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How to Become a Teacher

By Martina Mascali, Monster Contributor
teacher standing in classroom

If you are looking for a rewarding profession in education that allows you to easily find employment almost anywhere across the U.S., consider learning how to become a teacher. According to the country’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, the United States is facing a shortage of about 300,000 teachers and staff. This makes teachers highly sought after and able to find anywhere, although they are needed most in rural and suburban areas.

Wondering whether you have what it takes for this career? In this article on how to become a teacher we answer all your questions, like “how many years does it take to become a teacher?” and “what education is needed to become a teacher?” plus we show you the different career paths you could take.

What Is a Teacher and What Does a Teacher Do?

Teachers are educators of students from preschool through high school. This job is, rightly, considered essential in our society. Teachers help students lay the foundations of their education by teaching them important skills and preparing them for the future. The end goal is to get students ready for what comes after graduation - adulthood.

Whether students want to continue to further their education and go to college or enter the labor market, teachers work hard so that students have all the basic knowledge and skills to do one or the other, or even both at the same time.

Even though teachers' duties vary depending on their area of expertise and where they work, there are certain responsibilities that most careers in teaching require you to handle, including:

  • designing and facilitating differentiated and personalized learning goals and activities that follow a coherent sequence, are aligned to instructional goals, and engage students in high-level cognitive activity.
  • Demonstrating academic competence, and displaying an inclination for developing integrated and interdisciplinary work across the curriculum.
  • Maintains a growth mindset toward student learning, teaching practices, and personal and collective professional development.
  • Participating in meetings and conferences.
  • Tracking students’ academic progress, and recording and communicating information to other teachers, students, and parents or guardians.
  • Attending trainings and on-going professional development opportunities.
  • Using a variety of teaching resources to facilitate learning, such as curriculum materials, technology, supplemental printed materials, field trips and guest speakers.

Where Teachers Work

Teachers work in private and public schools, mostly in classrooms (or school sport facilities for physical education teachers). However, in this role you may also work at home grading papers, researching materials, and preparing for lessons.

What Does a Teacher’s Schedule Looks Like?

One thing all teachers share in their schedule is having the summer off. However, outside this one teacher’s schedule can look very different from another as it all depends mainly on three aspects:

  1. the school you work in and its hours of operation
  2. how much work you bring back home with you
  3. how involved you are with after school activities (like tutoring students or help with school events)

Most elementary, middle, and high school teachers work Monday through Friday, usually from 6:30 am until 2:30 pm, or from 7:30 am until 3:30 pm. Plus, mi9ddle and high school teachers often stay late a few days a week to tutor students or help them with extracurricular activities.

How to Become a Teacher

Whether you want to know how to become a math teacher, how to become a history teacher or any for any other subject, follow the steps below. However, there are some small differences when it comes to the requirements for teachers of other age groups, so check out our articles on other teaching careers:

Now, it’s time to look at the most common requirements you’ll have to satisfy for how to become a teacher and easily find more job opportunities, including answering the question “what degree do you need to be a teacher”.

Teacher Education Requirements

Wondering if can you teach with an undergraduate degree? College, in most situations is required as you need at least a bachelor’s degree in education if you want to teach in PK-12 schools. And, if you’re a preschool teacher, you need at least an associate degree.

There are, however, some positive exceptions and for those who want to know how to become a teacher without a degree in education. If you are eager to become a schoolteacher but, for example, you have a different degree or are still a student, you can pursue opportunities in parochial or private schools which, in some states, often have less strict requirements for their teachers. Another option is to work as a teaching assistant, also known as teacher's aide, and support a lead teacher while also learning on the job.

Teaching Certifications and Licensing Requirements

To become a teacher and actively start working, in most PK-12 schools across the country you’ll need to first obtain a teaching certificate or license for your state. So, how to get a teaching certificate?

As teacher certification requirements vary by state and often change, when it comes to how to get a teaching certificate, one answer doesn’t fit all and it’s always best to rely on the information on your state government’s official website. In most states, to get a teaching certificate you must complete a teacher education program typically consisting of a combination of courses, seminars, and hands-on fieldwork. You also need to pass one or more educator skill tests. The exact number and type of tests you’ll have to take depends not only on the state but also on your certification area.

How Long Does it Take to Get a Teaching Certificate?

Consequently, the answer to how long does it take to get a teaching certificate also changes from state to state. For example, to alleviate the pain of the teacher crisis on the population, many states make it easier to begin a teaching career. They do so by adopting faster processes and adhering to interstate teaching license reciprocity agreements.

