Education Professions

Information compiled by the GradSchools.com team - last updated December 2010

Admissions officer

Schools (including preschools, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools), colleges and universities across the country and world rely on admissions officers to attract and recruit the best and brightest to represent their school. According to numerous Vault.com student and alumni surveys, the friendliness/helpfulness of an admissions officer has been the deciding factor for students on the fence about which school to spend the next few years. The admissions officer is the go-to person for all prospective student inquiries, and maintains an ongoing relationship with candidates by following up via phone, email, online chat and snail mail. Although spring is the crunch season, admissions officers research distribution areas of inquiries and applications year-round to arrange for recruitment programs in hot zones. College admissions officers also organize presentations in high schools, college fair participation and on-campus student events, interviews and tours. Prospective students’ futures lie in the hands of the officers, as their primary function is to analyze the qualifications of the student holistically, and to determine which students meet the institution's standards and will add to a well-rounded, diverse incoming class.

Alumni relations

A college or university’s alumni relations department is in charge of maintaining positive relations with the school and its graduates. The alumni relations team collaborates with other departments of the school to develop initiatives that get the alumni involved with their alma mater. Some duties include coordinating alumni banquets and special events, targeting marketing, mail and email donation requests, and developing media outlets such as magazines and websites to keep alumni informed and involved in the future of the institution.

Anthropologist

Everything can be Studied - that gesture a truck driver makes when you cut him off on the freeway has a complex linguistic and cultural history. Anthropologists make it their business to trace the history of language, customs, and how people interact with each other. The study of other cultures and how people have lived in the past has a great deal to do with how we behave today. Anthropology is an interesting and exciting profession.

Anthropologists do much of their fieldwork in other countries and often live for many years abroad, but some remain stateside and research American culture—everything from colonial customs to modern urban life. Anthropologists are academics and most are employed by universities, researching their areas of specialization and reviewing the work of their peers. Becoming an expert on a particular culture or region can require many years of study in a particular, often remote, location. This necessitates an extreme resolve, as one may be shut off from any and all communication with the outside world for extended periods of time.

Cultural anthropology requires a broad base of knowledge, a strong command of foreign languages, excellent writing and research skills, and a passion for the subject. Formulating and understanding cultural theories requires a solid grasp of history, sociology, science and linguistics, which means that it takes many years of study, both in the classroom and outside, for an anthropologist to become an expert in her field. A Close CommunityAlmost all of an anthropologist's professional time is spent with colleagues as they edit and critique each other's work.

Anthropologists also spend a great deal of time writing grant proposals to get research funding. A necessary evil of the profession is that great discoveries require money, and a researcher must become a professional schmoozer in order to sell the federal government, universities, and private grant-giving organizations on the value of their research. No anthropologist enjoys this process, which takes time away from the part of the job that they love. The adage "publish or perish" applies particularly to anthropology; anthropologists must publish articles in scholarly journals to foster awareness about their work and to build strong reputations among their colleagues. There is cutthroat competition among researchers for grant money.

Aspiring anthropologists must develop a specialty early on. One way of doing this is to spend time as a research assistant for professors. At the graduate level, students either decide to pursue their PhD or to leave academia to work at museums, travel abroad, or enter a non-research related field. Cutting-edge anthropological fields of study deal with economics, such as emerging markets and race and gender studies. Some large corporations hire anthropologists to study their corporate structure. Teaching positions are very limited, so anthropologists specializing in newer and less-researched areas may have a better chance at being appointed to fledgling departments.

Many anthropologists cite an early research assistant position with a favorite professor or mentor as their first real "job" in anthropology. Research assistants read and summarize articles, grade papers and transcribe interviews. After graduate school, many anthropology students travel or join the Peace Corps to gain practical experience with cultural observation. They continue to assist established anthropologists and acquire more responsibility; they actually get to write reports and conduct interviews. After acquiring a PhD, most anthropologists seek out professorships at universities, where they derive their primary income from teaching and grants. The most renowned anthropologists are often asked to advise government agencies and companies on domestic and foreign endeavors.

For successful anthropologists, pay after 10 years on the job is not astronomical, but is definitely comfortable. Anthropology is "more a field of study than a type of job." Preparation for the field consists of "sitting and talking with people," "living in their communities, bouncing their babies, putting Band-Aids on their cuts, sharing food and stories," and, as another respondent says, "sometimes unintentionally being an annoyance to them." The academic market for anthropologists is "limited," so some find it "more profitable" to become consultants to businesses examining "corporate social structures" or on development projects overseas, "including health care development." The knowledge and perspective that anthropology provides can be used "in a great many ways."

