Teaching and Education Jobs

If you are considering a career change - please consider teaching. Some people know from an early age they hope to pursue teaching while others may not find their calling until later in life. Teaching is a rewarding and flexible career choice. Certification can be had from a variety of backgrounds and can be obtained online or in person. There are other great teaching opportunities in primary education, assistant teaching, tutoring, special education, adult education, English as a second language, and many other fields. All have different prerequisites for teachers and different levels of certification depending on your State. There are great teacher resources available for anyone to find out exactly what they need online.

At the primary and secondary education level a teacher can expect to be working with small children and/or young adults. Teachers looking to provide an elementary (K-5 or k-6) level education can expect to spend four years in primary education training. Primary school educators teach several subjects to students and must be proficient in elementary level math, English, science and social studies. For high school and middle school educators, a four year degree with emphasis on teaching a specific subject can lead to a teaching job at a public or private high school or middle school. Those looking to teach with their major should look into specific qualifications within the state they expect to be teaching in. All states have slightly different standards for those seeking a teaching certification. For teaching primary and secondary education (k-12) all that is needed is a bachelors degree in either primary education or in the chosen subject, such as English, that one wishes to teach at the middle or high school level.

To teach at a community college, successful completion of a masters degree is all that is required. A masters degree holder is qualified to teach the subject of his or her major. Different colleges will have different standards and the interview process can be either gentle, or quite rigorous, depending on the particular establishment. A part-time or temporary university-level teaching job may be attained with a masters degree by doctoral candidates or by those teaching the arts, and in some cases only. Most university full-time, permanent, tenured positions are reserved for those with a doctorate. It is still very possible to end up teaching at a university with only a masters degree, while working on a doctorate.

The teaching profession has many levels and financial rewards are greatest for the most educated teachers. A teacher’s salary in the public education sector increases with each year of experience and with each degree of education obtained by the teacher. In 2010, masters degree holders teaching at a community college can expect median earnings in the $40,000 per year range and go up to $60,000 per year, although this will vary greatly by state. These are also the expected earnings for primary and secondary educators, although, in the public sector, most salaries peak at $45,000 per year unless a doctorate or an administrative position is obtained. Again, this will vary greatly by state. Median earnings for university professors are around $58,000 per year, with the top ten percent earning up to $121,000 per year. Remember that most teaching positions come with full benefits and a handsome pension - so you will be earning much more than just your base salary. You will also have time to earn extra money if you consider working during vacations.