Becoming a Teacher as Your Second Career

According to some sources, people change careers as many as 11 times in the course of a lifetime. For those considering the route of becoming a teacher as a second career, there are programs established in every state to help aspiring teachers move from a previous career into teaching.

The first thing a future teacher needs to consider when moving from another career into teaching is whether he or she already has a bachelor’s degree. If not, the transition might be quite straightforward; they should simply enter a bachelor’s program in education and whatever subject they want to teach. For those who wish to become elementary school teachers, a major in elementary education is the best choice. For those who wish to specialize in a subject area and teach middle school or high school, a major in their area of interest, along with the classes for certification will often be required.

However, for prospective teachers who do have bachelors’ degrees, the choices are slightly different. Individuals must first decide whether they want to teach in the area of their degree. If so, they will then take certification courses, adding education classes to their already-completed study area. In most states, this can be done in three ways:

• Taking bachelor’s level education courses
• Completing a master’s in education
• Completing a state-approved certification program (these are offered either through state colleges or through private companies that contract with the state)

Once the course requirements are met, there is usually a required semester of student teaching, and then all potential teaches must take their certification exams. In about half of all states, the certification exam is the Praxis. Praxis I is the general qualifying exam, with questions about educational theory and general knowledge. Praxis II is the exam for a specific area of qualification. The benefit for states that use the Praxis is that the testing is standardized, so teachers won’t have to take another exam if they move to another state.

Some states, however, prefer to use their own exams. In this case, also, there will be a general exam and a specialization exam. Unfortunately, these exams might not transfer to other states, and teachers might find that if they move, they will have to take new exams in another state.
Since more and more teachers come from other careers rather than straight from college, they bring a certain advantage to the classroom. They can help students get prepared for “real life”, for the realities of different careers and the challenges adults face in the workplace. It’s to everyone’s advantage to have students as well-prepared as possible, and to make as many connections as possible between academic subject matter and its real-life application. Second-career teachers have the experience to bring to students, along with stories they can tell and connections they can make. Anyone considering teaching as a second career can have much to offer.