Without a doubt, education is one of the most rewarding careers. You get to work with bright expectant minds that are yearning to hear from and learn from you. Due to the dissatisfaction and high stress associated with corporate jobs, it’s understandable why you’d want to switch to teaching, whose job satisfaction ranks among the highest.
Statistics from the University of Phoenix shows that 36 percent of k-12 teachers have a business background. From the study conducted, a third of the one thousand two hundred interviewees said they switched because they have always wanted to pursue a career in education.
Three in ten, however, admitted they made the switch simply because they needed a change.
Benefits of switching to education
Teachers who change from a corporate background bring rich experience that’s valuable for students. They also have unmatched skillsets from their previous roles that enhance their student’s learning.
These make them well prepared to handle the challenges educators face and shine in their new positions. Being less stressful than the business world, teachers who switch also improve their quality of life, which is a plus for most people.
What to do to make the switch
- Get certification
When switching careers, it’s likely you already have a college degree. However, you need an educational background to learn the intricacies of teaching. Your best bet is to study a PDGE or Professional Graduate Diploma.
This one-year program will prepare you to teach and offer you a smooth transition from the business world to the classroom. Once you complete the program, you will have a one-year probationary teaching year, after which you’ll have the required experience to teach full time, working with three to twelve-year-olds.
- Great communication skills
One of the most valuable skills a teacher needs is communication. You need to learn to explain concepts clearly, so every student in your class understands. Remember, you will be dealing with different ages and abilities, and you must ensure they all understand your class.
So, learning how to communicate with kids, parents, and colleagues tactfully is vital. This includes both written and verbal communication.
- Patience
Kids can test your patience more than anyone else can, but even in these moments, you need to learn to remain calm and be patient with the students. For instance, you will have to explain concepts repeatedly to some students and even offer extra hours to ensure they are at per with everyone else in the class.
Also, you will have disciplinary cases more often than you’d like. As kids grow, they learn to assert themselves, and part of that will include not listening to you and challenging your authority. Learning patience and listening skills is the only way to get through to your students.
Transitioning to a teacher is not as easy as most people think. Besides what’s highlighted here, you also need to have excellent planning and organization skills and learn to maintain discipline in a classroom.
Disclosure: this is a collaborative post