Vocational special needs teacher

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a vocational special needs teacher in TUVA training (Preparatory Education and Training) for upper secondary education. I work as the teacher in charge of the student group and I amresponsible for planning the students’ individual study paths. My job is also to monitor the study progress of students and assess their competence.

I also take care of the safety and well-being of students and serve as a career and further placement instructor. As TUVA training includes on-the-job learning, special needs teachers engage in a lot of network cooperation, such as with local companies.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

In 2003, I got a job as a small group assistant in my home municipality. I first did an apprenticeship as a teaching assistant, and later I studied to be a youth and leisure instructor. After working in these positions for several years, I noticed that I get along with young people very well.

When I joined Luovi, I first served as a leisure instructor and group instructor. Then, I studied more while working, ending up as a special needs teacher, which feels like the right fit for me.

Describe your typical working day or week.

A typical day begins with a meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the classroom. We go through the day’s tasks and agenda. We group students according to their wishes and objectives. After this, we have our morning porridge and meet at 9:00 a.m. in front of the classroom, from which the students head off to their different assignments. In general, some go out to work in companies, while others stay on in the various facilities of the school.

We eat lunch at noon. After that, the students continue working at their assignments or return to the classroom to work on their theory studies. The day usually ends at 2:00 p.m.

The work weeks vary a great deal. Sometimes my group’s students do practical assignments at companies and in the various facilities of our school. Sometimes they study theory in the classroom.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I mainly work at the school, but my job also involves a lot of moving from place to place.

Teachers have annual working hours, which means that our working hours are monitored in periods of one year.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

In this kind of work, you have to be calm and have the ability to get along with different people. The most important job of a special needs teacher is to be a safe and reliable adult for students. Although there are sometimes conflicts and students might leave in an emotional outburst, there has to be an assurance that they are always welcome to come back.

Organisational skills are emphasised, particularly in situations where the student group is divided into several different assignments. In this case, you must be able to keep track of any student absences, personal expenses and bookings for facilities or cars. In general, the ability to manage things as a whole is vital to this work.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best thing about being a special needs teacher is following and enabling the development of students. I love being able to help young people find their own field and interests. It’s incredibly rewarding to help even just one young person, who’s struggling with early morning starts and absences, to turn their life around. And, on top of this, I also have great colleagues.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Students come from different backgrounds, and the unpleasant things they have gone through can manifest themselves as, for example, behavioural disorders. Sometimes, the issues students are dealing with stay with me at the end of the work day, so it’s important to find some kind of counterbalance to work in my free time.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a vocational special needs teacher?

When studying to be a teacher, you should invest in doing work placements. It’s important to understand that, in this kind of work, plans can change overnight for reasons beyond your control. And, when working as a special needs teacher, you have to be able to tolerate things being unfinished.

How do you see the future of your profession?

Teachers will also be needed in the future. Artificial intelligence can never replace genuine encounters, and using emotional intelligence is one of the most important skills of a teacher.