Waldorf teaching is different. With the relationship between the teacher and the child or young person at the heart of everything we do, we go beyond the delivery of a set curriculum. Waldorf teachers are creative, and our schools create the space and opportunity for that creativity to flourish.
Waldorf teaching is an art, a craft and a science
Teaching as an art involves learning to understand the needs and voices of children and young people. It means choosing and preparing just the right material at the right time so that pupils’ imagination is sparked and they are able to dive into the subject with joy.
Teaching as a craft is about deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for a subject, and using this alongside pedagogical understanding and professional intuition (knowing-in-practice) to enable healthy and effective learning within a broad curriculum framework.
Teaching as a science means using the pedagogical anthropology (understanding of the developing human being) that underpins Waldorf education to inform your teaching. It involves engaging with relevant and contemporary educational theory and research in a process of ongoing professional development.
Waldorf teaching is not an ‘easy’ option – it demands commitment, passion, research and creativity. There are no ‘off the shelf’ curricula, no commercial schemes and programmes, and no ready-made powerpoint presentations (in fact no interactive whiteboards at all in the lower school!). Within a broad framework, you will become a curriculum designer for your class or subject. You will need to learn new skills – singing, movement games, storytelling and maybe even playing the recorder. But Waldorf teaching also affords the opportunity to develop as a person and as a professional within a collaborative organisation: to play a vital role in an education that truly has children and young people at its centre.
Teaching different ages and stages:
Early Childhood Practitioners focus on work with children aged 0-5. They work in a variety of settings, from childminding to ‘playgroup’ provision for 2-4 year olds in schools.
Kindergarten Teachers and assistants work with children aged from 3 to 6 in mixed age groups. There are independent kindergartens, and also kindergarten classes within schools. There is no formal, academic teaching in kindergarten – children learn through practical activities and play.
Class Teachers usually work with the same group of children for up to eight years. They will often start in Class 1, when children aged 6-7 begin their formal learning journey, and cycle back round after Class 5 or Class 8. Some class teachers specialise in the Class 6-8 age range. Similar to a primary school teacher, class teachers will teach most subjects across the curriculum, but much of the teaching is done through cross-curricular ‘blocks’ lasting 3-4 weeks.
Subject Teachers teach across a range of classes, offering specialist teaching in world languages, crafts, handwork, games and movement, eurythmy, music, drama and outdoor learning.
Upper School Teachers teach young people aged 14 – 19. They will usually have a subject specialism, but this might be broader than in other education systems (e.g. humanities, science etc). Waldorf schools offer a range of secondary qualifications, from standard GCSEs, A-Levels and Scottish Highers to independent portfolio qualifications and innovative programmes like the Integrative Education Diploma and the Certificate of Steiner Education.
Cardiff, Cardiff
8th June 2025
Cardiff Steiner School
Fulltime equiv £29,180 - Pro Rata £17,508
Part Time
Are you passionate about inclusive education and committed to supporting every child’s unique learning journey? Cardiff Steiner School is seeking a compassionate, knowledgeable, a ...
Forest Row, East Sussex
6th June 2025
Michael Hall School
28,152 - 36,051
Full Time
Kindergarten Teacher The details of this role are as follows: Working hours: 40 hours a week. 8am – 5pm to include 1 hr weekly team meeting. Plus, Faculty meeting - 1 hour a half ...
York, North Yorkshire
4th June 2025
York Steiner School
N/A
Part Time
Volunteer School Trustee at York Steiner School Location: York, North Yorkshire Salary: Volunteer role Sector: Charity and not-for-profit, Education Hours: 2-3 hours evening meeti ...
York, North Yorkshire
4th June 2025
York Steiner School
£45,000.00 per annum
Full Time, Part Time
School Business Manager at York Steiner School Permanent, full time position (Part-Time Considered) working all year round - Monday to Friday with additional hours on occasions to ...
Dartington, Devon
3rd June 2025
South Devon Steiner School
£32,000
Full Time
Are you an innovative and committed Teacher of Maths and Science seeking a new opportunity? If so, you could be part of our team. Job overview You’ll be delivering core aspects of ...
London, Greater London
30th May 2025
Greenwich Waldorf School
M1-M6
Full Time, Term Time
ENGLISH TEACHER Job Title: English Teacher Employed by: Greenwich Waldorf School Hours: Full time, (4 days per week, Term time only) Pay: M1- M6 Contract Type: Permanent Start dat ...