One anthropologist says he went into the field because he had been a Peace Corps volunteer for two years after college, "teaching school in Africa." Other people work for "organizations like Oxfam or Teach For America - anything that will give you a perspective on other cultures." The initial pay is "low and the work is often demoralizing," and "you feel like you're wasting your time" until "you get into the field and start doing your own work." Then, anthropologists say, "there is no more rewarding life."

Career placement

College career counselors help students at every point in their search for a first job—from deciding which career path and industry are right for them, to resume and cover letter advice, to coordinating recruiting and interviews. At some schools, counselors also help students apply to grad school. College career counselors are busiest around recruiting season—at the beginning of the fall term—and around graduation time in the spring. These college counselors put in long hours as the liaisons between students and recruiters: coordinating interviews, sorting resumes, providing advice and creating opportunities. Some may work through the summer, providing career advice to alumni.

Development - education

Educational development departments are responsible for developing and executing fundraising efforts for their college of university. The team works with all departments of the university to set up strategic short- and long-term fund raising goals, and focuses their efforts on university endowments, donor research and outreach and campaign management.

Elementary and early childhood teacher

If you love little kids and summer break is something you can't do without, becoming an elementary school/early childhood teacher might be right for you. But being an elementary school teacher isn't just about playing with kids all day during the school year and partying all summer. Teachers prepare materials, tests and daily lessons and furnish the classroom to be an interactive educational environment. Although there is normally a school-set curriculum, teachers often have creative freedom to tweak the template and make necessary modifications based on their students’ needs and abilities. Teachers must be passionate about their students’ futures, and take an invested interest in each student in the class. Through evaluations, parent-teacher conferences and test scores, elementary school teachers’ personalized attention to their students play a key role in developing the fundamental values and education of tomorrow’s leaders.

Financial aid officer

A university or college financial aid officer advises prospective and current students on all scholarship and loan options that are available to the specific student. The job requires knowledge of federal and state financial aid regulations, as well as a loan programs and school-specific scholarship opportunities. The financial aid officer works closely with the admissions office to help fairly delegate the school’s financial resources to incoming students. The position requires acute organizational skills, as the financial aid officer must coordinate with the student, the college, the loan companies and the U.S. Department of Education, and keep immaculate records in their files.

Guidance counselor/advisory

A high school or college guidance counselor can be a rewarding career option for those who want to make a lasting impact in the future of a student. Although their responsibilities differ, in general, guidance counselors act much like therapists—they help students decide what they want to study, as well as help them deal with the difficulties of adolescence and any other issue that may arise. High school guidance counselors also help their students choose between and apply to colleges, and often act as liaisons between the applicant and the college, helping to smooth over any obstacles. College guidance counselors may act as career counselors, helping students decide upon a career and facilitate relationships between them and recruiters: coordinating interviews, sorting resumes, providing advice and creating opportunities. The lifestyle revolves around the school calendar, meaning summer vacations and shorter workdays.

Law professor

For those with the intellect and motivation to graduate from a top-tier law school, pursuing a profession as a professor in lieu of practicing can be a rewarding and lucrative alternative—and sometimes at a fraction of the weekly work hours. Although the lecturing only lasts for a few hours a week, law professors spend the majority of their time answering emails, holding office hours and preparing for the lectures. Additionally, most law schools require professors to conduct research and write for the school’s law journals, and a professor will not become tenured without publication of his or her research. As for education, law professors are required to complete an LLM (like a PhD in law) in addition to a JD.

Librarian

Taming the information hydraAs people have become exposed to more information than ever before, librarians' data-handling skills have become increasingly essential. Careers in the library have changed as the internet has encroached upon the historic domain of the library, but the new breed of librarian, really a savvy information manager, has adapted right along with the times. A veritable card catalogue of career options.

Entry-level library workers are known as pages. Their duties include shelving books, checking volumes in or out and similar tasks. Most work part time, while in school or as a summer job. The next rung up on the ladder, library assistants or technicians, help and instruct patrons, retrieve materials from restricted areas and issue library cards; they may also specialize in a certain department such as reference or multimedia. They can also be involved in library outreach activities, such as a bookmobile or bringing books to the elderly. This position does not require a master's degree in library science, but may call for some post-collegiate study. Library assistants may work part or full time. The duties of full librarians include acquiring books and other educational materials and entering them in the catalog, as well as the discarding of materials that are no longer useful.

