Career in Teaching

Introduction

A teacher’s responsibility towards a child is probably more than that of the parents. This is primarily because the child just doesn’t receive education from the school where he or she studies, but also learns the value systems from the same people.For taking up teaching as a career, you require a passion for exchanging ideas, whether it is teaching at a school or in a college. While as a school teacher you are to educate delicate minds, in a college environment, the exchanges are at an intellectual level with students who are your friends.In India, the available opportunities for teachers are in a variety of subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, etc. The demand for good teachers is definitely high considering that today’s children are exposed to the internet and the information overflow. Moreover, virtual classroom teaching has been introduced by some schools, which increases the overall opportunities for teachers.By pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education after or along with your graduation, you would be able to secure a position as a teacher in a good school. Usually, jobs as teachers in government schools are considered prestigious. However, if you are interested in new methodologies of teaching, you may try for a job in private schools as well.To start a career as a lecturer in colleges, you may however need to take entrance examinations along with completing your Master’s degree and Ph.D.

Step-by-step

The course content of a B.Ed course aims at equipping teachers with the right theoretical, practical, and analytical skills. A typical B.Ed course would include the following topics, overall:

1. Education Theories

2. Psychology of learning and development

3. Principles and Best Practices of School Management

4. Information Communication Technology and Instructional Systems

5. Electives and evaluating education

6. Subject education

7. Practical examinations

8. Team discussions

9. Live Presentations

10. Interaction with students

Thus, through training teachers on the above-mentioned skills, colleges equip teachers with the skill and knowledge to handle learners. Several colleges also provide placements to students. as well.Some of the best B.Ed colleges in India include JSS Institute of Education, Bangalore, College of Teacher Education, Agartala; Indira Gandhi B Ed College, Karnataka; A G Teachers College, Ahmedabad; and National Council of Teacher Education, New Delhi. Besides, there are universities such as IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) which have a standard curriculum.To get admission into these colleges, you will have to successfully appear for entrance exams and interviews.

Start early

As a student, if you are aiming at a career in teaching, you must be aware of the colleges that offer Bachelor’s in Education courses in the country. Besides this, you must be willing to learn and upgrade your knowledge along with teaching students as well. You may follow these steps and start preparing for a teaching career, after school or during college:

1. Collect information about colleges that offer B.Ed courses. For instance, start from the university in your respective city. If you are in Delhi, look for information on University of Delhi website. Similarly search for information on other universities. Come up with four to five choices.

2. Check which are the colleges that ask you to take an entrance exam. Take down the topics that you would be tested on so that you can prepare for the same. If not, check the minimum score in twelfth standard that you must have scored.

3. Be updated with information on schools or colleges you may apply to, after completing the course. This is so that you are ready to take the plunge once you are out of college.

Is it the right career for me?

Teaching should be chosen as a career by individuals who love sharing information and knowledge with others. At the same time, there are benefits of this career as working hours are usually not too long.. In a day, a teacher takes about 8 to 9 teaching sessions and can be back home for personal chores. This is the reason women usually prefer this career. However, these days, even dedicated men join as teachers. Besides the conventional subjects, Physical Training & Sports, Yoga and Art and Craft teaching are some preferred areas of teachers.

What would it cost me?

The fee structure for a B.Ed course could be anywhere between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 30,000. Several universities also offer the course at much lower fee.

Funding/Scholarship

Usually, you may not be required to take a loan for studying B.Ed. However, there are education loans of up to Rs. 7.5 lacs per year from banks such as State Bank of India.

Job prospect

The job prospects for teachers are quite good. Work timings are comfortable and a teacher usually takes classes between 8 AM and  3 PM. For colleges, the lecturers can choose their class timings, which again ends maximum by 4 to 5 PM in popular universities.The opportunities in significant universities and schools may be low, however there are several private schools and colleges where an individual may join after completing the education degree.

