Step Into Teaching
Step Into Teaching is a UK graduate placement programme founded in 2019 that recruits graduates and places them in paid, full-year school-based support roles across England, providing paid classroom experience as a bridge into formal Initial Teacher Training.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersRoyal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Step Into Teaching does
Step Into Teaching Limited is a UK-based, privately held graduate placement programme founded in 2019 and headquartered in Royal Leamington Spa. The company recruits recent graduates and career changers and places them in paid, full-academic-year school-based roles — primarily as Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, and Academic Mentors — across primary, secondary, SEN, and further education settings in England. The programme functions as a pre-Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bridge, enabling participants to earn a salary (£480–£580/week in 2025) while gaining the classroom experience required to progress onto formal teacher training routes such as PGCE, SCITT, School Direct, and the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship delivered in partnership with Best Practice Network.
The operational platform is intentionally light: a public website with vacancy search/filter and a Content Hub, a Training Hub of on-demand video resources, a self-service Timesheet Portal, and the recently launched Inclusive Mainstream Fund Calculator for schools navigating the 2026 SEND white paper. Step Into Teaching does not develop proprietary software or AI systems; the underlying product is human matching and pastoral support provided by named Education Partners and a Wellbeing Officer.
Commercially, Step Into Teaching is the employing entity of record for placed graduates and bills school partners (primary schools, secondary schools, SEN settings, further education colleges, and Multi-Academy Trusts) for the cost of those placements. Go-to-market runs in parallel — direct website application forms for graduates and a 'Become a School Partner' enquiry funnel for institutions — supported by content marketing, an active presence on six social platforms, and PR leverage from its 2024 sponsorship of the Pearson National Teaching Awards. Outcomes are tracked: 88% of graduates remain in education post-programme, 80% continue their teaching journey after a year, and graduates are reported to be four times more likely to secure an ITT place than those on traditional routes.
Step Into Teaching firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Step Into Teaching
- Legal name
- Step Into Teaching Limited
- Website
- https://stepintoteaching.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Step Into Teaching is a UK graduate placement programme founded in 2019 that recruits graduates and places them in paid, full-year school-based support roles across England, providing paid classroom experience as a bridge into formal Initial Teacher Training.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Step Into Teaching industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education and Training Services (Pre-Teacher Training / Graduate Placement)
- NAICS
- Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded) (EDAJAFAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM), Coaching, Mentoring & Instructional Support (On-site/Virtual) (EDACAIAC)
Keywords
Where Step Into Teaching is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Royal Leamington Spa
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Step Into Teaching business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Graduate placement fee (school-funded): Step Into Teaching places graduates in paid school-based roles as Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, and Academic Mentors. The organisation acts as the employing entity for the graduate (paying them a salary of £480–£580/week in 2025), and schools contribute to the cost of these placements. Revenue is generated from school partners who engage the programme to source and retain quality support staff for full academic-year placements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Graduate placement salary (2025): £480–£580 per week |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels10 records
Step Into Teaching product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Step Into Teaching runs a national pre-Initial Teacher Training programme that places graduates in paid, full academic-year school-based roles (Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Academic Mentors, SEN support, Cover Supervisors) across schools, colleges, SEND settings, and Multi-Academy Trusts in England. The organisation acts as the employing entity, paying graduates a weekly salary, and partners with schools and colleges that fund these placements to source motivated pre-screened graduates and build a future teacher pipeline.
Product overview
Step Into Teaching is a graduate training provider offering a unified programme that combines paid school placements with structured support services. The core product is the Graduate Programme, which places graduates as Teaching Assistants in schools for one academic year. This is supported by the Training Hub (online learning resources), Timesheet Portal (administrative self-service), and the Inclusive Mainstream Fund Calculator (funding tool for schools). The programme also includes pathways to formal teacher qualifications through partnerships with ITT providers and the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Graduate Programme A national paid pre-teacher training programme placing graduates in real classroom settings (Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Academic Mentors, SEN support) for one full academic year across schools, colleges, SEND settings, and Multi-Academy Trusts in England. Designed for recent graduates and career changers wanting real classroom experience before committing to Initial Teacher Training.
- Graduate Teaching Assistant Placement Paid school-based placements placing graduates as Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, or SEN Teaching Assistants in carefully matched schools across England for the full academic year.
- Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship Pathway A partnership pathway with Best Practice Network providing graduates a route from graduate support roles into Qualified Teacher Status through a ten-month school-based Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship available across primary, secondary, and SEND settings.
- Inclusive Mainstream Fund Calculator A standalone online calculator tool for schools to determine funding allocations under the new SEND Inclusive Mainstream Fund announced in the 2026 government white paper.
