What do I need to be a teacher?

Question

Is college necessary? Do I need a special degree? I want to be a teacher when I get out of highschool so....

Answer 1

you need to go to college for 4 years. any accredited school will require a degree and teacher certification.

Answer 2

You do need a 4 year degree to teach k-12. If you want to teach pre-k most states require only a certification. The requirements for teaching in each state are different. In Florida you need at least a BA or BS in any subject area (ie. education, business, history, liberal arts). You must also pass FTC exam which includes 3 parts: General Knowledge, Professional Exam, and the subject area exam of the area you are going to teach. If you have a degree in something other than education you may be required to take additional courses to get your professional certificate but you can be issued a temporary teaching certificate while working on the extra requirements.
I do suggest that if you want to be a teacher to go ahead and choose an education degree program designed for your area of interest. This will be to your benefit when looking for a job and gaining experience.

Answer 3

I would work on getting a degree in the subject area you want to teach. Then, try and get a master's degree right off, or go into a program that will give you a degree during night school. You'll have to take the Praxis I test (basically an SAT type test) and the Praxis II test (content knowledge) in order to get you license. When you have your license, you can go ahead and become a teacher.

I've been a teacher for 2 years, and I'm currently working on my Master's in Education. Once I get that, I'll get a pay raise (which is always nice to have).

Make sure you have the patience and the charisma to really want to do your job. And try not to be too idealistic...it's really easy to become jaded and get discouraged.

Good luck with your career choice! I hope you enjoy it!
If you have any other questions about teaching, feel free to send me a message!

Answer 4

To be a certified teacher in the US, you need to go to college and get a bachelor's degree. Depending on what state you live in, you can major in Education and get your teacher training all done when you get your Bachelor's. In California where I teach, we get our BAs then we do teacher training for a 5th year. There are exams to take as well. When you pass all the requirements, you get certified.

In the US, with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka No Child Left Behind) teachers in a classroom setting must be "highly qualified" meaning they have the necessary credentials and training to be in the classroom.

I woudl suggest talking to a counselor at school to get the information you need on what you need to do to make sure you are taking the proper college prep classes. You may also want to see if you can enroll in an ROP type of class where you can work in a classroom setting and see how you like working with kids to see if teaching is indeed for you. It can be extremely demanding but it is rewarding. Good luck to you!!

Answer 5

BA (QTS) degree in a subject of your choosing, you also need to specialise in either primary of secondary teaching (well in the UK you do). QTS stands for Qualified Teacher Status, I believe as I have friends who are teachers and that is how they were trained.