Why Become a Teacher: 7 Reasons Why You Should Become a Teacher
By Brian Miller, Secondary Principal
If you’re looking for an easy job, keep scrolling. Teaching is not easy. But if you’re looking for one of the best jobs, hang tight because teaching is easily most definitely one of the best jobs this world has to offer.
Why become a teacher? Because there is no other profession – none – that influences all other professions! If you want to make an impact on this world, to make a difference, there is no better way to do that than being a teacher.
But there’s a lot more to it than that. When you look at all the personal and professional benefits of being a teacher you’ll soon realize they add up to something that few other careers can compete with.
Here are seven of the top reasons to become a teacher:
1 – Job Security Has Always Been One of the Best Reasons to Become a Teacher
There has always been a need for teachers. Especially quality teachers. In 2019, researchers found that the need for teachers was even greater than anticipated, that that the shortage was real, large, and growing. Since then it has only gotten worse.
The fact that you will be filling a real need in the world is truly one of the best reasons to be a teacher. But there’s even more to it than that. Where there is a need, there is security. Even in the midst of a pandemic, teachers were in high demand. Many positions and opportunities were even created in the midst of the crisis because – world wide – teachers and education were deemed essential.
If you’re looking for a job that offers the sweet comfort of job security, teaching is it!
2 – Healthy Work/Life Balance is One of the Key Benefits of Being a Teacher
Recently, there has been a resurgence of the discussion around the topic of a work/life balance. Especially as the phones that have become glued to our hands have provided more and more opportunities to reach out and connect with people long after they’ve left the office or classroom.
Teaching provides an opportunity for a healthier and more consistent balance between your family life and the demands of your work life. With built-in holiday breaks, weekends, and summer vacations, one of the benefits of being a teacher is the ability to have a life of your own, pursue other interests and spend time with family.
3 – World Travel May Not Be An Option For Every Teacher, But It’s an Amazing Benefit for Some
One of the top reasons to become a teacher is supply and demand. Something that may not have occurred to you is that demand isn’t just in your own hometown – or even just in the United States. There will always be children who need teachers – all over the world.
If you have the travel bug are looking for a way to see the world, to experience cultures, and explore new lands, then become a teacher!
Teaching overseas doesn’t necessarily have to mean teaching a curriculum you aren’t familiar with in a language you haven’t mastered. Many overseas jobs are with American embassy schools teaching diverse students that include the sons and daughters of Americans expatriates living overseas.
Not only will overseas schools often pay for your travel and housing needs, they also offer competitive salaries that often beat what you could earn back at home.
4 – One of the Tangible Benefits of Being a Teacher Is That With More Education Comes More Pay
Learning never stops when you work in education, and that desire to continue improving has always been one of the primary qualities of a good teacher. And one of the best things to come out of all that additional education is that more learning translates into more money.
Teachers earn pay increases in two ways. One, through steps (number of teaching years experience) and the other through changing lanes (continued education and professional development). Teacher base pay, steps, and lanes are determined locally.
If you are passionate about learning or are continually curious, you’ll be happy to know that increased pay for continued education is one key benefits of being a teacher.
5 – Opportunities to Share Is a Big Reason Why You Might Want to Become a Teacher
To become an expert at something, grit, dedication, and purposeful practice are required. One of the benefits of being a teacher is that as you become an expert, doors of opportunity begin to open.
As a teacher, there are ample opportunities to share what you’ve learned – many of which provide further income and exposure to new ways of doing things and different aspects of the school system.
Be it through blogs, magazine articles, educational conferences, etc, as a teacher, there is never a shortage of opportunities to get outside the classroom and share your ideas!
6 – Working Environment is a Top Reason People Give for Why They Became a Teacher
School environments are unique because, generally, they are filled with givers rather than takers. As Adam Grant writes in his New York Times Bestseller, Giver and Takers “givers and takers differ in their attitudes and actions toward other people.”
Takers tend to – as the name suggests – take what they can, whenever they can. Givers do the opposite.
Teachers, by their very nature, are more often than not givers. They care more about the success of their students and peers than they do themselves. And according to research, “there is something distinctive that happens when givers succeed: it spreads and cascades.” Schools are often filled with givers, providing a culture of support, encouragement, and fun!
One of the top reasons to become a teacher is that you will never be alone because you’ll be surrounded by other givers. And when one succeeds, everyone does.
7 – Why Become a Teacher? … You Get to Make a Difference
There are many reasons to become a teacher, even more than is listed above. But there is none more important than the ability to make a difference, to change a life, and to know your time and energy are going towards the greater good.
Teaching isn’t easy and is often exhausting, but seeing a child “get it” for the first time, walking a student through difficult times, or having that first thank you letter show up in your mailbox is an experience unlike any other.
Teachers change lives. And in a world of so much pain and suffering, there is no greater reason to get up each and every morning.
Why become a teacher? Because it is the best profession our world has to offer. It is also easier than ever to earn your teaching degree online, so career preparation is accessible to anybody with an internet connection.
If you are considering a change in profession, just starting your journey, or simply looking to learn more about becoming a teacher, do not hesitate. There is no better time, nor has there been a greater need for quality teachers than right now.