How to start a career in education

A career in education can be very rewarding, but it can also be challenging. Teaching takes a considerable amount of energy and passion.

Getting to where you need to be in your career will also take some hard work too. If you’re thinking about starting on a journey to work in the field of education, you will first of all need to decide what level you’d like to teach at.

Each level is distinct and has its benefits. The entry requirements and study methods may differ from level to level.

In this article, let’s discuss the different teaching levels, what to expect, and how to get a career in the various levels of education.

A career in education… Higher education, that is

If you’re passionate about a specific subject and have a great deal of knowledge as well as the academic qualifications to back it up, you may be able to start a career as a university or college professor.

You will generally need a doctorate, or be working towards one to get a job teaching at a higher education level. In some situations, with the right professional experience, you may be able to get in with a master’s degree.

Professional experience will count for a lot too. Having at least some experience within your field of expertise working at a higher level will help you to move up the career ladder.

The benefits of teaching at this level are that your students will be very engaged in the subject. Generally, the students will be paying a considerable amount of money to get onto the course in the first place and they actually want to be there, in most cases, so they are more likely to be attentive during classes.

You’ll need to be a strong communicator who is able to articulate complex subject matter to be a successful instructor. Another great quality to have is being able to students to pursue their passions.

Becoming a continuing education teacher

For educators wanting to teach at a continuing education level, it will be possible to do so as long as you have a bachelor’s level degree in a subject relating to the one that you plan to teach. You can complete Online Continuing Education Courses for Teachers to gain the right qualifications.

You may need to gain experience in a classroom situation as part of your teaching qualification. In terms of skills, you’ll need to be a great communicator who is great at inspiring others.

Generally, students at this level will have a passion for the subjects they have chosen to study. Students will be older than school age and so will be a little more responsible and mature, in most cases.

A career in education teaching high school kids

One of the most popular age groups to teach is high school. This is the period in a child’s education where they start to really develop their skills, and it can be the most rewarding period.

It is not without its challenges, though. High schoolers can often have the biggest behavioral issues out of every school age.

That makes sense given the number of hormonal changes they’re undergoing. Many teens are also trying to figure out their identities and what they want to “do” with their lives.

Another challenging part of being a high school teacher is the large class sizes. The bigger the class, the harder it will be to control the group or to provide individual attention to those pupils who need it the most.

To teach at the high school level, you will need to have a relevant bachelor’s level qualification. You will also need to return to study at a post-graduate level to obtain a teaching qualification. In addition, completing a certain amount of teaching experience in the classroom is typically required.

As well as having in-depth knowledge of the subject that you are teaching teens, you’ll also do well if you have patience and a supportive manner when teaching high school. Ideally, you will have a firm-but-fair attitude that earns the respect of those who are in the classroom.

Teaching at the elementary school level

Does teaching younger children appeal to you instead? If so, working at the elementary school level offers huge rewards.

In elementary school, you’ll be teaching very young children. The age of the children will vary between schools; you may be teaching them from around the age of 5 until about 11 years of age.

You don’t need to have one specific bachelor’s degree to teach at the elementary school level; instead, you can study for a bachelor’s in education that will give you a good grounding in a mixture of subjects. The reason is that, as an elementary school teacher, you’ll be responsible for teaching a mixture of subjects rather than a specific high-school level subject.

A wide range of skills is necessary to teach in an elementary school setting. You’ll be more likely to succeed if you have patience, enthusiasm, and the ability to inspire and build confidence in pupils during their formative years.