<p>I'm a first year. After much anxiety and stress, I think I've come up with a good "future plan". At first, I wanted to be a journalist, but after reviewing journalism prospects, I figured that just doing journalism on the side would be better than majoring in journalism. I thought about law school, but law school is a huge committment and 80 hour work weeks are unappealing. So right now, I've been thinking about becoming a [high-school] teacher. I love the life style, the starting salary of a teacher w/a masters is roughly $50,000 in the state that I plan to teach. But... </p>
<p>I don't know exactly what to teach. Right now, I am planning on studying Chinese and become a Chinese teacher. OR studying English with a minor in Chinese and go on to get a Master's in Education (or arts) so I can raise my salary. I would love to be able to teach both subjects, but it would take at least five years of undergrad and non-stop schooling (or an average of 20 credit hours/term) to be able to take all the classes need to go on to my school's grad program. Then I would have another two years in the master's program. So that's a total of 7 years of schooling.</p>
<p>English teachers and Chinese language teachers are not in high demand. I would have a hard time getting a job in my area, but I plan to relocate in Maryland. They say there is a shortage of teachers in Maryland, but it is mostly math/science and special education teachers. </p>
<p>My mom doesn't like the idea of me becoming a high school teacher. She wants me to be a college professor, do an international studies major, and get a PhD. I keep telling her that the chances of getting a cushy job as a college professor would be extremely impossible, and I don't want to go get a PhD. She thinks that my plans of teaching high school kids is ****ty idea, and I think she thinks my list of plans is stupid.</p>
<p>Are they? Is becoming an English teacher or Chinese teacher a bad idea? How hard is it to get a job into high school level teaching with a master's in education? Should I be an English teacher or a Chinese teacher? Is the demand for teachers high, or is the field flooded...especially with English degrees? </p>
<p>Thanks and sorry for the long post! I'm just flustered!</p>
<p>I’m a teacher. You should become a teacher because you WANT to teach…not because you like the lifestyle or salary. Believe me, you’ll earn every nickel of that starting teachers’ pay in your state. </p>
<p>Foreign language teachers are in demand in my state, but not very many schools offer Chinese. If you had certification in other languages that might help you gain a job. </p>
<p>There are not very many English teaching openings. But there are some and you could be one who gets a job.</p>
<p>I will tell you…if you choose education, be prepared to look in many places for your first job and be prepared to relocate where you get a job, if you are fortunate enough to do so.</p>
<p>BUT please…enter teaching because you want to TEACH.</p>
<p>And you should go to school for what you want, not what your mom wants you to be. </p>
<p>I would love to work a teacher’s schedule, but I am in no way suited to be a teacher. It really is a vocation, and kids deserve to be taught by people who are passionate about teaching.</p>
<p>HS Teacher is the way to go. Colleges aren’t hiring teachers to become professors. They are hiring teachers to do per diem teaching, a course or two at a time. Unless you were the best and brightest in the highest rank school, the career path toward “college professor” is a lonely road.</p>
<p>My nephew is heading the college professor route. So far, he is 28. He will be completing his masters in Asian studies this year. There are no job prospects. He will be going for his doctorate to increase his chances of getting a job, but considering that there are less than 50 professors in his field nationally, and there is no increasing demand, we are all encouraging him to get his teaching degree so he can teach HS, but he wants to stick with it.</p>
<p>Teaching, I’ll admit, was not my first choice. But it is something that I could see myself enjoying. I would love to be able to teach kids how to write. I would also love to work with children who struggle with their classes. Maybe tutor. </p>
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<p>Yeah, I’ve also got Spanish that I’ve been thinking about. But Spanish teachers seem to be a dime a dozen…along with English teachers.</p>
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<p>Oh yeah. I’m in the midwest, and I’m prepared to move down to Maryland, where there is supposedly a shortage in teachers and starting salaries for those with a master’s is nearly $50,000.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, I want a job that gives the lifestyle that I want and a stable salary that I need. Summers off, being able to use that time to travel…teaching is a good gig. Better than most. And yeah, I would love to help kids. I was the worst of the worst, and I would love to be a support system for kid like that.</p>
<p>To be a teacher, you have to be patient with kids. Being the sister of an autistic child has certainly taught me how to be patient with others. I’m passionate about reading and writing, and I love learning languages (Spanish and Chinese).</p>
