Routes into SEND teaching

[Megamegablahblah]

I have a job which is a reasonable fit and okay pay (I'm a fundraiser on c45k) but I do not love WFH and find commuting to London tiring. There are ways round it such as condensed hours, taking roles that aren't permanent and looking for local openings. But I am also wondering about a total change into a role where I feel more of a local community connection. I have always been interested in working with children and have some experience and training there. I have been looking at different options such as speech and language therapist, occupational therapist etc. I was more recently thinking about being a teacher in SEND provision. What is the route into that?

Qualify as a teacher first. You might struggle for jobs as the assumption now is "all teachers are teachers of SEND" and the government is trying to push everyone into mainstream.

If you do a PGCE, you can request a special school or inclusion base placement and test the water before committing fully (not guaranteed I think).

I'd also suggest volunteering in one first. It can be quite intense.

You don't mention if you are considering primary or secondary, but the schools white paper is proposing an inclusion base in all secondary schools within the next couple of years and primaries following suit.