, human rights, freedom of speech, and the interests of your teaching institution.

These responsibilities and duties should not be cause for fear or panic. Instead they are of much for comfort. These are some of the bonds that bring the learning and development community together as a profession. They are the bonds that link you to other communities nationally and internationally.