<p>A truly dedicated teacher does not have a “teacher’s schedule.” During the school year plan to be paid for ~7 1/2 hours a day even though you work 10-12 hours a day. Plan to put in many weekends of grading and lesson planning. Plan to switch class plans at the blink of the administration’s eye based on whatever new bandwagon your school district follows. Plan to not always get the classes you want to teach and plan to have 3 or four different classes a day, each requiring their own individualized lesson plans. Plan to have to do a lot of ridiculous paper work. Plan to spend a lot of your summer time either teaching summer school or at a local community college for extra money or planning future class lessons. Plan to sponsor at least one school club or coach a sport for very little extra pay, if any. Plan to have some audience members (your students) to hate being in class, while others will be engaged and wanting as much knowledge as you can share.</p>
<p>Basically, teaching is not a piece of cake as some might think it is. You have to really want to do it to be successful and when you are successful you will know because you will see it in your students and it will be one of the most gratifying feelings you will ever have. If you don’t want to teach it will be a chore. I have know many professionals leave the “rat race” to teach because of the hours and lifestyle and they usually are gone after one year. Many have told me that the “rat race” is a lot easier.</p>
<p>I agree, but my mom seems to think that because I’m an educated black female that somehow means that I’m automatically going to get a job as a college professor. Yeah. Right. I would rather go into a profession knowing that there is a GREAT chance of getting a job w/a decent salary versus pining away years of my life to <em>hopefully</em> get tenure.</p>
<p>She looks down on my plans of being a high school teacher, when I think that a master’s degree and a potential $50,000 starting salary is nothing to sneeze at. And then getting a job as a principal (if possible) could get me $100,000, so it isn’t like I’m limited salary wise. And being able to use my summers for something else like traveling or freelance writing, spending time with future children…would be a life long dream.</p>
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<p>At 28, he is still young. But still. Asian studies are not in high demand. Career wise, he would be better off getting that teaching degree and use his summers to travel in Asia, maybe teach a few Asian history courses at a local community college. I wish him the best of luck though.</p>
<p>Believe me when I say that I can deal with [most] that. I’d enjoy grading papers, teaching different classes (who wants to teach the same class over and over again?) and act on as the advisor of a club (hopefully a spanish club or school’s newspaper). That sounds fun. Now as for summers…I plan to use that time for traveling. Expanding my horizons and keeping my Chinese and Spanish speaking skills fresh. I plan to live with my bf…he’ll keep the dough in during the summers.</p>
<p>And trust me when I say that I can put up with rotten students (and their parents). That would be fun, imo.</p>
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<p>And I get that it isn’t easy. My parents were both teachers. They enjoyed it. And I could see myself enjoying it as well. :)</p>
I agree with this. It’s good to listen to your mom’s advice but ultimately you should decide on what interests you the most but given that, keeping practicalities such as salary, working hours, travel requirements, etc. in mind, as you are, makes sense.</p>
<p>If you haven’t done so, visit your career center to get an idea of what kinds of jobs are out there, what campus recruiters are looking for, etc. When most HS/College people think of ‘jobs’ they understandably, due to their exposure, think of the more well-known ones like doctor, lawyer, teacher, maybe engineer. But there are hundreds of categories of jobs to consider - finance, management in various business types, project managers, human resources, sales, marketing, administrators, government service (in a large number of areas), nursing, accounting, various scientific research areas, product management, and on and on. </p>
<p>Maybe take a few more courses in different areas you think you might have some interest in and see what sparks. You still have some time for exploration before deciding for certain on your major.</p>
<p>Regarding the Chinese language teacher idea - I’m sure there are some schools that have them but I think it’s a pretty limited field.</p>
<p>Just want to throw this out there…Making 50,000/yr is not going to give you too much money to travel. That’s the down side of being a teacher, you may have most of summer off, but you are not going to have that much disposal income to travel. Most teachers I know pick up another job in the summer to supplement their income. I have a friend who is a kindergarten teacher. She LOVES her job,but I think sometimes she has longer hours than I do. Whenever I call her in the evenings she’s either preparing for next day’s lesson or grading some work.</p>
<p>Personally, I applaud you for looking at lifestyle factors when considering a career. It’s your life, after all, not a trophy to put on your wall. If you think you would enjoy high school teaching and you think you have the talent for it, why not? The only thing I might suggest is that you look into math and science as possible majors, if you have any aptitude or affinity for the subjects, as they will probably continue to be in more demand than the humanities or languages.</p>
<p>There are an awful lot of PhD’s who wind up teaching at private high schools because they can’t find college teaching jobs.
