What should a student do in order to be able to teach in the University he/she studies at?

Question

I'm aware of the "official" steps one should take,but I would be interested in some advice.

Answer 1

Aside from attaining the official steps of the appropriate postgraduate degree and experience, one thing you should do is talk to your professors about your eventual desire to teach with them.

You don't say whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student? One reason I ask that is because some schools either prefer to not hire their own grads or actually have policies against hiring their own grads. Obviously their attitudes toward that are important for you to know. Sometimes it's okay if you have your bachelor's degree from there and then you go to another institution for your graduate work.

Other schools may have a preference to hire their own grads when all other considerations are equal. What these differences reflect are two lines of thought that are both valid while being contradictory. Some schools want "outside" influence and "fresh ideas" in their faculty and they believe that hiring their own graduates becomes too insular. They believe it would limit the development and the forward momentum of their program.

Other schools actually like to hire their best graduates because they have created a strong, effective and cohesive program. By hiring good people who already understand and "buy into" the approach, they keep a steady focus and are more able to assure consistent quality in their educational program over time. They think that since the base starting point is agreed upon, it allows everyone to put greater energy into refining the finer details of the program, without distractions from too divergent a range of program philosophies.

Neither is right or wrong. In my own field I've seen excellent programs (and poor ones) coming from both attitudes. It comes down to the mix of faculty in the department and how well they work together to push each other and the students in a positive direction.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

i think you need a masters before you start teaching at the college level, idk about you but i wouldn't hire someone who was a student as a professor, not enough experience and you have studying to do w/out correcting papers until 4am too. also as a student, if i got you as a professor i would drop your class and take it with someone who had more credentials, i want some one with life experience teaching me, not just book smarts.
sorry if anything offended you, its just my opinion on the situation, i don't know u, what you are studying, your level of schooling, anything really, so good luck, hope this helps you :-)

Answer 3

It depends what you plan to teach, I think, but what might make you stand out is not your grades or getting all your work in on time, but asking your teachers 'meta-questions,' like "Why is what you teach worth knowing?" Or, if you like a teacher and his/her subject say, "How can I get to do what you do?" Don't be afraid to challenge a teacher so long as there is a legitimate reason? Any teacher who likes teaching and students welcomes someone who thinks for him/herself. If they don't, they are just collecting a paycheck, and I don't think you want to be that kind of teacher.