By Annabelle Fee
“A teacher takes the hand, opens the mind and touches the heart”.-anonymous
Teachers play one of the biggest parts in shaping a child's life, second only to parents. They help nurturing the mental and social development during the early years, making it a very challenging career, but also one that is worthwhile and very rewarding.
Photo courtesy of Flickr
Nearly every child at some point thinks they want to become a teacher when they grow up, even if just fleeting they see their teachers as heroes. But many choose a different path once they grow older; others still feel that teaching is their life calling. They resolve to head out for their degrees in order to commence on the path to make other children experience what they remember as a child.
If you are someone who doesn’t like to end up in a cubical answering calls but enjoy the company of children around, teaching may be your cup of tea. So, if you're looking to head start a career where you get back as much as you give, and have zeal to share knowledge and support learning, here are the five ways to kick-start a teaching career:
Find your area of interest:
First and the foremost research and invest time narrowing down the following:
Exactly which age group of children you would be comfortable teaching?
Which is your subject of expertise?
Which kind of teaching position you want?
At what level your personality compliments your teaching style to benefit the students?
These are some essential answers you need to research and recognise before you take it to the next level. By knowing well in advance your specific area, you can target those relief teaching positions which match your style and improve your chances of finding the right teaching job.
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Find tuition jobs:
Once you have recognized your abilities you can choose to take up the challenge and move on to the next step.Volunteer to work as an aide in classroom tuitions to get acclimatized to the world of teaching. You must gain first hand experience before you are ready to kick-start your professional career in a school.
Finding a tuition job will help you present yourself to employers as someone who has real world experience in the classroom. Furthermore, it also helps you in learning the ropes of teaching which is priceless to the school administration with a vacant spot to fill. Tuitions reduce the administration’s concern that you have never faced a classroom full of restless children.
Enhance your Knowledge through Master Programs
Learning and development goes hand in hand with teaching. Nurturing a passion for elevating knowledge not only adds sheen to your ‘teaching armour’ but also make you a more complete teacher.
Master Program works wonders to elevate your progress in the professional field of teaching. It does not only help you boost your capacity in the monetary terms but also provides you a much needed power-start in the teaching career.
Create networks and stay updated on latest vacancies:
Networking and awareness are the best ways to get a breakthrough for a dream start in teaching career. Keep a close vigil on the HR and employment offices at your target schools and check their employment bullion boards regularly. You must utilize the internet wisely, read the newspaper and keep in touch with the trustable placement agencies that specialize in placing new and relief teachers.
Further, you could help yourself by working as an aide in target-schools. This helps you forge new relationships to get the inside scoop on jobs before they are made public. Majority of teachers know who is leaving in their school –many times before theAdministration. And if there is a vacancy, there is surely a relief teaching position that you could begin with.
Clinching the perfect job
Today, the teachers with excellent communication skills top the school’s demand list. They look for faculties that give out good vibes to students. So firstly, you must research thoroughly and prepare a list of schools or colleges that you would be interested in teaching.
Make a Resume’ and try to live up to the standards and level of teaching at these educational institutes. You should focus on making the phrase "leave no stone unturned" your motto to give the best shot in the interview. Be honest in describing your vision and reason behind choosing their prestigious institute- and we are sure you are all set to kick-start your teaching career.
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Annabelle is part of the Content and Community team at SmileTutor, sharing valuable content to their own community and beyond.