Librarians must be highly technologically literate, in order to cope with evolving data storage and retrieval technologies. Some librarians work specifically with speakers of foreign languages, with children or in schools. Depending on the size of the library, librarians' duties may be primarily administrative and/or managerial (in the case of large university or urban libraries that may employ hundreds of people), whereas within a small rural library, the librarian might be the sole employee. Depending on the individual library's hours, a librarian's may work weekends, evenings and even some holidays. Elementary and high school librarians, however, like teachers, often have off work while school is out. More than a fifth of librarians work part-time, as libraries frequently hire part-time workers in order to allow for longer hours.

Librarians generally must have a master's degree in library science (MLS), preferably from a one- or two-year program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA); there are currently over 50 such programs in North America. Topics of study include the history of books and printing, theories and methods of information organization, censorship and more. Some librarians go on to acquire more advanced degrees in library science, in order to follow a career path in academia, or additional master's degrees in other topics, if they wish to work in a specialized library, such as in medicine or law. Librarians who work in schools may hold degrees in both education and library science.

Contrary to popular perception, librarians don't just hang out with books—public libraries (i.e., not university) often function more like community centers than simply repositories of bound information. Frequently they host events that address literacy, censorship, fundraising and specific groups such as children, young adults, retirees or the disadvantaged. Other events, such as bridge games, craft lessons or film festivals, are sometimes held at libraries. Holders of an MLS or those with an interest in information management can also find success beyond traditional library settings with information brokers, private corporations and consulting firms.

Many librarians have jumped from educational institutions to corporations, where they function as data experts and chief information officers (CIOs). Their research and data management skills are highly coveted, as is their familiarity with computer databases and networks. Demand for librarians is expected to grow slowly between now and 2014, as technology takes the place of some human work. That said, the library job market is predicted to grow after that point, as three in five librarians working today are over the age of 45 and slated to retire in a decade or so, freeing up room for advancement. Strong growth has been predicted for nontraditional library activities in consultancies and corporations.

For your first assignment, find some resourcesThe ALA's website is very informative in and of itself—but for those who are just starting to think about a career in the stacks, check out the ALA's separate, more introductory website which answers such questions as "What is librarianship about?" and "What kind of library offers the best match for my interests?" As for librarian culture—again butting up against a common misconception—it's worth noting that those employed in the field are remarkably social outside of work. The ALA sponsors a number of conferences each year, and professional organizations for people in law, medical and theological libraries also host conferences that are ideal for networking.

A librarian's day can consist of everything from "tracking down a 50-year-old, out-of-print monograph on government" to "explaining microfiche to a 10-year-old." The job is "hard" the first year and many librarians remember "wanting desperately to quit." However, after "proving [their] mettle" during this "weeding-out process," most find that "you gain so much more respect." One insider says it takes a certain kind of person to be able to "commit [one's] life to creating order out of chaos." Librarians are not allowed to recede into a hermetically-sealed environment, "alone with those precious books"; rather, they must be "ambassadors of learning" and deal with some of the "most difficult personalities imaginable." The hours can be long and the pay "merely adequate" at first, but after a few years most librarians feel that "the money and the multitude of tasks" make all their hard work worthwhile.

Paraprofessional

Just as the root word suggests, a paraprofessional can represent any number of job titles, but with one uniting characteristic: paraprofessionals work in a field where the professionals are required by law to have a specialized certificate. For instance, a paralegal does not have need to have a JD, but works in the legal field, assisting lawyers. A paramedic does not need to have an MD, and provides medical assistance to those in need before they reach care from a doctor. A paraprofessional educator, or teacher’s aide, assists teachers in the classroom and with grading and lessons. Most paraprofessionals need a high school diploma and/or an associate's or two-year degree, and can be a rewarding alternative for those who don’t have the time or resources for the professional certificate, or for people who want to see if teaching is right for them before they take the plunge and invest in further education.

Professor

Inclined toward academia? Have an intellectual bent and thinking about becoming a professor? Do you entertain notions of one day ambling through gothic arches, smoking a pipe and crunching over piles of autumn leaves while contemplating the phenomenology of Hegel? With good reason, the life of the professional academician is often romanticized. College professors (at least those with tenure) enjoy flexible hours spent in research, writing, teaching, and meeting with students and colleagues. Beyond the classroom At four-year universities, professors who have achieved senior status also have administrative duties: serving on academic and administrative advisory committees that deal with issues such as curriculum, hiring, budgets and university politics. Some also serve as mentors, thesis advisors, fellows and department chairs. The amount of time professors actually spend teaching in a classroom setting is about 12 to 16 hours a week. They also meet with students during their three to six weekly hours of office consultation time.

