Many people reach a great level of competence in their field but yearn for something more, and passing your knowledge on through teaching, is often the answer for a lot of professionals. It may also be that the job you have is not rewarding enough for you, and you wish to do something more meaningful. Thankfully, there are many ways to move across into teaching, and here is some guidance for what steps to take.
Find out what suits you
Firstly, you will need to decide if teaching is truly what you want to do. Have you got any previous experience in teaching or presenting to make you feel that you would enjoy it? It can be a wise idea to spend some time attending some events and speaking to other teachers to find out what it is like on a day-to-day basis.
Once you have decided that you do want to go for it, and have a career in teaching, you will need to decide which type of teaching you want to do. There are so many different ages and types of teaching that you can enter. Do you want to tutor young children, older children, adults, people with learning disabilities, or do you want to do workplace coaching?
Volunteer work
Once you know the type of teaching you think you might want to work in, it is a wise idea to do some volunteering in this teaching space to gain experience and begin learning the skills of working as a group leader or teacher. You should consider volunteering for a local school group or a scout club. This will be a benefit to your personal confidence in overseeing a group of learners and will be useful to show in your later job applications and applications for academic studies in the field. If you want to make an even more interesting experience from volunteering in a school environment, you could sign up for one of the many volunteer abroad opportunities for teaching in developing countries.
Qualifications
Depending on the type of teaching you wish to do, you can apply to do a bachelor’s degree in teaching, or quite often, a master’s degree can be suitable. Many courses are now available online as well, providing extra flexibility around your current work or family life. University of Texas offers a master in nursing education that is online and allows already registered nurses with at least two years of experience to advance into teaching. The course covers essential topics for teaching, such as curriculum development and evaluation, as well as teaching theories and strategies.
Depending on where you plan to teach and what type of teaching, you may also need to apply for a teaching license once qualified, this can vary from place to place, but the local education commission office can advise you of what they require.
Overall, teaching can be a rewarding and enjoyable career choice within any educational setting, but it does require commitment and some arduous work to get into. In a society that continues to demand more teachers, though, you could be just what is needed.
