During this recession, some people who are out of work are now looking to find more meaningful positions. If you have a passion for a particular subject, you might consider following the lead of many professionals who have been out of work and are now returning to school to become a teacher.
Another reason is that while many industries are struggling in the current economy, the number of teacher jobs has increased a great amount over the course of the recession. In fact, this teacher trends graph shows that teacher jobs have increased 12% since March of ’08.
This upward trend is partially due to the federal stimulus plan that has reportedly created or saved 640,239 jobs, of which 325,000 – over half – were in education. The passing of the stimulus plan at the end of January seems to coincide with the steeper increase in percentage of teacher jobs, which began early in 2009.
While teacher requirements vary by state (check your state’s board of education for your specific requirements), teaching typically requires a bachelors degree or a masters degree (either in Education or a particular subject) depending on the level in which you want to teach, a teaching certificate from an accredited education program, and passing a state examination.
If you think you might be interested in teaching, a great way to test the waters is to volunteer as a teacher aid or substitute teacher in the type of classroom setting you’d prefer, for example elementary, secondary, university, adult education, ESL or special education.
It’s not too late for a change in careers! Follow your passions!
