Bangalore: Teaching jobs are regarded as the noblest of all the professions in the world. The quality of education in any educational institute hinges on the availability of good teachers.
Therefore, teaching jobs not only offer an opportunity to earn one's living but also to engage in one of the oldest and noblest professions. Some people find teaching jobs appealing also because it entails engagement in various extracurricular and other activities of the institute.
The teaching profession has attracted quite a good numbers of young people in the recent years as the number of private and government educational institutes are increasing at a very high pace in India and the world.
As the educational institutes are vying for the best faculty, teaching jobs have become attractive more than ever before as the salaries of teachers are also rising. Apart from being a secure professional career a teacher's job also entails shorter working hours and regular annual vacations. Moreover once you are qualified as a teacher, you can also earn some extra buck by offering private tuitions or opening up a coaching institute.
The different areas of specialization for being a teacher include teaching at nursery schools, primary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, universities, institutes, special schools etc. Different type of expertise is required at each level.
To be popular among students, a teacher requires understanding their psychology and speaking to them in their language.
Courses in Teaching:
Pre-primary:
Most polytechnics and vocational training centers conduct training for pre-school teachers. The preferred eligibility is Class XII with 50% aggregate. Personal attributes are, however, more important. There are montessori teacher training schools which are privately owned in some large cities.
Primary teacher training:
Teachers with diplomas in education / Bachelors in education teach the primary classes. Graduates of Home Science also serve as primary teachers.
Secondary and senior secondary teachers:
Teachers having B Ed Degrees after graduation are called Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs), after post graduation they are called postgraduate trained teachers (PGTs). This training is imparted in teacher's training colleges.
For service teachers to get trained, there are contact programmes for giving practical orientation. In 1996, the National council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has regulated the training of teachers. Correspondence/distance education courses are meant for teachers who are currently working.
Lecturers:
College lecturers require a good academic record with at least 55% or an equivalent grade at master's degree level in the relevant subject from an Indian University or a foreign University. The eligibility test for lecturers, National Eligibility Test (NET), is conducted by UGC, CSIR or similar tests accredited by the UGC. The State level test SLET is for appointments within the state. The promotion is based on performance, duration of service, and research publications.
Nursery teachers:
Training of 1-2 years at Polytechnics/ Vocational Training Institutes
After Graduation:
(Any school subject), a Bachelors in Education (B Ed) for TGT Grade Jobs
(Any school subject),B Ed for PGT grade jobs.
After Post graduation / M. Phil:
Take the NET/ SLET Exam for College Teaching.
To be a successful teacher, one has to be passionate about the subject that one is teaching. It is one's interest in the subject that can secure one's future. Teaching should not be taken up as a back-up option. It should be taken up only if one strongly believes in oneself as a mentor because teachers are responsible for the future of many a student.
Many school systems are quite similar - Australia and the UK, for example - so studying teaching in one country makes it easier for you to teach in the other. The certification requirements usually do not apply to temporary or casual teachers so it's quite possible to pick up teaching work wherever you want to go. So you can start your teaching career in another country as part of a working holiday, and then return home to work in a school armed with a global perspective on what works in the classroom... and what doesn't!
Source: Circle2Corner