How to Become a Teacher

The career options are huge - you may work in any state in the nation or even take your teaching skills abroad to teach English and other subjects to children overseas. Most likely you are interested in teaching career information for the United States, though, in which case the following information may be helpful.

The first step to become a teacher is getting a bachelor's degree. You may choose to study childhood development or education, particularly if you are going to become an elementary school teacher, but there is really no limit as to what you can study during your undergraduate years. If you want to be a high school English teacher it would make sense to study English, and if you're looking at being a middle school math teacher you would obviously want to complete a math related degree. But even if you study something like journalism or astronomy, you can still get your credential and become a teacher in any level of the K-12 system as long as you fulfill some extra requirements.

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You'll need to get your teaching credential, which may take an additional two years, and the certification requirements and degrees needed are different for each grade level and subject. Some of the teaching positions most in demand are science, math and special education teachers. These all require specialized skills, but even if you have receive a liberal arts degree, it's never too late to go back and take the additional required courses to get the teaching job you really want.
If you're looking at how to become a teacher, you're probably also interested in how much it pays. The median salary for teachers in the United States varies depending on grade level and subject area, but the national median hovers between $40,000 and $45,000 annually, with higher salaries for more experience and for tough positions like special ed. With excellent benefits and the satisfaction of making a difference, it can be a very rewarding career.