Job satisfaction is a very important factor when choosing a career, and a lot of people feel that they have made the wrong choice because they do not get the level of satisfaction that they want. If you do not feel that you are making a difference, it can be very difficult to stay motivated. The best way around this is to change career and find something more fulfilling.
When you are looking for careers that give you more job satisfaction, you should consider teaching. Shaping the next generation of young minds is such an important job and you will really feel that you are making a difference. Although it is a hard job at times, it is also a very satisfying one. If you think that a career in teaching is right for you, here’s how to get started.
Education
All teachers are required to have a Bachelor’s degree, so if you don’t already have one, you will need to go back into education. This can be a big hurdle for people that are changing careers in later life because you may have a lot of financial responsibilities that make it difficult to go back into education full-time. However, there are some great online courses that you can take in your spare time so you can get the education that you need while you are still working.
After you have earned your Bachelor’s degree, you should consider further education to improve your job prospects. You can take an online masters in education to learn more about leadership skills and the latest research in education. These tools will help you to be a better teacher and it will give you a big advantage when applying for positions.
Get Student Teaching Experience
All teachers are required to have some student teaching experience before they can apply for full-time positions. Often, you will get this experience during your Bachelor’s degree but you can also do it as part of an internship after you graduate. The number of hours that you need varies in different states, so make sure that you check how much experience you will need to qualify in your chosen state.
Get Certified Or Licensed
If you want to teach in a public school, you will need to get certified or licensed. In most states, the licenses are broken up into grade levels. So, you will need a different license for preschool through third grade, first grade through sixth grade, and seventh grade through twelfth grade. You need to decide which grades you want to teach before you start looking at getting certified.
Once you have the teaching experience that you need and you have decided which grade you want to teach, most states require you to pass a general teaching certification exam. In some cases, you may also need to pass specific tests in the subjects that you will be teaching.
Once you have completed all of these steps, you will be qualified to start applying for your first teaching job.