At very large universities, professors usually teach both graduate and undergraduate courses. For the undergraduate classes, they frequently have teaching assistants to help grade papers and exams and lead recitation sections. The student-to-professor ratio at smaller universities affords professors more one-on-one contact with students, allowing them to grade papers themselves. Most large universities also have honors programs where professors and students can interact in smaller classroom settings, much like at liberal arts colleges. Professors can also work one-on-one with students as thesis advisors and academic mentors.

Off campus College professors are also professional researchers; their work does not end with their dissertations. In order to be considered for tenured positions, professors and assistant professors must consistently write articles for scholarly journals and publish books. Professors in engineering and the sciences conduct laboratory or field research. Depending on the size, budget and mission of the college or university, professors may feel pressured to focus most of their time on research and publishing during the academic year, while others are afforded frequent sabbaticals so that they may give undivided attention to both teaching and research. Professors tend to give exceptional and interested students the opportunity to assist them with their academic research.

Experts are in high demand for lecturing tours and speaking engagements, so travel plays a large part in their jobs. These lectures and engagements can sometimes yield significant supplementary income. Even though professors work during the summer, their hours while students are on vacation tend to be shorter, and this is when they do the bulk of their traveling. Sometimes professors have the opportunity to be guest professors at universities around the world, requiring them to live in foreign cities for a semester or two.

The days of academic superiority (and even job stability) are numbered for professors who think the importance of their research outweighs molding the impressionable minds that make up a freshman class. With the launching and increasing popularity of teacher-rating web sites like www.ratemyprofessor.com, professors’ teaching abilities are coming under heavy scrutiny. Comments such as “speeds his lectures a bit too quickly” and “spends an inordinate amount of time talking about things that have no relevance to the subject” blur the academic prestige of a published professor. The modern college student (paying modern college tuition rates) expects a professor who is as dedicated to teaching the material as the student is to learning the material. College and university administrators are also taking note of professors’ dedication to the classroom and students’ learning with institutional surveys and evaluations asking students to rank their professors’ performance in a variety of categories, ranging from availability to lecture style. While a growing number of universities use these evaluations to review professors and even influence tenure offers, a few have decided to “expel” professors based on poor “report cards.” Many states are adapting post-tenure review (PTR) policies for their state universities, which set procedures for how to revoke tenure, to encourage ongoing evaluation of tenured faculty members.

Full-time professorships are becoming harder to land, particularly in the liberal arts, because there is little demand for literature and history experts in the private sector. Young faculty members are often employed on a part-time basis (adjunct) and feel pressure to spend the majority of their time researching and writing in order to advance. In order to support themselves, they often work at more than one college or university and sometimes divide their time between four-year universities and community colleges. The low pay and uncertainty of an assistant professorship leaves little time for the pursuit of the research they want to be doing.

College and university faculty appointments adhere to a strict hierarchy: professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor and lecturer. Most faculty members are initially hired as instructors or assistant professors. Four-year colleges and universities generally consider only doctoral degree holders who are published for full-time, tenure-track positions but may hire master's degree holders or doctoral candidates in certain disciplines, such as the arts, or for part-time and temporary jobs. At two-year colleges, master's degree holders can qualify for full-time positions. However, with increasing competition for available jobs, institutions are becoming more selective in their hiring practices. Master's degree holders may find it increasingly difficult to get hired as they are passed over in favor of candidates with PhDs. Newly-hired tenure-track faculty members serve a period of usually seven years under term contracts. Their record of teaching, research, and overall value to the institution is reviewed; tenure is granted if the review is favorable. With tenure, a professor cannot be fired without just cause and due process, which is seldom followed through. Those denied tenure must usually leave the institution. Tenure protects the faculty's academic freedom to teach and research without jeopardizing their jobs for championing unpopular ideas. It also gives faculty and institutions the financial stability they need to continue researching and teaching. Six out of 10 full-time faculty members at universities in the U.S. are tenured, and others are in the probationary period.

