I Want to Teach Archaeology

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How can I teach archaeology?

Archaeology can be included and taught within the full range of education from primary to adult and continuing education.

Within pre-16 education archaeology can be included within History, Art, Science, English, Maths, Design and many other subjects. To teach at this level you need to be a Qualified Teacher. For those teachers within school age education who wish to incorporate archaeology within their teaching we would suggest that you take a look at our teacher’s resources section of the website for ideas, information and resources. We would love to hear about how you are using archaeology in your teaching.

If you have archaeological experience that you think could contribute to school lessons and would like to volunteer some of your time you should contact your local school who will usually be delighted to let you get involved, they may need to run a routine criminal records check in some circumstances so it is best to contact your local school in reasonable time in advance of any specific events you might wish to offer.

Teaching in FE: All tutors in the post compulsory education sector (ie 16–19) now must have a teaching qualification or be working towards one within two years of beginning teaching. To teach full time you should consider a PGCE in advance of looking for a teaching post. If you would like to teach archaeology in this sector we would suggest you contact us by email and we can add your name to our list of potential tutors. We will then contact you if a college or school in your area are looking for a tutor to teach a course. You should also approach your local college. As archaeology does not have many learners each year it is usually taught as either an evening class or as a small subject during the day – in which case you may as a full time teacher be expected to teach other subjects within your college.

If you would like to teach a continuing education class we have provided some guidance to teaching CE and Adult Education classes.

Teaching in the Higher Education sector: whilst the majority of university teaching is carried out by members of staff within the university many archaeology departments use external speakers, lecturers and teachers to deliver some teaching. Often this is by people who are working in the commercial sector of archaeology. The number of modules taught by external speakers and experts is increasing as universities address the need for their courses to equip their graduates with the skills to work within the commercial sector.

If you are interested in providing this sort of teaching then you should contact your nearest university archaeology department to offer your services. A list of university archaeology departments is available through the Training Online Resource Centre.

The CBA provides a range of teaching resources, lists of sources of information etc. which can be invaluable to teachers and tutors just starting on their teaching careers. Visit the teachers’ resources section for more information.