Now that you’re done with your exams, it’s time for your job search to kick into high gear. What job options can you pursue if you want to get into teaching? Here are five rewarding career choices that will make you glad to work in education.
1. Classroom Instructor
Do you enjoy in-classroom activities and responsibilities? Working as a classroom teacher can bring you untold satisfaction. Seeing the transformation in students as they advance through the school year is deeply rewarding.
Of course, you will be expected to handle a range of duties beyond the classroom. But having completed a teacher preparation program like the Florida Teachers of Tomorrow model, you have the professional and mental fortitude to do it all, and remarkably so.
One of the best things about transitioning from a tech background into the teaching arena is that you’ll have a far easier time integrating technology into your lessons. The ability to do so likely comes naturally to you. And that’s a plus for any educator.
You’ll be able to use your tech skills to create meaningful learning experiences for your students, thus accomplishing three things at once:
- Bridging the technology gap in school
- Preparing students for today’s tech-driven world
- Delivering lessons in a palatable, tech-assisted format that is appropriate for their age
Let’s not forget that technology can help educators customize lessons to cater to students with different abilities and cultural backgrounds.
2. STEAM Teacher Specialist
The shift from STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) means there’s a growing demand for educators who can incorporate all five disciplines in their lessons. STEAM teaching skills enable you to merge visual arts and natural sciences holistically. It’s an approach that allows students to employ concepts from all five fields of study in problem-solving.
While you may require additional certifications to advance in your career as a STEAM specialist, you can get started with online courses available on many learning platforms. Some universities also have advanced degrees specializing in STEAM education.
What’s exciting about the STEAM approach to learning is that anyone can do it. It doesn’t matter what your college major is or whether you opted to take the MCAT, LSAT, or any other test. You can make a phenomenal STEAM specialist.
3. Technology Teacher
The job description of a technology teacher may vary from institution to institution and from one school district to another. What’s common in any technology teacher position is that you’ll be at the center of all tech-related activity in the school.
In most cases, technology teachers work with both students and teachers. They are charged with providing instruction for the appropriate technology skills for each grade. In this role, they may, among other things:
- Plan, develop, and evaluate technology lessons
- Teach internet safety
- Teach students the importance of personal responsibility for technology use
- Help students connect to technological principles in the real world
- Help in the maintenance of computer lab equipment and materials
The technology teacher also works with classroom teachers in:
- Integrating the core curriculum into the development and planning of technology lessons
- Helping with educational technology meets
Remember, like other classroom teachers, the technology teacher abides by the school practices and policies outlined in their employment agreement. So they are expected to carry out other duties outside the classroom as spelled out in their contract.
4. Private Tutor
Private tutoring is where you get to see your hard work bear fruit right before your eyes. You’ll have the opportunity to work with diverse learners, thus broadening your teaching experience in a way that teaching in a classroom may not. Other perks of working as a private tutor include:
- The ability to set your own hours
- The ability to set your fee
- The ability to work remotely
- The ability to work with learners from anywhere in the country/globe
- The ability to choose who to work with. For example, you can:
- Specialize in ELL students or students from a specific background
- Work with individuals preparing for a particular test, such as the GMAT
- Choose to help people prep for any test, from the GED to the SAT and GRE
5. Educational Technology Specialist
With technology being the heartbeat of your career, you have what it takes to introduce technology into the classroom. As an educational technology specialist, you can innovate tech solutions for the many challenges ravaging the average school. Use your tech skills to:
- Identify technology gaps in the school
- Introduce new technology to the school
- Help teachers use technology in their classrooms
- Identify and customize different education tech solutions for the varying academic needs within the school environment
- Create or update technology-related teaching plans so they meet students’ and teachers’ needs
The alternative teacher certification training you’ve just gone through equips you with the skills you need to meet the academic objectives of any learning program. Now that you have an educator’s point of view, you can use your technology knowledge to achieve classroom objectives.
For example, what technologies can you use for students struggling to grasp concepts delivered via traditional teaching methodologies? Are there applications that can help English Language Learners in your school study and practice independently and receive feedback on their progress?
Conclusion
The excitement of finally completing your teacher certification exams only dims when compared to the joy of landing your first job as a teacher. Switching from the tech industry to working as an educator may be challenging, but it’s bearable when taking up a job you enjoy. And these five career options discussed above are quite rewarding for anyone who delights in making a difference.