What should I expect if I plan on pursuing a career in teaching?

Question

I plan on working as a middle school teacher. I am looking for information on what kind of salary I should expect, what kind of degrees/schooling I will need, and any other info you think I would need to know.

Answer 1

Much depends on the place you plan to teach, but here is roughly what you can expect:

Schooling: You will definitely need a bachelor's degree.  If you plan on teaching secondary education (middle or high school), your degree should be in the subject area you plan to teach (English, history, science, etc).  You need to make sure your college has a teacher certification program, because you need to take certain courses (and in most states, complete a student teaching internship) in order to become certified.  There are also accelerated programs you can apply for after college to get you certified, but that's 1-2 years on top of getting a bachelor's, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Salary: This varies greatly from state to state.  In places where a lot of tax money is spent on education (New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, California, etc), teacher often start at 40-45k a year.  In places where education isn't a huge priority (like Florida), you can expect to start between 33-38k a year.

Workload: As a first-year teacher, you can expect to be constantly swamped with work.  Between planning, grading, researching, and developing assignments, expect to have no social life for a year.  The first year is primarily about survival, and you will need to take steps to ensure you don't become overwhelmed.

Your workload will vary depending upon a number of factors.  Teaching at a school where the kids are unruly and discipline problems are common (like an inner city school) is a lot more work than teaching at a school where the students are well behaved.  English teachers typically spend a lot more time grading papers than do math teachers (or so I've been told).  If you teach more than one grade level (or more than one ability level), that's more work than just teaching one.  And if your school requires you to sponsor a club, that's even more work.  These are all things to think about.

Final Thoughts:  Teaching is a hard profession.  Many people who do not teach think it is easy, and many people who study to become teachers do so because they believe it will be an easy, fun, rewarding career.  While it can be all of these things, it is also extremely challenging.  Of all the jobs I've had over the years, not one has even come close to being as demanding of my time and energy.  Please take the time to think it over carefully.  If you don't love kids, aren't highly organized, aren't creative, hate getting up early, and/or want a job where you don't have to take work home every night, then teaching may not be for you.  If you think you can handle all that without burning out, then the rewards are often well worth it.

Answer 2

It can be a very tough career but if you love kids and you truly want to make a positive influence in their lives then it is worth it.

Answer 3

I am a teacher and what you can expect as far as salary and schooling needed varies greatly from state to state.  Each states' department of education has different standards to become a teacher in that state.  It will even vary from university to university depending on where you go.  I can tell you though being a teacher is not an easy job by any means.  There will be days that you are thinking to yourself that you are crazy for doing this for a living.  Then again it is those days when you can clearly see that you made a difference in a student's life that makes it all worth it.  I believe teachers make the most impact on a student and can leave an everlasting impression on them.  So although there are a lot of tough and difficult days, it is all worth it at the end of everyday.