It's no surprise so many people grow up wanting to be teachers. Teachers are there as an inspiration to us throughout our childhood. They're a shoulder to lean on when you're sad, a voice of reasoning when you're angry, and they know everything, don't they?
But beyond that, why should you choose teaching as your profession? There can be few things as rewarding as making a tangible difference in shaping the lives of young people, inspiring and mentoring them to become the best they can be.
Reasons To Choose Teaching As Your Profession
Inspire The Next Generation
You'll get job satisfaction that few will experience by becoming a teacher. Other than parents, teachers have arguably the biggest influence on a child's life. The visible results you'll see from pupils are guaranteed to send you home with a sense of pride!
A True Vocation
As doctors, nurses and vets, teaching is more than just a job. It's a true vocation. Of course, many people work to live, but the rewarding nature means teachers get job satisfaction unmatched by most professions!
A Passion For The Subject
Few can use their passion in their job. However, teachers get to do this every day, with the opportunity to instil this enthusiasm in their pupils.
You'll Be Making A Difference.
By choosing teaching as your profession, you'll get job satisfaction like no other! If you ask most teachers why they decided to teach, they'll usually mention that they wanted to make a real difference in students' lives. Working as a teacher, you'll be able to see the visible progress in your students' abilities, and it's guaranteed to send you home with a smile on your face and a real sense of pride. Remember, they need you to help them get where they want to be in life so that you will be very important!
No Two Days Are The Same.
We mean it when we say this – no two days are the same! If you dread the monotony of working in an office and crave variety in your day-to-day life, then choosing to teach could be a great move for you. When you're a teacher, every day will provide a different set of challenges to keep life interesting! It'll fill you with excitement, and you'll be eager to get back into your classroom each day.
You'll Have A Job For Life.
Unlike some jobs that can be replaced by technology, teaching definitely can't be, so you'll have a job for life and a super-secure one at that! They say that education is recession-proof, and if anything has taught us that, it's the coronavirus pandemic. So, you're in safe hands if you pick teaching as your profession as you'll be in high demand all over the world for the rest of your life.
Nothing encourages you to continue to learn more about a topic than when you're teaching it! Children are curious, often asking questions you'd never thought of. In addition, it allows you to constantly research new findings and technologies to introduce to your students.
You can work all over the world.
If you're a qualified teacher, you'll be able to work pretty much anywhere in the world, either in a classroom or via your laptop.
You Can Be Creative
While you might have to follow a curriculum outline if you're working with a school, you will still have freedom within this to decide exactly how to teach the information to your students, so you can make it your own and get creative! Having fun is encouraged!
Meet Lots Of New People
Choosing teaching as a profession will allow you to work in a super friendly atmosphere. Not only will you work as part of a close-knit team with your colleagues, but you'll also interact with students and parents every single day. On top of that, as a teacher, you also can become an important part of your local community, with many schools hosting events throughout the year. It is great if you've moved to another country to teach as you'll be given plenty of opportunities to meet tons of new people.
The Earning Potential Is Huge.
Whether you're teaching in your home country, abroad or online, your earning potential can be huge. Plus, many teaching positions abroad will come with additional benefits such as accommodation, flights, medical insurance and paid visas.
You Can Work From Home.
Don't fancy teaching in class? You also have the option of working from the comfort of your own home. There are plenty of opportunities to teach online in today's digital world, from English and maths to arts and crafts; there are heaps of different subjects you can teach online. Plus, it's super flexible; you can set your hours and truly be your boss!
Learn As Well As Teach
If you've got a passion for learning, teaching is definitely for you! Teachers not only get to share their existing knowledge and wisdom, but they also get to dig deeply into topics and learn something new along the way. So whether that's by taking a TEFL Course or being thrown into the deep end in one of your classes, every day will be a school day for you, and your knowledge will continue to grow.
Nothing encourages you to continue to learn more about a topic than when you're teaching it! Children are curious, often asking questions you'd never thought of. In addition, it allows you to constantly research new findings and technologies to introduce to your students.
Career Progression
If you're dreaming of building an amazing career, teaching is the one for you! Not only will being a teacher provides you with a steady income and great job satisfaction, but you'll also be able to climb the career path to the top! From the heads of department to the headteacher, there are opportunities to go as high as you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Teachers and administrators face traditional questions–and will for the foreseeable future: How can we 'move students' from this performance level to that?
Some qualities of a good teacher include communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy and patience. Other characteristics of effective teaching include:
- An engaging classroom presence.
- Value in real-world learning.
- Exchange of best practices and a lifelong love of learning.
The primary role is to deliver classroom instruction that helps students learn. To accomplish this, teachers must prepare effective lessons, grade student work and offer feedback, manage classroom materials, productively navigate the curriculum, and collaborate with other staff.
Talking about schoolwork (a.k.a. getting social) makes students happy. Give students a few minutes each day to communicate with their classmates. Creating a happy classroom environment is a common goal for many teachers. Inject fun, humour, and playtime while ensuring focused learning takes place too.
The best and the unique teacher is always open-minded, learning and constantly evolving. Inspire. Besides teaching and sharing their knowledge on certain subjects, teachers also have to be inspiring to be inspired by how they teach.
Reasons Why You Should Invest In A Teaching Career
Shape The Next Generation
Becoming a teacher gives you the opportunity and privilege of impacting society by shaping the next generation by providing them with the tools and knowledge to form their own opinions, contribute, and influence society in the future.
Teachers do much more than teaching subject material. It is the job of a teacher to teach problem initiative and build self-esteem. However, a teaching career is not just being an educator. You also become a friend and confidante that can play a significant role in a child's emotional development.
