A Career in Education Gives You the Keys to Changing Someone’s World

Teaching is more than a career – it’s a calling. Those who choose to make a living as teachers appreciate the responsibility that they have shouldered, and consider their work a labor of love as much as it is a vocation. In fact, the chance to impact young people’s lives is often the most important reason that students consider teaching as a career, with compensation being a secondary consideration. 

It is, however, a reasonable concern, and teachers’ salaries can vary widely based on a variety of factors. Education level is an especially important factor in determining pay rate, as well as location. The average pay for an elementary school teacher in New York state, for instance, was about $75,000, while in Arkansas that number drops down to about $45,000. However, New York City skews the state numbers heavily, meaning that in the more rural areas of New York the average teacher’s salary is a bit less. It’s important to remember that often this salary is based on a 10-month year too, as most teachers – even many at the secondary level – have their summers off.

If you’re interested in being a teacher, the outlook for this industry is bright. With increased numbers of students going to college every year, positions for post-secondary teachers are expected to expand at the fastest rate between 2012 and 2022, with an anticipated growth of 19 percent. Preschool teachers will also enjoy high demand, with an expected 17 percent growth in that field between 2012 and 2022. Much like compensation, job growth varies widely by state. Georgia, for instance, anticipates needing 21 percent more teachers in the future than it has now, while Tennessee will be looking for 13 percent more – a comparatively smaller amount, but a respectable increase nonetheless.

For those who wish to be a kindergarten, elementary, middle school, or high school teacher, the typical educational journey looks something like this. First, you’d either get an associate’s degree and then transfer to a college or university, or you’d simply enroll in a bachelor’s program from the start. All states require public school teachers in grades K-12 to at least have a bachelor’s degree. For elementary school teachers, this can usually be an elementary education degree, while high school teachers are usually required to have majored in a particular subject area. A preschool teacher can start their career with an associate’s degree, but many states are starting to push for a bachelor’s degree at this level as well. 

Then, usually as part of the bachelor’s degree program, aspiring teachers will become student teachers. This is very much like an internship, where a student will be mentored and guided by an experienced teacher in the hopes that when they graduate, they will have gained practical knowledge on what it takes to manage a classroom. Then, it’s time to go through a state’s licensing or certification process in order to hold a position in a public school. Private schools don’t always require their teachers to be licensed by the state, though many private schools do require a state certification. Each prospective teacher should check their home state’s specific rules on how to obtain the necessary credentials to hold a teaching position. 

Once a teaching position has been obtained, almost all states require public school teachers to continue their educations with a minimum number of course hours. This often results in teachers who have a bachelor’s earning their master’s degree, which gives them access to higher pay, greater job flexibility, and the potential for advancement into administrative positions, if they so desire.