Visual arts teacher to photography teacher
A visual arts teacher already meets 58% of what the photography teacher role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.8/ 100
1 How much of what a photography teacher is expected to do is already part of a visual arts teacher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the photography teacher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A photography teacher role treats 14 of its required skills as things a visual arts teacher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt teaching to student's capabilities
- apply teaching strategies
- assess students
- assist students in their learning
- assist students with equipment
- consult students on learning content
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A photography teacher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a visual arts teacher background worth leading with.
- already held develop a coaching style communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consult students on learning content communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop artistic educational activities management skills
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements management skills
- already held develop learning curriculum management skills
- already held manage student relationships communication, collaboration and creativity
All 23 carried skills, including the 14 the photography teacher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn maintain photographic equipment required
- still to learn select photographic equipment required
- still to learn set up photographic equipment required
- optional, not held operate a camera optional
- optional, not held select auxiliary equipment for photographic work optional
- optional, not held use photographic equipment optional
- still to learn lighting techniques required
- still to learn photographic lenses required
- still to learn photographic processing techniques required
- optional, not held commercial photography optional
- still to learn determine image composition required
- optional, not held create artificial light optional
- optional, not held set up photographic exhibitions optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- optional, not held develop film optional
- still to learn select photos required
- optional, not held rinse photographic film optional
- optional, not held measure light levels optional
- optional, not held test photographic equipment optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a photography teacher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 determine image composition practise this
- 02 maintain photographic equipment practise this
- 03 select photographic equipment practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held adapt teaching to student's capabilities skill
- already held apply teaching strategies skill
- already held assess students skill
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held assist students with equipment skill
- already held consult students on learning content skill
- already held demonstrate when teaching skill
- already held develop a coaching style skill
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- already held give constructive feedback skill
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held manage student relationships skill
- already held perform classroom management skill
- already held prepare lesson content skill
- already held assessment processes knowledge
- already held curriculum objectives knowledge
- already held develop artistic educational activities skill
- already held develop learning curriculum skill
- already held facilitate teamwork between students skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage resources for educational purposes skill
- already held provide lesson materials skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create artificial light optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held measure light levels optional
- optional, not held operate a camera optional
- optional, not held rinse photographic film optional
- optional, not held select auxiliary equipment for photographic work optional
- optional, not held set up photographic exhibitions optional
- optional, not held test photographic equipment optional
- optional, not held use photographic equipment optional
- optional, not held commercial photography optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- optional, not held develop film optional
32 held skills the photography teacher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role art history knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess conservation needs skill
- not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role create artwork skill
- not needed by the target role create craft prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role create sculptures skill
- not needed by the target role create sketches skill
- not needed by the target role define creative components skill
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials skill
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials for artwork skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role instructional strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage different ceramic firing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role monitor art scene developments skill
- not needed by the target role operate a ceramics kiln skill
- not needed by the target role paint sets skill
- not needed by the target role participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role select artistic materials to create artworks skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role select subject matter skill
- not needed by the target role stimulate creativity in the team skill
- not needed by the target role supervise craft production skill
- not needed by the target role teach arts principles skill
- not needed by the target role types of paint knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of pottery material knowledge
- not needed by the target role use artistic materials for drawing skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use painting techniques skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn lighting techniques required
- still to learn photographic lenses required
- still to learn photographic processing techniques required
- optional, not held commercial photography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a visual arts teacher become a photography teacher?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A visual arts teacher already covers 58% of what a photography teacher is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 14 of which the photography teacher role treats as required.
What skills does a visual arts teacher need to become a photography teacher?
8 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is determine image composition.
How hard is the move from visual arts teacher to photography teacher?
Its learning distance is 49.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.