Build Leadership Skills To Develop Your Career
Whether you intend to work through the ranks in the teaching profession or whether you intend to progress to a management position, leadership skills are a significant part of your teaching career.
According to a 2018 LinkedIn survey of 2,000 business leaders, 57% identified soft skills as important in a hiring decision. Out of all the soft skills assessed, employers rated leadership as the number one soft skill valued.
Teachers need to be in control at all times and are responsible for managing, leading, and directing others. This experience makes teachers excellent leaders!
Feel Connected
A school is a social entity. With constant communication with other teachers, children, and parents, you will always feel socially connected and never alone.
You will be with a large group of children or young adults every day with constant interaction and engagement. You will also contact parents regarding the needs of the children and their academic performance.
Last but not least, you will have an entire team of teachers and a school principal, which will become your teaching support network. Never a dull moment!
Make A Difference To A Child.
Every child is unique. Each child comes with their unique family background, socioeconomic status, personal strengths and weaknesses, level of academic ability, and social skills.
Some have learning, concentration, or memory disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or ADHD. For example, suppose you can help a child with ADHD achieve better grades by providing alternative learning methods or finding an outlet for their hyperactivity. In that case, you can change this child's life direction and increase their self-esteem.
If you can help a child with their social skills, you can change their entire school experience and bring happiness and friendship into their lives.
A teacher can make a real difference in the life of a child.
Learn As Well As Teach
Children ask plenty of questions, and teachers need to know the answers. So by teaching, you need to be constantly learning to satisfy your class's curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
Whether you are brushing up on your mathematical skills, historical events, or improving your French, your knowledge base is constantly increasing. The learning will help you by giving you more confidence in the classroom.
That's not all! Not only do you get to learn about interesting subjects. At the same time, you teach, but you also gain many other invaluable skills, including classroom discipline, public speaking, presentation skills, management, and leadership skills.
Holidays And Job Security
Teachers benefit from many paid holidays, including two whole months in the summer, unlike any other profession. It gives you time to rest, recharge and spend time with your families.
Another great perk is that your workday will be shorter than your office counterparts working 9 to 5 shifts and frequently doing overtime until 6:00 or 6:30. As a result, your day will end earlier, and you will have more time for other activities in your life.
As a teacher, you can belong to a teaching union that will help negotiate and secure teaching benefits. Teaching unions exist to protect the rights and interests of teachers regarding working hours, conditions, pay and facilities and engage in collective bargaining on behalf of teachers to negotiate the best conditions for you.
Independent working
To a large extent, being a teacher means being your boss. You will be working within a school system, have a structured curriculum to teach and be monitored to some extent in your teaching — but within the classroom framework, you are an independent person. You can make your own decisions on lesson plans, how you engage your students, and how you manage and assess them.
You will not micromanage your job, and you will be largely autonomous.
Excellent Choice Of Career Options
The teaching profession offers a wide variety of options. For example, you can teach in a Primary/Elementary School, a High School, or Adult and Community Education.
Depending on where your passions lie, you can choose to specialise in English, Mathematics, Art, Science, Music, Literature, or Special Education.
Alternative options are Career Guidance Counsellor, School Administrator or Librarian, and if you prefer flexibility, you can opt to work as a Substitute Teacher.
To get to a more senior position in education, such as school principal or a professor, you will require a Master of Education. Then, you can study at the University of the People while working your way up the teaching ranks.
Teaching will provide you with a long term, secure career with excellent benefits in which you will educate children and have the privilege of shaping the future of the next generation. If you love children, enjoy imparting knowledge, and are organised, creative, and energetic, this could be the perfect career choice for you.
To Give Back To Your Community
One of the reasons for becoming a teacher is contributing to your community in a meaningful way. Teaching is one of the most direct ways to make an impact, and if you are driven by the desire to help those around you, being a teacher is an invaluable contribution.
Perhaps you grew up in a high-needs area and are personally connected to the struggle of students who come from low-income neighbourhoods and go to schools with little funding; this sort of perspective allows you to recognise how much of a difference a devoted teacher can make. Maybe an amazing teacher changed your life when you were younger, and you want to share that with a new generation of students. Many people cite a favourite teacher as a source of inspiration—an external link in their decision to pursue a career in education.
Reasons Why Someone Might Fall Out Of Love With Teaching
The ATL survey also revealed why teachers leave the profession, despite their commitment to students and communities. Teacher burnout is a frequent reason: three-quarters of respondents cited heavy workloads as the reason they are considering leaving the job. Respondents said they wanted more time to plan lessons, a better work-life balance and proper mentorship from experienced teachers to help keep them in schools.
Education as a career includes more than teaching in the traditional classroom setting. For former teachers or those who believe in the mission but aren't sure if teaching is for them, other careers help change and build from similar backgrounds.
- School counselling: Counsellors guide students through academic, social and emotional dilemmas every day. People who want to become school counsellors learn about ethics, human development and psychology. It's also possible for teachers to transition into counselling roles.
- School social work: Schools' social workers help students tackle problems that teachers are not qualified to guide them through, like complex family issues, trauma, and mental illness. Getting a degree in social work requires field experience.
- Library science: School librarians help educators and students navigate everything from the internet to traditional textbooks—they are there to guide students along a pathway to information. People interested in this career can obtain a Master's in Library Science (MLIS).
Conclusion
So, what are the reasons to choose teaching as your profession? Well, there are many! First and foremost, you can make a real difference in the lives of children. You can help foster their love of learning and set them up for future success. Additionally, teaching is a very rewarding career; you get to see the tangible results of your hard work every day in the smiles of your students.
And finally, teaching offers great job security and stability- it's always in high demand! If these reasons resonate with you, we encourage you to explore teaching further as a potential career path. Are there any other reasons why you would choose teaching over other professions?