So You Want to be a Teacher
Before you start out on a teaching career, the first thing you must do is check what professional certificates and forms of education are required of a teacher at the level and in the field you wish to enter in your locale. While regulations differ widely from place to place and from institution to institution, any new teacher will need to be able to show the education and training expected by their intended employers.
Since the expected qualifications differ from place to place, and are highly dependent on the institution where you hope to teach, you will need to investigate the professional standard specific to your intended employment. Most K-12 public schools will expect a combination of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university plus some form of professional training in education aimed at qualifying for license or for a certificate. To learn the expectations of your local school system you should check with your state department of education or review requirements listed at sites like http://www.uky.edu/Education/TEP/usacert.html.
When looking into employment by private schools your challenge may be quite different, or merely the same only worse. Private schools often are more interested in academic excellence and appropriate job related experience, many having doubts about the worth of “educational programs” when in depth subject training might serve better. Specialized schools like Montessori schools have their own training programs to teach specific educational methods and theories also. But the common public school assumption of certification and educational training can still be seen at many schools. In competition with public schools, private schools can end up doubling down, expecting a prospective teacher to meet both the certification standards of public schools and the academic and experiential qualifications as well. Read all job descriptions and school boilerplate closely to determine what the expectations of your desired employer are likely to be.
When you leave the K-12 system and move toward collegiate teaching you are facing still another assortment of expectations, which can vary even more extensively. The standard rule of thumb is that you need an MA in your teaching subject to teach at the junior college level, and a PhD to teach at the four year college and university level. This, however, is complicated by an array of aides, TAs and similar auxiliary teaching professionals outside the tenure track. On the job success in a field can also substitute for a degree in some instances, particularly in the arts and the trades, where many superb professionals have reached skill in their field through alternate educational routes, including apprenticeships, studio training, or the simple school of hard knocks.
There are also routes to professional teaching that allow alternate routes to be followed. In areas suffering a severe teaching shortage a qualified applicant with a strong BA and experience in teaching or tutoring may be considered by a public school even without certification. Likewise a successful substitute who has given good service can become a candidate for a permanent hire.
If you want to teach K-12, do expect to need a BA, a post graduate program in education, and to pass a certification test. This is the commonest route to professional teaching. If you can, combine a strong background in a subject with graduate level certification. This leaves you with the greatest flexibility and offers a school the dual advantage of a great subject teacher with the publicly expected certification.
Maria Bascuas is an educator and journalist who writes about online courses and online learning.