London, Greater London
29th May 2025
Greenwich Waldorf School
competitive and dependent on experience
Full Time
School Bursar Full-time | 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) l Permanent | Start Date: September 2025 or sooner Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience Location: Green ...
Cardiff, Cardiff
21st May 2025
Cardiff Steiner School
Fulltime equiv £29,180 - Pro Rata £4,323
Part Time
Cardiff Steiner School are seeking an inspiring and creative Art Teacher to join the collaborative team in a vibrant, arts-rich educational environment . In this part-time role, y ...
Cardiff, Cardiff
20th May 2025
Cardiff Steiner School
Fulltime equiv £29,180 - Pro Rata £12,970-£15,130
Part Time
Inspire Creativity and Craftsmanship - Join Cardiff Steiner School as a Part-Time Hard Crafts Teacher Are you passionate about hands-on creativity and inspired by the art of tradi ...
Forest Row, East Sussex
16th May 2025
Michael Hall School
£12,106 (FTE £24,293)
Part Time, Term Time
The details of this role are as follows: Working hours: 24 hours a week 8.00am – 12.45pm Mon- Fri Annual leave: School Holidays Contract type: Part time Permanent Salary: £12,106 ...
Cardiff, Cardiff
16th May 2025
Cardiff Steiner School
£12.21 per hour plus statutory holiday pay
Part Time, Term Time
Join Our Team – 1:1 Learning Support Assistant (Upper School) Cardiff Steiner School is seeking a compassionate and committed 1:1 Learning Support Assistant to work with a 15-year ...
Forres, Moray
5th May 2025
Drumduan School
UNDER REVIEW
Full Time
Drumduan is a modern and progressive Steiner School located in the beautiful North-East of Scotland overlooking Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth, with an emphasis on experiential ...
Forres, Moray
5th May 2025
Drumduan School
UNDER REVIEW
Term Time
Drumduan is a modern and progressive Steiner School located in the beautiful North-East of Scotland overlooking Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth, with an emphasis on experiential ...
Cardiff, Cardiff
5th May 2025
Cardiff Steiner School
Full time equiv £29,180 - Pro Rata £6,485
Part Time
Cardiff Steiner School are looking for a part-time Music Teacher to join the collaborative and passionate team in our innovative Upper School for age 14 to 19 Apply now – open unt ...
Forres, Moray
5th May 2025
Drumduan School
UNDER REVIEW
Term Time
Drumduan is a modern and progressive Steiner School located in the beautiful North-East of Scotland overlooking Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth, with an emphasis on experiential ...
Stourbridge, West Midlands
11th April 2025
Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School
£25,956
Full Time, Part Time
Are you looking for an opportunity to transform your teaching journey? We have an exciting role which would suit a Maths specialist seeking a fresh new challenge within a Sc ...
Stourbridge, West Midlands
11th April 2025
Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School
£25,956
Part Time
Are you looking for the opportunity to transform your teaching journey? We have an exciting role which would suit an English specialist seeking a fresh new challenge within ...
Stourbridge, West Midlands
11th April 2025
Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School
25956
Full Time, Part Time
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Teacher who is truly passionate about inspiring the love of learning in children. Based in our historic school set in beautifu ...
Forest Row, East Sussex
29th March 2025
Michael Hall School
TBC
Part Time
The details of this role are as follows: Annual leave: School holidays (+ Bank Holidays) Contract type: Part time to be discussed at interview Salary: £28,152-£36,051 pro rata and ...
Forest Row, East Sussex
29th March 2025
Michael Hall School
£11,261 - 14,420
Part Time
Working hours: 8am – 5pm Annual leave: School Holidays Contract type: 0.4 - Part Time - Permanent (2 Days) Salary: £11,261 -£14,420 depending on experience Start date: September, ...
If you're searching for your next education job, please get in touch. You'll be working for a great employer and be part of a friendly, helpful team. We're always interested to hear from enthusiastic, committed education professionals - send us your CV now via our Talent Pool and detail what sort of role you're looking for. By joining our Talent Pool we'll know you're interested in working here when the right vacancy comes up.
