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Ever fancied teaching dental students part time… but no real idea how you’d actually get in?
Are you the kind of person teaching would energise — or quietly drain?
Is a PGCert in dental education actually worth it, or just wishy-washy theory?
And the honest question nobody asks out loud: does it pay anything?
This is an Interference Cast — the non-clinical arm of the podcast — with Dr Rima Hussain, a general dentist who teaches restorative dentistry to undergraduates at King’s a couple of days a week. It’s a candid look at what a career in dental education actually involves: how to get in, who thrives and who burns out, what the work is really like, and the honest truth about the pay and the rewards. The bigger theme: dentistry is a career you can mould in endless directions — and for the right person, teaching is one of the most energising of them.
What You’ll Take From This Episode
The full self-assessment and the step-by-step route into a teaching role are in the Premium Notes. Here’s the shape of what we cover:
- Are you built for the classroom? — the two-camp self-check (energised vs drained) that predicts whether teaching will recharge you or wear you down.
- How to actually land a role — the ‘BDJ Jobs’ plus pick-up-the-phone route, and why “who you know” so often cuts through the application process.
- Relatability as a strength — why being closer to a student’s level can beat decades of experience for an absolute beginner.
- Back to basics — the “monkey see, monkey do” risk from YouTube and AI, and what the tutor’s real job becomes.
- The honest pay-and-balance picture — why you don’t do it for the money, what you do get, and how teaching and practice keep each other fresh.
Highlights of This Episode
- 00:00 Teaser
- 01:08 Should You Teach Dentistry? How to Know If It’s for You
- 04:39 How a General Dentist Gets Into Dental Education
- 06:15 Signs You’re Suited to Teaching Dentistry
- 08:52 Is a PGCert in Dental Education Worth It?
- 12:07 How to Land a Clinical Teaching Post at a Dental School
- 14:38 Why a Relatable Tutor Beats Decades of Experience
- 16:52 How Dental Students Have Changed Since COVID
- 19:20 Is Social Media and AI Helping or Hurting Dental Students?
- 21:55 Midroll
- 26:43 Why “Back to Basics” Beats Chasing Advanced Techniques
- 29:20 How to Get a Teaching (or Associate) Job: Pick Up the Phone
- 31:50 Why Dental Tutors Quit After Six Months
- 36:29 The Most Rewarding Part of Teaching Dentistry
- 38:46 Teaching, Practice and Pay: How to Avoid Burnout
- 44:39 Outro
From the Guest
Dr Rima Hussain is a general dentist who also teaches restorative (conservative) dentistry to undergraduates at King’s College London — a route she fell into via tutoring as a teenager and has been in since 2019. Her advice for anyone curious: you’re probably already teaching in some form, so try it; the worst case is you find it isn’t for you.
👉 Reach Rima on Instagram
References & Further Reading
Mentioned in this episode:
- Rath T. StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press, 2007. The strengths-assessment book referenced for the “Learner” theme and the idea of building your career around your natural strengths. “Learner” is one of its 34 themes; the assessment is now delivered as CliftonStrengths.
- BDJ Jobs. The British Dental Journal jobs board where clinical tutor and academic posts are advertised, usually with short application windows.
Want more?
If you enjoyed this episode, check out: 2 Years Out of Dental School – Insights for New Grads – IC066
#InterferenceCast #CareerDevelopment #BeyondDentistry
Listen, Subscribe, Earn CPD
This episode is eligible for 0.5 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance.
This episode meets GDC Outcomes B
AGD Subject Code: 770 Self-Improvement
Aim & Learning Outcomes
Aim: To help dentists evaluate a part-time career in dental education — what the role involves, how to obtain one, and how to sustain it alongside clinical practice.
Learning Outcomes — by the end of this episode, dentists will be able to:
- Identify the personal attributes and expectations that distinguish dentists who thrive in clinical teaching from those who do not.
- Describe the practical routes into a dental-school teaching post, including where posts are advertised and how a direct, proactive approach can work.
- Recognise the workload, financial and work-life-balance realities of part-time teaching, and strategies to avoid burnout while balancing teaching and practice.
Continuing Education Information
This activity may be eligible for continuing education credit through Protrusive Guidance. Participants must complete the associated quiz inside Protrusive Guidance to obtain a CPD/CE certificate.
Cost:
Access to this CE activity is included with an active Protrusive Guidance membership. Current membership pricing is available at www.protrusive.app.
Cancellation & Refund Policy:
Memberships may be cancelled at any time. Access to CE activities remains active until the end of the current billing cycle. Subscription charges are non-refundable once processed. Full details are available at www.protrusive.app.
Delivery: Self-instruction (online) · Location: Online
Contact: manager@protrusive.co.uk