Why do you need a Master’s Degree to teach high school? In my state, an extra year after a four year degree will get you a credential to teach. At that point you can start working. If you find that you love it, you could work to get your Master’s degree on a part-time basis. My experience is that jobs are easier to get without the Masters because the school district doesn’t have to pay you as much right off the bat. You may make a little less at first, but your salary will improve each year, and jump again once you have the extra degree.</p>
<p>OP, it sounds like you are talking yourself into teaching for the money. Every time you post about teaching you mention money. That is NLT wanting to be a teacher and having a calling (which is what it takes).</p>
<p>I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Had been a camp counselor and waterfront instructor every summer. The summers off appealed to me, too. I majored in a subject that I thought I wanted to teach, and I took all of the required courses for teacher certification, short of student teaching. Then, in one of the courses in the semester before student teaching, we were required to spend a certain number of hours observing teachers. I realized I would not be able to stand up in front of a classroom, day after day, year after year, teaching the same subject.</p>
<p>I continue to be told what a great teacher I would have been, I enjoy mentoring younger employees and having teachable moments. I have given extremely well received 1 time seminars in my professional field. But, I still don’t think I could be an everyday history or english teacher.</p>
<p>I suggest you take a few education classes, and be sure to spend multiple days shadowing teachers of Chinese or English or whatever you want to teach. Make sure you can see yourself doing it for a number of years.</p>
<p>Many teachers spend their summers TAKING classes towards their masters degrees or higher. Or going to professional development workshops. In our state, a masters degree is required within seven years of getting your first certification. Your choice is to take evening classes, weekend classes, or summer classes. Many of my friends chose the summer route.</p>
<p>I agree with Oldfort…the only “trips” I took the first 15 years I was in education were “car trips”…drives to visit family members. I couldn’t afford airfare and I couldn’t afford hotels. I didn’t even HAVE a passport…it wouldn’t have mattered anyway…I wouldn’t have been able to afford a trip abroad anyway.</p>
<p>I’ve been in this field a long time…and I still spend some of my summer working, and some of it going to professional development. I’ll travel when I retire.</p>
<p>If you are thinking about teaching I highly recommend you try it out. For several I taught an afterschool class in watercolors to 12 kids for several years. With a couple of exceptions the kids were there because they wanted to be there and were generally pretty easy to work with. Nevertheless I was exhausted at the end of my hour. I gained a whole new respect for teachers! I can’t imagine having two or three times as many kids every single day for six hours at a time.</p>
<p>So become a teacher, you are not locked in for life to teaching. Some of the best real estate salespeople I know were former teachers and that’s just one example. Once you learn how to teach you have a skill valuable to many companies and many career paths will be open to you as you go through life. Many teachers leave teaching after a time.</p>
<p>Since your parents are teachers, you probably have a pretty good idea of what the work load and “lifestyle” actually entails. It’s hard work, but also rewarding work.<br>
It might be good to know why your mom is not happy with the idea for you, though. Does she think you can “do better,” or does she doubt that you’d like it? It’s always good to consider your parents advice, but evaluate what they say and make the choice that is best for you. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>It’s great that you have Spanish skills! There may not be a demand for “Spanish” teachers per se (as in teaching high school Spanish language classes), but there is ALWAYS a demand for General Ed Bilingual teachers in elementary school, and your job prospects look good there if you are truly bilingual. Just make sure you get the appropriate certifications to be a bilingual teacher.<br>
And Proud Mom - you are telling it true! I teach very low-income, needy and often behaviorally challenged kindergarteners. By the time I have attended committee meetings, ARD, Impact, LST meetings, and collected paperwork and documentation for all that, met with parents, graded papers (in Kindergarten- definitely yes, and no naps, and only one 20-minute recess per day…), staff development training, tutored afterschool and sometimes Saturday school (officially optional, but serious pressure to do so…), planned for the week, put together homework packets, prepared wall displays, gathered materials… it’s easily 10-12 hour days, plus some work on Saturday, and at least 10 “back-to-school night” events and PTA events per year. And summer holiday is officially about 10 weeks, but you have to come back to work several weeks earlier to set up your room and get organized… (only 3 paid planning and preparation days…), and then there are several mandatory trainings that are about a week-long. I’m not complaining - just stating it like it is, if you do a good job as a teacher. There are some lazy teachers out there that don’t do what they should, but a good teacher really has to put in the hours…</p>