What Happens if You Move to Another State?

Since the requirements to teach vary by state, your teaching license is not necessarily transferable if you move. In 43 states and the District of Columbia, out of state teachers seeking a license must take additional assessments, courses, and tests. In 37 states plus the District of Columbia the requirements for experienced and inexperienced teachers also differ. And military spouses are eligible for special reciprocity in 38 states.

There are however eight states that offer full teacher license reciprocity, allowing you to be eligible for a standard teaching license without a long process or tons of requirements. These are:

  • Arizona
  • Florida
  • Hawai’i
  • Illinois
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma

For the sake of example, let’s go ahead and look at how the requirements differ between Texas, California, and Florida:

How to Become a Teacher in Texas

To become a teacher in Texas you need to fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Earn a bachelor's degree or higher from a university that is accredited by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
  2. or gain a CTE certificate if you wish to work as a career and technical education teacher.
  3. Complete an approved Educator Preparation Program.
  4. Pass the teacher certification exams.
  5. Apply for your Texas teaching certificate.
  6. Complete a criminal background check.

For more information and updates visit the TEA (Texas Education Agency) for Texas.

How to Become a Teacher in California

Depending on the type of teaching you want to do, the requirements to become a teacher in California might be slightly different. For example, to teach in elementary schools you must earn a multiple subject teaching credential, while for high schools you need a single subject teaching credential. The most common requirements overall though include:

  1. Complete a bachelor's degree or higher from a state-accredited college or university.
  2. Satisfy the basic skills proficiency requirement.
  3. Verify your subject matter competence with one of the allowed methods, such as completing a commission-approved subject-matter program or earning a degree major in the subject area being sought.
  4. If interested in teaching in k-12 schools, pass the reading instruction competence assessment (RICA).
  5. Take a college-level course in the U.S. constitution, or pass an examination given by an accredited college or university.
  6. Complete a teacher preparation program.
  7. Receive a formal recommendation for your credential from the program sponsor.

Check out the CTC (Commission on Teacher Credentialing) for California to explore all your options to fulfill the credential requirements and become a teacher in California.

How to Become a Teacher in Florida

To become a teacher in Florida’s public schools and many private schools as well, you need to do the following:

  1. Earn a bachelor's degree or higher from a Florida's accredited public and private college or university.
  2. Apply for a Florida Temporary Certificate in your teaching subject.
  3. Fulfill the requirements listed on your Official Statement of Status of Eligibility (SOE) and send official documentation to the Bureau of Educator Certification before your Temporary Certificate expires.
  4. Find employment in a public school or a nonpublic school by following a state-approved program.
  5. Pass a fingerprints and background screening.
  6. Receive your Florida Teacher Certification by submitting all official transcripts and additional. documentation to the Bureau of Educator Certification.

Visit the BEC (Bureau of Educator Certification) for Florida to submit your application or read more about the process.

Skills Needed to Be a Teacher

The path for how to become a teacher involves more than just fulfilling the teacher education requirements, as there are certain skills teachers needed as well, including:

  • great communication skills
  • the ability to identify a student’s learning style and apply the best teaching methods accordingly
  • familiarity with computer software and the internet and their use in instruction to enhance student learning
  • the ability to organize tasks and manage your time to meet deadlines
  • capacity to serve as a role model for positive, pro-social behavior, modeling respect, responsibility, integrity, empathy, and professional boundaries

How Much Is a Teacher’s Salary?

When working in optimal locations and having the right experience, becoming a teacher could see you enjoying one of the best high paying careers in education. Satisfy your curiosity and find out the averages alary for teachers in your area by visiting Monster’s Salary Tool.

Here are a few examples:

How to Find Teacher Jobs

Now that we’ve told you all about how to become a teacher and showed you different teachers’ salaries, it’s time to share a few tips about finding teacher jobs. Even though opportunities are abundant in this industry, remember that in order to find the best teaching jobs it’s still important to have an optimized resume and cover letter.

We’re here to help. Read our teacher resume sample to help you write your own, and check out our teacher cover letter sample to be inspired.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the top five states with the highest concentration of elementary school teacher jobs are:

The same reliable source also reports that the top five U.S. metropolitan areas with the most high school teacher jobs are:

Fulfill Your Dream of Becoming a Teacher with Help from Monster

After learning how to become a teacher it’s time to join Monster and activate the notifications so you always know about new teaching opportunities in your area. Remember to post your resume to your Monster’s profile so hiring managers can reach out to you with jobs requiring your skills.