One contact in academia explains that, "getting someone to understand, if not love, a subject, is a great feeling." Another adds that he loves being able to "help people understand themselves and grow." For professors, their "love and enthusiasm" for their subjects keep them "constantly engaged in the job" at a level that excites them. "I love my life!" says one communications professor. Professors who are engaged with their fields are "never bored teaching or talking shop" and rarely feel "burned-out." The biggest perks, according to many professors, is "interaction with students," (while one humorously adds "getting the good parking spaces" to the list). Another perk: Every day is potentially "dress down day" and there is the potential "lots of autonomy" and "freedom" to research. Professors "hang around interesting people" from whom they can "learn neat stuff" for the rest of their lives, although one contact notes that his colleagues "run the gamut from academic snobs to true free-spirits." The main problem with pursuing college professorship as a profession is, of course, "difficulty in getting a tenure-track job." Other downsides are that "educational institutions are driven by profit like any other big business" the result is that schools are filled with a "tremendous amount of bureaucratic and political garbage." Advancement can be based on "a lot of petty administrative politics." These politics, our contacts say, is what drives many people out of the profession.

School / college administrator

Schools and colleges function because of their administrators. From teaching and academic policies to meal plans, to student transportation, administrators see to it that all school activities work in conjunction with one another. In the public school system, there are numerous levels of administrators; within the individual school or university, it begins with deans, vice principals and heads of different departments, leading up up to school principals or presidents at the university level, whose responsibility lies in their individual school. Beyond an individual institution, there are school superintendents, who are in charge of a specific district; and state and federal administrators, who establish the standards that will be followed by all schools in the state and nation, respectively. Private universities work much the same internally, but lack the higher-ups beyond the school (namely, superintendents and federal administrators). All levels must prioritize school funding, manage and delegate responsibilities among their staff and consistently assess new standards in education and development for today’s youth.

Special education teacher

Special education teachers work with students with a variety of impairments that make learning in a traditional classroom setting difficult. These specially-trained educators are prepared to cope with autistic, hearing and seeing impaired and mentally disabled students, as well as students with various other educational impairments, often all in one classroom. Special ed teachers must place an even higher amount of personalization on each student, as he or she must modify the standard school curriculum to meet individual needs and expectations. They additionally equip each student with the tools and accommodations that they need to get as much value out of learning as the traditional student.

Teacher

The good life? Although it’s not generally acknowledged with a large paycheck, teaching is an extremely important profession. According to a Japanese proverb, “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” Teachers play a valuable role in children’s lives, and parents and society trust educators to produce intelligent, successful individuals. However, the requirements to become a teacher and the subsequent demands of the profession aren’t always fully understood. Is teaching really an eight-hour a day job with summers and weekends off? In reality, 40-hour workweeks are just a myth in teaching, as in most careers. Teaching positions range from kindergarten to the elementary to the secondary level. Most teachers get to work at around 7:30 a.m., if not earlier, and stay well past the end of the school day, until 4 or 4:30 p.m. On average, teachers spend an allotted one-hour “prep period,” as well as their evenings and weekends, grading papers and preparing lessons for the next day or even the next week. The rest of the day is devoted to classroom time. Lunch hours can be occupied with administrative duties such as supervising the cafeteria or playground.

Depending on the situation, teachers are responsible for the education of 30 to 150 children each school year. Above and beyond these central duties, teachers must be available before and after school to meet with students, parents and administrators. Some evenings schools have “open houses,” where teachers meet with parents, preview the coming year’s curriculum and syllabus and discuss the current status of the children’s work. Outside of the classroom, teachers sponsor clubs, advise publications, coach sports teams and assist with school plays and musicals. All in all, teachers typically put in a solid 60-hour workweek. Wages for some of these other responsibilities, in addition to positions at summer schools or as tutors, can help augment the traditionally low pay scale for teachers. Yes, teaching is a rigorous occupation. So where are the rewards? A love for the subject matter and, moreover, the desire to help others succeed will produce a successful and fulfilled teacher. 

What does it take? Teachers in the kindergarten and lower elementary levels usually teach all subjects, including math, reading, language arts, science and history. Starting around the fourth grade and through the secondary school level, teachers specialize in one or two subjects. At all levels of the education system, special education professionals must be well versed not only in the specifics of the subject matter but in the unique methods for teaching students with special needs. The teachers for art, music and physical education classes also must possess a facility with the art of teaching and with their subject matter. Although subject knowledge is important, the crux of teaching lies in communication. Using methods such as humor, creativity, enthusiasm and technology teachers must be able to reach and motivate every student in the classroom. This requires an understanding of the age group and sensitivity to each student’s individual learning needs. An unanticipated and often challenging role of teaching is that of disciplinarian, which is inevitable in the classroom environment.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require public school teachers to be certified, generally in one or more related subjects. A state board of education can provide the requirements for this certification, and some states have reciprocal certification agreements. All states do agree on some things, though. Prospective teachers must hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed an approved teacher training program, which includes a certain number of subject and education credits, in addition to supervised practiced teaching. Teachers are permitted to instruct either early childhood grades (the nursery level through grade 3), elementary grades (grades 1 through 6 or 8), a special subject (such as reading or music), or the secondary (high school) level. Many states require teachers to hold a master’s degree in education; teachers who are hired with only a bachelor’s degree often pursue their master’s degrees during the summer and in night classes throughout the year.