Bristol, BS6 6UX
Cambridge, CB21 5DZ
Cardiff, CF14 2FL
Forres, IV36 2RD
Stourbridge, DY8 2EA
London, SE7 8RE
Forest Row, RH18 5JA
Nr Clynderwen, SA66 7QJ
Ringwood, BH24 2NNL
Dartington, TQ9 6AB
London, N1 2QH
Hereford, HR2 8DL
Edinburgh, EH10 5BR
York, YO10 4PB
Hanworth Park, TW13 6PN
County Down, BT18 0PR
Lancaster, LA1 5QU
Norwich, NR1 2HW
Sai Kung, Hong Kong
Co. Kilkenny, Ireland
If you do not yet have any Early Years qualifications, the Early Childhood training programmes are as follows:
Crossfields Institute Level 3 Diploma in Holistic Baby and Child Care (Early Years Educator): https://emerson.org.uk/course/level-3-diploma-in-holistic-baby-and-child-care-early-years-educator/ (specialising in working with children from birth to five).
Crossfields Institute Level 4 Diploma in Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Studies (Early Years Educator): https://loswec.co.uk/ (London) or https://neswec.org.uk/ (York and Stourbridge) (specialising in kindergarten – age 3-6)
Interest-free loans are available for the course fees for these courses. They are all part-time courses and can be completed alongside a full- or part-time role.
If you already have an early years qualification, the above courses all offer a ‘quality mark’ pathway, where the course content is the same, but the assessment burden is significantly reduced.
If you already have a PGCE / PGDE or other recognised teaching qualification: You may be able to apply for a teaching role at a Waldorf school. However, you will be expected to complete a further part-time post-graduate qualification – the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-waldorf-education-and-creative-pedagogies/ This course can also be completed whilst teaching in a state or other independent school.
Interest-free loans and some bursaries are available for the course fees for this course.
If you do not yet have a teaching qualification, but you do have a degree, you can apply for a role as a teaching assistant, a classroom assistant, a learning support assistant, a cover teacher or a training teacher. You can then complete the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education with PGCE and QTS: https://emerson.org.uk/course/postgraduate-diploma-in-waldorf-education/
Interest-free loans and apprenticeship funding are available for the course fees for this course. You will need English, Maths and Science GCSE equivalents, as well as a degree in any subject.
If you already have a PGCE / PGDE or other recognised teaching qualification: You may be able to apply for a teaching role at a Waldorf school. However, you will be expected to complete a further part-time post-graduate qualification – the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-waldorf-education-and-creative-pedagogies/ This course can also be completed whilst teaching in a state or other independent school.
Interest-free loans and some bursaries are available for the course fees for this course.
If you do not yet have a teaching qualification, but you do have a degree, you can apply for a role as a teaching assistant, a classroom assistant, a learning support assistant, a cover teacher or a training teacher. You can then complete the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education with PGCE and QTS: https://emerson.org.uk/course/postgraduate-diploma-in-waldorf-education/
Interest-free loans and apprenticeship funding are available for the course fees for this course. You will need English and Maths GCSE equivalents, as well as a degree relevant to your specialist subject.
For non-National Curriculum subjects (such as craft, handwork or outdoor learning) you may need to follow the Class Teacher training route, and develop your specialist teaching independently and based on your previous experience. Eurythmy training is available through Eurythmy UK: https://eurythmyuk.org/
If you already have a PGCE / PGDE or other recognised teaching qualification: You may be able to apply for a teaching role at a Waldorf school. However, you will be expected to complete a further part-time post-graduate qualification – the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-waldorf-education-and-creative-pedagogies/ This course can also be completed whilst teaching in a state or other independent school.
Interest-free loans and some bursaries are available for the course fees for this course.
If you do not yet have a teaching qualification, but you do have a relevant degree: You can apply for Upper School roles as a teaching assistant, a classroom assistant, a learning support assistant, a cover teacher or a training teacher. You can then complete the Post-Graduate Diploma in Waldorf Education with PGCE and QTS: https://emerson.org.uk/course/postgraduate-diploma-in-waldorf-education/
Interest-free loans and apprenticeship funding are available for the course fees for this course. You will need English and Maths GCSE equivalents, as well as a degree relevant to your specialist subject.
The Waldorf Teachers' Standards (previously the National Steiner Waldorf Teacher Standards) were originally created in 2020 as part of a collaborative process to set out the clear benchmarks required for all teachers in Steiner Schools.
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Phone: +44 (0)2045 249933
E-mail: admin@waldorfeducation.uk