<p>I am currently majoring in history and english and I would like to teach these subjects (or at least one of them) at the high school level. Unfortunately, with the economy in a recession, jobs in every field with the exception of healthcare seem to be cutting back. I often hear that science and math teachers are in demand but I do not hear anything about history and english teachers. Are their jobs being cut back or are they relatively stable? If I graduated with a masters in education and got certified to teach either english or history would I be able to find a job? Also, I would like to clarify my understanding in becoming certified. What is the difference between a masters in education and teaching certification?</p>
<p>I think you can become a teacher by getting a bachelors degree in education with concentration in your subject area + certification (takes 4 years). Or, some programs will give you a bachelors degree in your subject area + a masters of arts in eductation with certification (takes 5 years). </p>
<p>Certification is a license you get issued by the state. MAT is a degree issued by the college.</p>
<p>I’d say that Science and Math are generally in more demand than English, History, and Physical Education. Getting certified (and hired) really depends on the area where you want to work - I’d check into requirements in your location of choice.</p>
<p>Hiring and layoffs mostly depend on the financial situation of the particular district - and even the specific school. Teaching is pretty steady as far as employment goes, but it is reasonable to expect cutbacks in every sector (even Healthcare) during tough economic times.</p>
<p>Here in NYC, they are not hiring English and history teachers so, no, they are not in demand.</p>
<p>^In NYC, they aren’t hiring 90+% of the subjects with the “hiring restrictions” in place.</p>
<p>nepatsfan - There will always be a need to replace teachers each year. People retire, move or just decide that teaching is not for them. The problem lies in the replacement pool. There are so many people who major in history or English, so those jobs are so much more competitive than the math and science jobs. For example, my d2 just graduated from college with her M.Ed in special ed. Her BA is in elementary ed. She interviewed for an elementary ed spot and found out that over 500 people had submitted resumes for this one position. She considered herself lucky to get an interview. She did not get that job, but she had several interviews for special ed. spots and will be working as a special ed teacher this year. If you really want to teach history or English, I highly recommend that you get your special ed certification as well. You will be more marketable and you will probably have an easier time getting a job. You can still teach social studies or English, just on the special ed. level.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to go the Special Education route. They’re ALWAYS in demand, especially with so many students being classified lately. Plus, with that concentration in your back pocket, you can always do consulting at practices (such as Speech Pathologist/Occupational Therapist practices, or early intervention)</p>
<p>I have noticed that some school districts are subdividing learning support services into reading and math services. Must be a great need.</p>
<p>I am a special education teacher and special ed by far is the most in demand. If you teach high school or middle school you can work as an inclusion teacher and probably work in the english and history classroom. I have worked in math and english and other subjects as well throughout the years. The nice thing is if you get tired of middle school you can switch to high school or elementary. Special education is usually K-12. You will have lots of options.</p>
<p>Do taking extra classes in special education or classroom technology help in the job search, even if the teacher is not specifically teaching special ed or tech?</p>
<p>Right now no teachers are in demand due to budget cuts and lay offs. There is no shortage of politicians who want to take a stab at defeating the teachers unions by cutting their pay, laying them off, and raising their retirement age.</p>
<p>Sped, Math and Science teachers are usually in-demand. Phys. Ed teachers – not so much. We have 4 Phys. ed teachers and they will probably stay in their position until they retire!</p>
<p>You might try building on your English major with a TESOL certificate or a minor in technical Writing.</p>
<p>Technology education is in great demand. Despite the economy and the governor of NJ hating on education, I still had 3 solid job offers. </p>
<p>You should also go with something that you actually enjoy and love. It’s corny but when you’re working 8+ hours a day you definitely want to enjoy it. </p>
<p>My last piece of advice- get your bachelor’s in education-> get a job-> get master’s. Trying to find a job with a master’s already will actually be harder b/c hiring you would cost more than just hiring someone with a bachelor’s. Also, most school districts will help pay for your master’s.</p>
<p>RedDinosaur, I have a question regarding your advise to not get masters until after getting first job. My daughter, (high school senior) has been accepted to a five-year program in which she would graduate with a masters and dual certification in both elementary ed and special ed. Since I understand special ed licensure makes one significantly more marketable, do you think she would or would not encounter the issue of the masters degree making it tougher for her to find her first job?</p>
<p>Hello Parent100, in the case of your daughter I think having her master’s in special ed would be extremely helpful. If it’s possible for her to get a certification for special ed k-12 then that would be the best. I know she may not want to teach at secondary levels but it may save her job someday if cuts were ever made. </p>
<p>Hope this helps =)</p>
<p>To the commenter who said science and math teachers are in higher demand than history, English and physical education teachers, I would just like to say that I work in a public high school where eight semesters of English are required for a diploma. The English department is by far our largest department. We hire English teachers every year. We hire a new science teacher every other year or so, and we hire a new math teacher only every several years or so. You’re right about phsycal education. I don’t remember the last time we hired a phys. ed. teacher. Music is pretty rough too.</p>
<p>The two most important factors in getting hired here are how well you know your subject and good a teacher you are. Teaching is a talent. You must be a master communicator. You must also be extremely well organized and extremely even tempered to succeed. Many people become certified to teach, but many fail in their first few years or decide to quit trying, because it’s too hard. If you are a good teacher, regardless of whether you have an M.A. or a B.A., you will be welcomed with open arms.</p>
<p>It’s true that special education teachers are in demand. But keep in mind, teaching special needs students English or history is not remotely the same experience as teaching those subjects in a standard classroom. That’s not to say it’s a lesser experience. It’s just that advising people to go into special education so they will be more hireable might be leading them down the wrong path.</p>
<p>In this economy right now, teachers are not in demand because of the various cutbacks. What state are you from? California is a mess, but some states are better than others even though no state is great.
Math and science(esp. physics and chem) are more in demand than English and History. This is because people who want to pursue a degree in math and science usually end up doing something in those fields that make more money. A lot of English and History majors end up teaching. So yeah, math/science/special ed are the somewhat bright spots in the market, while English and History aren’t so great. Someone said that their department hires more English teachers than math teachers. Yes, that may be true, but I am pretty sure that the amount of people applying for the English job is much higher. Maybe there are 100 people applying for a math job and 500 for an English job.
Don’t go into math/science if you’re not passionate about it and are not strong in the content. Every student deserves a passionate teacher. BUT think about ways to become more marketable. Are you interested in special ed? ELL? If you are, try to pursue these certifications. If you don’t see yourself liking this,don’t pursue these certifications or then you will only be hurting your students.
Try to start networking and volunteering in schools. Make sure you dress professionally for your student teaching, etc. Realize that you may need to sub for a few years before getting a job, and that job may end up being in the inner city. Jobs in “nicer” suburban schools are hard to get.</p>
<p>Becoming certified in a foreign language like Spanish, Chinese, etc might be helpful. We have three English teachers at my high school (we’re very small), and all of them teach at least one foreign language class in addition to their english classes.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind with teaching, especially in a public school, is that once you are in one system it’s not easy to switch to another district. You basically have to start all over again in terms of seniority and pension benefits.</p>
<p>A great benefit of teaching is that teachers still get a pension after a short amount of time. Now those pensions are unfunded so how much they will actually pay-out is another question.</p>