In the US, the teachers’ unemployment rate is 2.6% which is lower than the national average. If you’re considering a career in teaching you might be wondering if a career in teaching is going to be rewarding or if it’s going to be a worthwhile pursuit.
A teaching career provides the opportunity to do impactful and meaningful work in the life of students. Teachers have stable jobs and job security and have a variety of teaching opportunities to earn extra income. The continuous learning and fulfillment derived from the impact of teachers make teaching a rewarding career.
Teaching is a challenging career, but it is also very rewarding and here are the reasons why
1. Teaching is Impactful and Fulfilling works
There is so much more to being a teacher than coming into class and teaching a subject.
Teachers have the opportunity to make an impact on their society by shaping the next generation by encouraging them by providing them the tools and knowledge they need to take initiative and form their own opinions and influence society later in life.
Teachers are role models for the people under their care; they are pillars of society and act as support for those learning from them.
A good teacher inspires children to dream big, and become moral, responsible, and productive members of society.
A big part of being a teacher is equipping students with the skills and knowledge they will need to grow and achieve their dreams and goals.
By bringing out the potential of their students, teachers help to open so many opportunities to better the lives of their students.
Good teachers do not only teach theoretical knowledge but also help students develop their self-esteem, moral compass, and character.
They inspire students to step outside of their comfort zone and actually do their best.
Most times teachers act as role models for the people under their care. This is because teachers spend so much time with students and knowingly or not influence their thoughts and behaviors.
As a teacher, more often than not students will come to you looking for guidance on anything from their personal lives to academics.
Good teachers feel honored when their students trust them enough to open up and share their worries.
A teacher’s response in a scenario like this can really make or break a child’s sense of confidence.
Honestly, the importance and influence of teaching on society is not to be underestimated.
Just think! Great inventors like Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin who revolutionized the world were influenced by their own teachers.
2. Teaching is a Stable Profession
A career in teaching offers stability and a sense of fulfillment, because of a growing teacher shortage, a lot of schools now offer alternative certification programs for “second career teachers”.
There are so many opportunities open to teachers be it drama teachers, sports coach,es or even art directors, the possibilities are endless.
Historically, teaching has always been a stable job whose job prospects have not slowed down.
In fact, some people call teaching a recession-proof job! And why wouldn’t they?
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of people to be laid off from their jobs and caused one of the greatest recessions in modern times.
However, teaching was one profession that was not impacted. The only thing teachers and other educators had to change was their method of providing lectures.
Lectures were simply shifted to online platforms and all was well.
The fact that even during a worldwide massive pandemic, education was not stopped just goes to show how irreplaceable teaching as a profession is.
Teaching is one of the most secure professions in the world today because teachers will always be needed.
Children need to go to school and a lot of people are always looking for opportunities to learn.
It is a law that children must be educated in a lot of countries in the world. If there were no teachers how would this work?
Why do teachers have high job security?
Well, firstly in today’s world a lot of emphases is placed on the power of good education. This is because education is one thing that equalizes all of us regardless of our financial, cultural, or ethnic backgrounds.
More and more people than ever before pursuing higher education in order to have an edge in the real world.
With the increase of more people pursuing education comes an increase in the demand for teachers.
Another reason is that teaching is such a diverse field. There are so many positions that require certain skills and knowledge to fill.
Schools are constantly expanding their curriculum to keep up with modern trends. An example of this is the increased number of schools that now offer degrees for courses like gender studies, compared to about 20 years ago.
This leaves a lot of roles for teachers to fill. It’s very easy to feel a sense of job security when you know that there is always an opportunity for you.
3. A wide Variety of Teaching Opportunities
Growing Research and Education topics
Gone are the days when you could only get a job teaching “traditional degrees” like biology, math, chemistry, law, or even history.
In today’s world, schools keep expanding their curriculum to accommodate modern trends in society.
Let’s look at an example;
Twenty years ago, going to school to get a degree in a field like gender studies would have been strange and unheard of.
But because of an increased societal discourse and movement surrounding topics like gender, dysmorphia, stigmatization, oppression, and inequality, new fields of interest and research have begun to spring up and soon enough you could go to school to properly learn about these things.
Trends like this bring about more and more opportunities for teachers because of course educators are needed to fill these positions.
In summary, the more courses and fields of learning are broadened, the more opportunities there will be for teachers.
Demand from traditional institutions
But even apart from opportunities borne out of social trends, there has actually always been a wide variety of opportunities for teachers.
