TEACHING is fun, rewarding and full of opportunities.

This is the message of a new advertising campaign by the Teacher Development Agency (TDA).

The Turn your Talent to Teaching drive aims to highlight the benefits of a career in teaching.

Rosie Cairns, a teacher at Ridgeway School in Wroughton, is a backer of the scheme.

She said: "It's a very rewarding profession and there are a huge amount of opportunities.

"For anyone who has the right qualifications and likes being with children this is a really stimulating profession.

"No one class is ever the same, and it's certainly never boring."

Ridgeway opened its doors to prospective teachers in January for a three-day taster course.

Rosie explained: "We invite people into the school to see what the job involves and to show them what working with children is like."

For anyone thinking of training to be a teacher, Swindon is the perfect location.

The University of Bath's Oakfield Campus on Marlowe Avenue runs a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) qualification.

The SCITT course is designed for graduates who want train in a school environment.

The Oakfield campus provides training for the 11 to 18 age range. It specialises in English, maths, science, ICT and design and technology.

The course is run in conjunction with Dorcan Technology College on St Paul's Drive.

Rosie thinks that the course is ideal for people who are put off teacher training by the idea of having to travel to study.

She said: "People in Swindon are very lucky that the Oakfield campus is on their doorstep."

For more information go to the TDA website at www.tda.gov.uk or the Graduate Teacher Training Registry at www.gttr.ac.uk.