Pay packet

The pay packet is the best in government-owned schools and colleges. For instance, a teacher in central school teaching primary classes gets a starting pay package of Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 depending on the class that he or she teaches. The government schools offer perquisites such as quarters and commutation and medical allowances. On the other hand, private schools usually offer a higher package of Rs. 15,000+ depending on the class, education, and experience of the teacher. But this may not include other perquisites.For teaching in colleges, you will earn about 40,000 and above depending on your education and experience. However, the selection method for a lecturer or professor position is stringent and you may need to clear several entrance exams

Demand and supply

Teachers play a significantly important role in any society as they build the foundation of the country’s future. The recent Right to Education act introduced in India has thrown many opportunities for education of rural children.. Already, India has always been in dearth of teachers in all subjects. Now, one may expect that the demand will only increase. The supply has been less usually due to lesser salaries. However, the government has taken initiatives to improve the situation.

Market watch

The market is always in need of competent teachers. With the emergence of public and private schools everywhere and the rise of private institutes and universities the need for professors and lecturers is on an all time high.Consider for instance universities such as Amity university, Birla group of institutions, IMT Ghaziabad, and various other private MBA colleges across the country that require competent professionals in the teaching field.Schools are now introducing virtual learning classrooms and computers are already taught as an important subject from class V and above in most schools. In such a situation, even IT professionals can look forward to take up teaching as a career.Besides, institutes such as NIIT, Aptech, CSC, CMC et al have opened up opportunities for trainers in programming field as well. Several post graduate students work part-time in these institutes to make extra money!

  

International focus

Teaching is not just verbal and face-to-face. It has developed into E-learning modules and online web teaching strategies as well. In this context, the opportunities have increased manifold. For instance, if somebody is a retired teacher with 20-25 years of experience, they could look for online jobs and start providing tuitions online. In India, it is quite possible that rural children would be trained this way on different subjects.

 In other countries such as the UK and the US, the system is entirely different. However, teaching opportunities are plenty and the profession is one of the most respected ones.

Positives/Negatives

+ives:

• Teaching offers an individual the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge Teaching is an enjoyable experience especially if the classroom is a bubbly lot with proactive students and learners. There are less chances of getting bored in the profession.

• Teaching is considered a very respected profession in all countries. The time schedules are convenient for an individual.

-ives:

• Teaching is considered a low paying job when compared with other corporate jobs.

• Pay packages of teachers are very low in a few schools and colleges and very high in several others. As a result, the standard of education gets badly affected.

• Syllabus rather than subject of interest in India binds teachers. As a result, the practical methodologies of teaching difficult subjects such as Maths are ignored. When these subjects are taught theoretically, the students may not grasp the subject very easily.

Different roles, different names

Teachers are called Learning and Development professionals, coaches, or mentors within organization. Counselors who have completed their psychology courses also teach a lot of important things to others about life and personal management skills. Thus, while the same person is called by different names, the role played is more or less the same. The responsibility is to educate others and enhance their development, technically and personally.

Top Companies

List of Some Top Schools and Colleges Hiring Academicians in India

•  Central Schools, also known as Kendriya Vidyalaya with CBSE syllabus

• State Government/Municipality Schools

• Public and Private schools in your area under various state boards such as ICSE et al.

• Universities approved by UGC (University Grants Commission)

• Technical Universities approved by AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education)

Tips for getting hired

When you appear for an interview for the job of a teacher, be prepared on the following counts:

1. Prepare some points on why you like teaching and what is the significance of this profession in today’s India. State the points in the form of your interest for the subject, profession, and teacher and student life in general.

2. As teaching is considered a noble profession, do not lay stress on getting more money, especially if you are applying for a government school or college.

3. Research about the institution that you are applying to, well before the interview.

4. If the school or university is a private one, you can emphasise that you have wide exposure to people management skills and you keep upgrading your skills with the help of magazines and internet. This is because private institutions desire more global exposure as compared to government institutions.

5. List some learning theories of interest and state them as examples during the interview.

6. You may carry information about any awards or certificates that you had won as a student or during your previous employment.