Just think about it, teachers exist in every field of learning on earth. You can pursue a teaching career based on your interests alone.
Are you interested in film and the theatrical arts, engineering, or even language and literature? No problem at all, there are so many ways you can incorporate these passions into a teaching career.
If you’re into the more practical aspects of art for example you can become a drama teacher or an art instructor!
But if you’re into the more theoretical arts you can choose to teach subjects like literature and modern art.
The opportunities are actually almost endless, and as someone who is leaving a previous career to pursue one in teaching, you will have the added advantage of being able to incorporate that into a teaching career.
About 95% of newly qualified teachers are employed within six months of completing their training programs.
Private tutoring opportunities.
According to GlobeNewswire, the US private tutoring market will reach $201. 8 Billion by 2026 .
Private tutoring is one of the most widely adopted learning methods with the aim of enhancing a student`s overall academic performance.
Parents are willing to pay a good teacher top dollar to help improve the performance of their children.
This demand has created lucrative opportunities for teachers to earn additional income to their regular job.
4. The Reward of Teaching
Education
Teachers that are passionate about their profession find joy in a lot of things. One of the rewards of teaching is that as a teacher you have the opportunity to learn so many new things yourself.
Just because you’re an educator doesn’t mean you are expected to know every possible thing about the course you’re teaching.
However, activities like creating lesson plans and planning syllabuses help teachers constantly build on the knowledge they already have.
If you’re someone that loves learning new things this would be perfect for you.
Compared to some other professions where the order of doing things is always the same and there is no room to stray away from routine, teachers are constantly using their imagination and creativity.
Think about it, teachers deal with different kinds of students and have to always adjust their methods of teaching to one that benefits the entire group.
Whether it’s turning lessons into songs to make them more memorable and fun or it’s decorating the classroom and supplies, teachers deal with so much variety and hardly ever have a boring day.
Fulfillment
Another major reward a lot of teachers agree on is the wholesomeness they get when they help their students excel in different areas of life.
I talked to a few teachers on Reddit and asked them what some of their most rewarding moments were during their career and this was what they had to say;
“I once had a student who was dealing with domestic abuse at home, she confided in me and I helped her sort out the legal process of it all. After graduating high school I received a note from her informing me that she was practicing to become a family law attorney and thanking me for my help. She credited her position to me and in that moment I truly felt like I had made such a difference in the world when I thought of how far she had gone and how many people she was sure to help with her new profession.”
Puzzler456 / Secondary School teacher
“A while ago, one of my students who I had taught almost eight years ago messaged me out of nowhere. She said that her college had asked them to write about an influential person and she wrote about me. She sent me a copy of it, and I have to admit that I cried the entire time. She was someone I hadn’t talked to in so many years, so it was amazing that out of everyone in her life she chose me. It reminded me of the impact on my students that I have as a teacher. I kept the copy in a special folder where I keep other great things I love about being a teacher”
TeacherofGold / Secondary School Teacher
“One year there was a boy that stood out from the rest of my class, and this was because he hated reading and did not want to learn. He was very stubborn about it but I worked with him throughout the year and tried to help him see the importance of getting an education. On Christmas, his mum sent me a picture of him reading a book under their Christmas tree and thanked me for all the effort I had put into making it possible. I cried”
Marmalade
Pay Stability
A career in teaching is as stable as it gets thus the teaching pay is very reliable. Although you will not become a millionaire from being a teacher, the average pay for teachers in New York is $85,889 which is the highest in the United States according to business.org.
The fact is that in the northeast parts of the country, most teachers are mostly satisfied with their salaries. However, in the midwest and south, only 30% are satisfied with their salary.
5. Contribution to Society
Teachers are arguably the most important members of society. By changing the lives of children for the better, teachers contribute so much to their communities and the entire society.
Teaching is a highly respected and fulfilling job; a lot of teachers feel pride when it comes to their accomplishments and what they do for a living.
As a teacher, you’re going to have a huge impact on the people learning from you. You’ll be responsible for shaping the “leaders of tomorrow”.
Final words
There are many reasons to change career to teaching. The benefits of teaching are abundant and varied. Teaching is a stable profession with a lot of demand in the job market.
Not only is teaching a stable profession, but it is also a rewarding one.
Teachers have such an important role to play in society and continue to greatly and positively impact their communities and even the world through the services they offer.
Teaching provides many opportunities for personal growth and is very receptive to people who may want to switch careers.
If you are considering a career change and the reasons in this article appeal to you, teaching may be the right choice for you.
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