The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the job growth between 2012-2022 for high school teachers is six percent. Teachers who focus on math and science subjects have a higher chance of gaining a job, so with English, understand that it may take a little bit of time before you are able to earn a full time position. [1] X Research source As a teacher your job often doesn’t remain in the classroom. You will likely have papers to grade after school, parent-teacher conferences to attend, and other extracurricular activities. However, with a good mindset you can have a lot of fun doing these things, especially if you make some teacher friends along the way.
Think of it as striving to be like the teacher in “Dead Poets Society” or “Stand and Deliver. " These teachers were able to ignite passion and motivation in their students in the specific subject areas they were teaching.
To teach English for elementary or middle schoolers, people often pursue bachelor’s degrees in education, but because you will be covering different topics as a high school instructor, it’s best to pursue a degree in a specific subject, as you’ll have better foundation in the subject matter. You can then go on to learn about the education side through your teaching certification or through other courses during your bachelor’s program. [3] X Research source Many schools with English degrees give you options for different tracks to pursue like creative writing, rhetoric, and literature. Because you will most likely be focusing on the literature aspect with your students, its helpful to pursue that track in college. Some of the top ranked schools to obtain your bachelor’s degree from are: Stanford University Harvard University of Pennsylvania Duke University University of Notre Dame Georgetown University Vanderbilt University University of Florida
All public schools require certification, but if you are looking to work in a private school there may be different requirements. [5] X Research source
Make sure you review your state’s licensure requirements, because all of the states vary in what they require to become a licensed teacher. Keep in mind too that just because you have a license to teach in Texas doesn’t mean you will be able to teach in New York.
Student teaching is unpaid, but you have the opportunity to practice teaching real classes, with a teacher over you that can help guide you through the process. You will usually student teach in the same setting you hope to teach in later – if you are looking to become a high school English teacher you will likely student teach in a high school English class. Oftentimes you can pick the specific grade level and type of school too, just so you are better able to discern if this is the type of school and grade level you want to teach.
Many teachers will get a master’s degree in education, and may focus on a specific track like curriculum development, depending on their career ambitions for the future. Some teachers will earn a master’s in their specific subject area like English or a degree in educational leadership so that they can eventually go on to become principal or district supervisors. [10] X Research source It’s best to think about your career ambitions before you pursue a master’s so that you know what master’s program would be most beneficial to you. Then, search for the top schools with those programs. Some high schools offer to pay for part of the teacher’s master’s program, so check with your school as well to see what they can offer you.
Hopefully when you student taught you were able to gain an idea of the type of school you wanted to teach in. If you think you lean towards a certain type of school, then try your best to attain a student teaching position in that school so you can have some experience teaching those students before you jump in as a full-time teacher.
Show a passion for teaching. You can demonstrate this in your objective section of the resume, or in your career summary section. Use this section to communicate your teaching philosophy, your belief about education, and your desire to help students. Make sure you are communicating that you are teaching for the right reasons. Employers want to know that you care about the students at their school. Credentials: Your credentials should be the first thing employers see. You should list your degrees and any certifications you have at the top of your resume along with your GPA. Because this will be the first thing employers see, you want to present yourself well and show that you are accomplished and educated. Use keywords: Employers may be looking for certain words throughout your resume that are industry specific. Because employers usually get a lot of resumes, they will be scanning many of them and these key words will help your resume grab their attention. Some key words to use in the education field are: teaching and learning, curriculum planning, peer tutoring, peer mentoring, teacher-parent relations, special needs students, ESL/ESOL students, technology integration, classroom management, student involvement, interdisciplinary teaching approaches, K-12, etc. Accomplishments and related jobs: This is really what will make you stand out from other resumes, because everyone will likely be applying with a similar bachelor’s degree, but not everyone will have job related experience. Think about the accomplishments you have made throughout college that are related to teaching, leading, working with students, etc. and find a way to incorporate those into your resume through the related experience section or in your activities section. Think about the qualities that would make someone a good teacher, or the experience that could help them in teaching. Then, think about what things you have done that you can include in your resume to make you well equipped to become a teacher. Look up sample resumes. If you are still stumped as to how to boost your resume, there are always tons of resources online that give example resumes in specific subject matters. You can use these as references or a guideline for how to boost your resume.
If you find a job and are invited in for an interview, make sure you are prepared by learning about that school district and about the specific position. It could also be good to come up with a statement about why you decided to be a teacher and what you hope to provide to the school and students.
As an English teacher, keep in mind that you are probably going to be looking for a longer time than someone who is planning on teaching math or science. This is because, for some reason, there is a shortage of teachers in those subject areas. English, on the other hand, is a popular degree for students to study in college to become an English teacher, and so you are competing with more people for those jobs. English also tends to be a favorite among students when it comes to their classes, and so those students are more likely to pursue a degree in English to become an English teacher. [12] X Research source
Some states and cities require that substitute teachers have a teaching certificate, so you may already have an advantage over others. Take as many substitute teacher positions as possible so you can get a lot of exposure to the schools you are subbing in.
You will apply to the program through the TFA website, and will be taken through a several part interview process. At the final stage of the interview you will prepare a fake lesson to give in front of some of the staff for Teach for America. You will also have the opportunity to choose the top cities you would like to teach in as well as your preferred subjects and grades you would like to teach. If hired, you will then be placed in one of those cities to begin teaching. While TFA is a great way to gain teaching experience, it is not for everyone because oftentimes you won’t receive much training beforehand, and for someone who didn’t go through the teacher education program, you might be a little lost. Depending on the school district, you may receive adequate help from other faculty, or you may have to navigate most things yourself.
With the Peace Corps you will be placed with a host family or in a dwelling determined by the local host organization. You will be asked to adhere to cultural norms, as the Peace Corps is also an opportunity for your to learn about different cultures and respect the differences between your country and the one you visit. The benefit of the Peace Corps is it gives you teaching experience, but also offers entry into unique graduate school opportunities as well as the option to forgive or defer certain public loans. [14] X Research source