Due to the current teacher shortage, many states have developed alternative teacher certification programs for people who have bachelor’s degrees in the subject but not the necessary education courses required for certification. In some cases, individuals begin teaching under a provisional plan and, after working under the supervision of experienced teachers for one or two years while they take education courses, receive regular certification. In addition, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has begun offering voluntary national certification for teachers. The NBPTS offers 25 certificate areas that cover 15 subject areas and are sorted into seven student age groups, and the certification allows teachers to find a job in any state. Requirements include a portfolio demonstrating classroom work and a written assessment and evaluation of teaching knowledge. Many states offer “career ladder” types of incentive programs, which offer salary bonuses to teachers who have taught in a district for a certain number of years or who obtain additional degrees.

Most school systems consider teachers for tenure after two or three years of quality service. Tenure, a secure, but not guaranteed, position, was originally devised to protect teachers from dismissal based on political or personal views. It is important to remember that in some areas of the U.S., the teaching profession is highly unionized. Teaching in the 21st century The 21st century began with a pervasive, nationwide teacher shortage. The greatest needs lie in the areas of Special Education, Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language (ESL), and Mathematics and Science. Minority teachers, who reflect the diversity found in the schools and in the nation, are also needed.

Although the number of education degrees granted in the United States has increased during recent years, a demand for teachers remains in many areas, and schools will need new teachers to replace educators who are retiring. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment of teachers to increase by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016. Due to the size of the professions in this group, this growth will generate 479,000 new teacher positions. An overwhelming amount of vacancies is driving school systems to hire long-term substitutes and non-certified educators who are allowed an emergency license. Teachers are also being recruited directly out of college and from other careers, under the auspices of various provisional certification arrangements. For instance, New York City, Washington, D.C. and other cities staff schools through teaching fellows programs, and Teach for America recruits recent college graduates and professionals to teach in urban and rural schools for two years.

People who are entering education at a later point in life and after significant years of experience in other industries are bringing exciting new perspectives and approaches into the classroom. Influenced by these new teachers and by new goals in education, the traditional role of teacher is evolving. There is increasing emphasis on the teacher as mentor and guide. Innovative techniques are enhancing the educational landscape beyond the school building and the classroom in order to prepare students for the workforce. Teachers are challenged to find new ways to help students develop the ability to interact with other people, adapt to new technology and solve problems logically.

Teachers like the fact that they can “be a positive role model in children’s lives” and help “shape the future.” One educator says teaching is “very rewarding,” and that there is “great vacation time—off on all holidays and 8 weeks during the summer!” In addition, the source says, teaching “can be fun,” and teachers describe the work atmosphere as “casual.” Another insider says, “Kids are definitely the best part of my job. Being a part of the progress of the nation’s youth is very rewarding.” The teacher adds, “The variety of my days is a sure ‘upper’ too. No two days are the same. In as much as I teach many of the same things over and over, the teaching situation changes day in and day out.” On the down side, one teacher says that the field has “low pay, high stress and too much work outside of school hours.” Another contact says, ‘I have a friend who is a dentist; I like to tell him, ‘You earn more than 100K annually to fill teeth, and I earn a mere 50K to fill heads.’” One teacher explains, “The money has gotten better but still lags behind other professions.” Sources also say that dealing with school administrators and parents can be challenging.

Insiders feel that, in order for people to excel as teachers, they should love teaching and kids, have a selfless personality, and also “be patient and have a great sense of humor.” One source says, “I do not suggest anyone to go into education unless they have 200 percent of their heart in it.” Another teacher recommends that people who are interested in going into the filed should “do some student teaching, or at least help out in a classroom.” The insider adds, “Get to know a teacher, and see what the job really entails. There’s a lot more to teaching than people think. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Another teacher advises, “Be sure to choose a content area that suits you well.”