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Teaching is one of those well-respected and inspiring jobs that thousands of school leavers and university graduates get drawn towards. It’s a career that keeps on giving, with a conveyor belt of new minds to stimulate throughout your time teaching. But how exactly can you get into teaching – and what should you do now if you’re aspiring to teach in the future?
Below are three top tips to get you in shape to apply for teaching roles, whether that’ll be schooling middle school pupils or lecturing college students in your chosen discipline.
Get Qualified
Naturally, the most essential step for aspiring teachers is to achieve the correct qualification for the role you’re looking to apply for in the future. These vary from job to job, and from school to school, though there are some types of qualification that are considered relatively universal. Check with your careers advisor as early as possible so that you choose the right educational path towards your chosen teaching role.
If you’ve already studied your chosen subject in-depth with an undergraduate degree, then you’ll be able to take a masters degree in teaching, such as the University of Redlands teaching credential course, which you’re able to take online. Within the year, you’ll be fully ready to launch into a teaching role as the start of a beautiful career in schools.
Reflect on Your Schooling
For many people who enter teaching, the memories of their own schooling play a part in the ways in which they interact with students. As an aspiring teacher, you shouldn’t just be thinking about getting qualified. You should also be beginning to decide what style of teacher you’re going to be. Remember that the best teachers inspire children to be curious and to explore ideas and concepts.
The sooner after school you do this reflection, the more important the insights from your own education will be in your career. You’ll recall how certain teachers bored you, and how others excited you. You’ll remember how some teachers earned your respect, while others lost it. And you’ll recall your favorite and least favorite lessons – and how you might be able to replicate all the best qualities of your teachers in your own career.
Talk to Teachers
As with all career aspirations, it’s never a bad idea to level your expectations with advice and information from those already in the profession you’re angling towards. It’s the same with teaching, and you may find that the information you’re able to glean from existing teachers helps you narrow down your options when you come to apply for jobs.
Even as you’re training or actively applying to jobs, you’ll find that some of the best guidance will be delivered by teachers who’ve been in the game for decades and know exactly how to command a class of unruly teenagers, or how to balance marking obligations with their private, leisure lives. Always treat these individuals as fountains of useful knowledge; they’ll help you become the best teacher you can be.
There you have it: the three absolutely fundamental tips that’ll help you in your teaching career. Bear them in mind as you work towards your ultimate goal, and work on your teaching capabilities long into the future.
