If you are great at working with people, teaching is one of those careers that instantly allows you to capitalise on those natural skills. You are communicating in different ways and styles to appeal to learners of varying levels, but also attempting to engage those that would rather do anything but sit in a classroom! When it comes to a career in teaching, we’ve seen a lot of people disenfranchised with the career, but also recognise that it’s not what it once was. Therefore, here are a few things to consider to ensure that you are adequately grounded for a career in teaching.
Find Your Niche
Teaching is not just primary or secondary, but there can be SEN (Special Educational Needs) nursery workers, teaching assistants, as well as primary, secondary, and head teaching. It’s a good idea to understand your niche, not just in relation to who you’d like to work with, but also where your skills naturally fall. Consulting with an education recruitment agency may give you a far better insight into what will suit you.
Get Real Insight into the Sector
Training to become a teacher is a very enlightening experience as it prepares you for the rigours of the classroom but also gives you a better understanding of how to conduct yourself in specific environments. This is a lot of work in itself, but it’s critical to remember that if you were in school 20 years ago or longer, the role has changed in some measure. There are a lot more rules and regulations, and considerably more targets, but the teachers also need to display a wide variety of skills beyond the actual teaching itself.
It’s more essential than ever to understand the sector you wish to break into and look at common challenges teachers face, whether it’s helping children with additional learning needs like ADHD and autism to function within the class academically and socially, as well as dealing with complaints from parents. There is certainly a lot to consider in the round, and it’s not a job that is confined to school hours.
Plan Your Life Around the Career
This is something that many people greatly underestimate. While it’s amazing to have one week off every six weeks, as well as Christmas, Easter, and an entire summer off, the reality is that every other time that you are working in the school means you are dedicated to that role. You end up preparing lessons, of course, marking homework, but also improving your own education.
It is something that is hard to switch off from because you may have parents getting in contact with you via the school app, and it’s all of these things that can make people realise that it’s more than a career. If you are very prepared for a lifetime of teaching and recognise that it is your duty to prepare future generations for the world of work and life in general and be willing to give your all for a number of years, then this will be the ideal career choice. It’s just important to ensure you are not going into it with blinkers on.
Collaborative post