Quantifiable outcome
- 88% of graduates continue to work within education after completing the programme
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Step Into Teaching
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Step Into Teaching technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Step Into Teaching partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- National Society for Education (NSE)coreStep Into Teaching partnered with the National Society for Education (NSE) as a sponsor and attendee of FlourishED National 2026, one of the UK's most prominent annual education events. The event's theme was 'Class of 2040: Putting Young People at the Centre'. Step Into Teaching's partnership involved being present at the event, connecting with school leaders, trust executives, and policymakers, and aligning its mission with the NSE's values of putting children first and supporting educational excellence.
- Pearson (Pearson National Teaching Awards)flagshipStep Into Teaching is a sponsor of the Pearson National Teaching Awards, specifically the 'Making A Difference – Secondary School of the Year' category. This national sponsorship enables Step Into Teaching to celebrate educational excellence, connect with outstanding schools, and position itself alongside a prestigious national brand. The 2024 ceremony was broadcast on BBC's The One Show and featured in The Sunday Times.
- Best Practice NetworkcoreStep Into Teaching has a partnership with the Best Practice Network to support graduates moving from school support roles into the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship. Best Practice Network delivers the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (a school-based teacher training route leading to Qualified Teacher Status and a Level 6 Teacher Apprenticeship Qualification) across primary, secondary, and special educational needs settings. Step Into Teaching refers and supports graduates into this pathway.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Step Into Teaching competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Protocol Education: UK education recruitment agency placing teachers, TAs and support staff into schools — broad incumbent in the same school-staffing market.
- Teach First: Large UK teacher training charity running salaried ITT programmes in low-income schools — adjacent graduate-into-teaching pipeline but focused on full ITT delivery rather than pre-ITT trial year.
- Reed Education: Major UK education recruitment arm of Reed, providing supply teachers and support staff to schools — broad incumbent competing for the same school-staffing wallet.
- Teaching Personnel: UK's largest education recruitment agency supplying teaching and support staff to schools — overlaps in school-staffing placement but focused on short-term supply rather than full-year development pipelines.
Emerging players
- Ark Teacher Training: Multi-Academy Trust-affiliated ITT provider focused on preparing graduates for teaching in underserved schools — partial overlap with Step Into Teaching's school-based pipeline focus.
Direct peers
- Now Teach: UK charity that recruits career changers and graduates into teaching via paid classroom experience before formal ITT — closely mirrors Step Into Teaching's pre-ITT placement model for a different persona segment.
- i2i Teaching Partnership: UK provider of school-based teacher training and support-staff placement routes that competes for the same graduate-to-school pipeline, with overlapping ITT pathway partnerships.
- Troops to Teachers: UK programme transitioning armed forces personnel into teaching through school-based placements — analogous career-changer-into-classroom model for a narrower segment.
- Premier Pathways: UK pre-teacher training programme placing graduates in paid school support roles before formal Initial Teacher Training — directly comparable paid-placement model.
Others
- Best Practice Network: UK ITT and CPD provider that is a Step Into Teaching partner; delivers Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeships downstream of graduate placements — comparable as a teacher-training institution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Step Into Teaching social profiles
Digital presenceStep Into Teaching compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Step Into Teaching financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Step Into Teaching leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Step Into Teaching funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Step Into Teaching M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Step Into Teaching
What does Step Into Teaching do?
Step Into Teaching runs a national pre-Initial Teacher Training programme that places graduates in paid, full academic-year school-based roles (Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Academic Mentors, SEN support, Cover Supervisors) across schools, colleges, SEND settings, and Multi-Academy Trusts in England. The organisation acts as the employing entity, paying graduates a weekly salary, and partners with schools and colleges that fund these placements to source motivated pre-screened graduates and build a future teacher pipeline.
Is Step Into Teaching a public or private company?
Step Into Teaching is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Step Into Teaching founded?
Step Into Teaching was founded in 2019. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Step Into Teaching based?
Step Into Teaching is headquartered in Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Step Into Teaching make money?
One revenue line is on record: graduate placement fee (school-funded).
Who are Step Into Teaching's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Protocol Education, Teach First, Reed Education and Teaching Personnel. Ark Teacher Training is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Now Teach, i2i Teaching Partnership, Troops to Teachers and Premier Pathways. Best Practice Network is listed as an others.
Does Step Into Teaching have an API?
No public API is recorded for Step Into Teaching.
What industry is Step Into Teaching in?
Step Into Teaching's product category is Education and Training Services (Pre-Teacher Training / Graduate Placement). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAO, Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded), with a secondary code of EDAHAFAM, Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes. Its NAICS code is 61 and its SIC code is 8200.