A New Chapter: Pursuing a Teaching Career as a Career Changer
For many professionals, the mid-career desire for a change can be a nagging feeling. It’s a call to seek new challenges, a desire to contribute differently to society, or simply a need to reignite a sense of purpose and passion in one’s professional life. This is often the case for career changers who turn to teaching — a profession that offers fulfillment and impact.
Becoming a certified secondary education teacher, especially from a non-educational background requires careful planning and a clear understanding of the certification process. Fortunately, there are programs dedicated to helping aspiring teachers along the journey.
Steps to Becoming Certified
While the path to secondary education teacher certification varies by program and state, requirements typically include post-baccalaureate coursework, in-classroom student teaching experiences, and licensure exams that align with the following five-step process:
- Assessing qualifications: Meeting the basic educational prerequisites. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement, regardless of major of study.
- Choosing a Certification Program: Many universities and colleges offer certification programs designed specifically for career changers. Most can be completed part-time to allow students to continue working while studying.
- Meeting Prerequisites: Depending upon the bachelor’s degree held by the prospective teacher, many programs will require post-baccalaureate coursework to meet subject-specific competencies.
- Completing Educational Coursework: Understanding the foundations of education is essential to teaching. Learning theories and development, instructional methods, and assessment are among the general education courses that supplement subject matter expertise.
- Gaining Classroom Experience: An essential component of teacher certification is hands-on experience to apply theoretical knowledge in classroom settings under the supervision of experienced teachers. This phase provides key insights into managing classroom dynamics, lesson planning, and student engagement.
- Passing Certification Exams: Teachers are certified upon passage of state-specific certification exams. Many offer reciprocity in other states, opening additional career opportunities.
The Rewards of Teaching
Upon successful completion of the certification process, teachers are ready to transition into a high-demand profession that provides the satisfaction of contributing to students’ growth and a daily sense of purpose.
Other benefits include working hours that align well with parenting schedules and provide generous time off – including many days during the summer months.
While the salary for those with a teaching certificate varies by state, the national teacher’s salary average is $60,000, according to Payscale*.
Turn Your Dream into Reality
The part-time Teacher Certification Program at Providence College prepares candidates to teach biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, physics, or social studies at the secondary school level. The program is approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), and, through interstate reciprocity**, your certificate can be used to achieve licensure in most U.S. states. Click button below to learn more.
* PayScale: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Teacher_Certification/Salary
