K-12 Teaching Jobs

If you love children, teaching K-12 can be an enjoyable and rewarding career. K-12 teachers have the opportunity to provide kids with lifelong knowledge and skills. Some of these include:
  • abstract concepts
  • critical thinking
  • mastery of basic subjects such as history, math, reading, science and writing
  • problem solving
  • social skills and collaborative project work.
In order to teach grades K-12, most schools require a bachelor's degree and a license. This can either be accomplished through a traditional four- to five-year program, or an alternative licensure route.

The Traditional Route

A traditional teacher's path requires earning a Bachelor's degree from a teacher education program and then obtaining a state license. Teacher education programs include courses in:
  • educational philosophy
  • learning psychology
  • teaching methods.
Basic subjects to be taught to children are also covered, and a student-teaching internship is usually required. A Bachelor's degree is awarded upon completion of these four year programs.
 
Professional development schools are now available in many states to help new teachers gain experience while they learn. These one year programs are offered to students with a Bachelor's degree and allow students a chance to teach under professional guidance.
 
Some universities now offer a five-year program in teaching where students earn both a Bachelor's and Master's degree after completing their coursework. These five-year programs can be helpful in the long run, as many states now require a Master's degree in education within a specified time after beginning a teaching career. Choosing an accredited program is not absolutely necessary to teach, but may make it easier to meet license requirements.

Alternative Routes to K-12 Teaching Jobs

Many people realize they would like to teach after they have already earned a Bachelor's degree in their area of expertise. Rather than having to complete a second Bachelor's degree in education, these future teaches can choose an alternative licensure program. Offered in almost all states, alternative licensure programs were created to ease teacher shortages in subjects such as math and science and fill the many open teaching positions in inner city and rural schools.
  • Many alternative licensure programs offer a provisional license and an opportunity to begin teaching right away while being supervised by experienced educators. Education coursework is done after school hours. After a year or two of successful teaching, a regular teaching license is granted.
  • Other programs allow students with Bachelor's degrees to take only the education coursework required for a license. This usually takes one to two semesters to complete.
  • Some states experiencing extreme teacher shortages may issue emergency licenses to those who do not meet traditional requirements and allow them to begin teaching immediately.

Teaching Licenses

Although licenses are not always needed to teach private school, public school teachers in all 50 states are required to be licensed. Here are the basic license choices for K-12 teaching jobs:
  • early childhood (usually preschool through third grade)
  • elementary (first grade through sixth or eight grade)
  • middle school (fifth through eighth grades)
  • secondary education subject (seventh through twelfth grade in a specific subject area)
  • special subject (kindergarten through grade 12 in a subject such as reading or music).

Job Outlook for Different Geographic Locations and Specialties

While teaching jobs K-12 have a good outlook overall, certain locations are more promising than others. Large school enrollment increases will create teaching opportunities in southern and western states such as:
  • Arizona
  • Georgia
  • Nevada
  • Texas.
Urban, inner city schools and rural schools in almost all states have a great need for teachers. The most difficult K-12 teaching jobs to land are in upscale, suburban neighborhoods where hundreds of applicants may be competing for a single open position.
 
Teachers who specialize in certain subjects have a distinct advantage when looking for a job. Here are some of the subjects most in demand for K-12 teaching jobs:
  • bilingual education
  • English as a second language
  • chemistry
  • foreign language
  • general science
  • physics
  • math.

Qualifications and Experience

When applying for K-12 teaching jobs, both qualifications and experience count. Traditional teaching education and licensing provide impressive qualifications, while alternative licensure programs offer a chance for real-life classroom experience. Both are valid, respected routes. In addition to required credentials and teaching experiences, many school principals also look for these characteristics in the teachers they hire:
  • caring, positive attitude
  • classroom management skills
  • communication skills
  • enthusiasm
  • excellent subject knowledge
  • people skills.

 

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