Your first job is really important. Some people have had disasters after smooth teaching practices and sworn never to step into a classroom as a result. So even before you think about which school, you should decide which country to work in - England, Scotland or Wales? This is important because the regulations vary.

Even the entry qualifications differ. England and Wales require teachers to have GCSE maths and English at C grade, a relevant degree and qualified teacher status. Scotland requires only maths for primary teachers but at Standard Grade 2, which is equivalent to a GCSE B grade. All teachers must have Higher grade English at band C, which is equivalent to having both English language and literature GCSE at C grade. These variations could be a barrier if a primary teacher with maths GCSE only at C grade and a D in English literature planned to move to Scotland. The General Teaching Council of Scotland is rigorous about qualifications and you must register in order to teach. The PGCE and BEd are recognised but not the graduate and registered teacher programmes. The Scottish GTC looks at each case individually, so check them out before you start house-hunting.

Only England and Wales have financial incentives for teachers of shortage subjects. You can claim the pound;4,000 holden hello in England if you’re taking a PGCE in secondary maths, science, English, modern foreign languages, design and technology or information and communications technology; the same subject specialisms apply in Wales, but add in Welsh.

You can only claim the money when you’ve successfully completed induction and are still teaching that shortage subject in a state school. England and Wales are also planning to repay student loans for those qualifying this year if they are employed to teach the same shortage subjects.

Induction Everyone agrees that people need to be supported in their first year of teaching, but the amount and sort that you get will depend on which country you choose. England has had statutory induction since May 1999, Scotland is changing from a two-year to a one-year probationary period, and Wales is making induction compulsory from September 2003. When choosing between them, think also about the benefits of working with the system and curriculum you experienced in training. Your first year will be tough enough without those added problems.

England England has the most vacancies and the most embedded induction arrangements. After initial problems in 1999, things are settling down. Schools are given at least pound;1,000 per term to fund a 10 per cent reduction in each newly qualified teacher’s timetable - so that they can spend time on induction activities such as courses and observing other staff. They are also protected from “unreasonable” demands such as curriculum co-ordination and especially demanding behaviour problems. They have an individualised programme of support, monitoring and assessment from an induction tutor and objectives set to help meet the standards for the induction period. There are assessment meetings and reports at the end of each three terms. However, people who fail induction in England are never allowed to teach in maintained schools or non-maintained special schools again. They cannot retake the induction, and extensions are only allowed in special cases such as more than 30 days’ illness. The good news is that only 45 out of 16,000 failed in 1999-2000 - and some successfully appealed against failure.

Scotland By 2003, all teachers must be fully registered with the Scottish GTC to get a post in a school. New teachers are given provisional registration and have to do a year’s probation and meet the standards for full registration. In response to previous difficulties in finding long-term posts, the period of probation has been reduced to one year but 2,500 people who finish their training in Scotland this summer will be guaranteed a one-year new teacher post. In April, they will be allocated to one of the 32 LEAs and in June will be allocated to a school. The placement is for one year, but there is no guarantee that people will be able to stay afterwards. Deferment is not possible, except on such grounds as needing maternity leave. People who trained outside Scotland can do probation if they have a provisional registration with the GTC but are not guaranteed a new teacher post.

New teachers are given a very generous 70 per cent timetable - the rest is for professional development, which consists of core experiences, which the authorities will organise, and individual activities. Each new teacher will have a special “supporter” who has a role similar to the induction tutor in England. This person has half a day each week to meet and observe the new teacher. Assessment forms are completed twice a year. The standards on which new teachers are judged cover rather more extensive areas than those in England and build on those standards for Scottish initial training.

Wales Wales has been slow to make induction statutory, although first-time teachers tend to be very well looked after in many schools. The induction year will become a statutory requirement for all new entrants from September 2003, but a pilot induction programme will start in September this year. Fine detail is being drawn up at the moment.

The distinctive feature of the proposals in Wales is that induction will be followed by a scheme of early professional development in Years 2 and 3. This feature is already in place in Northern Ireland and is also being piloted in some English authorities. NQTs will be assessed on “distinctive Welsh standards”, although as yet there is no indication what these will be. Anyone failing will be given the opportunity to retake induction: this is certainly a softer approach than England’s “zero tolerance of failure”.

Highland jinks, page 6