Teaching Jobs: Things You Should Know

Teaching is an appealing profession. Classified ads for teaching jobs, while fewer, still advertise good salaries and benefits. As baby boomers in teaching jobs near retirement the classifieds will offer more openings. A teaching job requires at least a minor concentration of courses in education which may include a student teaching experience. Many students who begin college become enamored with teaching jobs after surveying the employment landscape. Science, Chemistry, Physics and Math majors are finding teaching jobs in classified ads as these slots are in demand. After additional graduate credits and three years in the teaching job, tenure may be granted. Tenure granting is always a hotly debated issue as it amounts to lifetime employment. The matter is magnified now when one in seven people are jobless, and homes may be worth less than the mortgage owed. The public vents its ire on teachers who are perceived as overpaid for working a short day for two thirds of the year. On one hand good schools add to property values; on the other hand it is usually the second largest expense for property owners after the mortgage. So in light of the huge decline in home values and the economy as a whole, many school districts have embraced austerity by freezing salaries and furloughing teachers and staff.

History shows that teaching jobs ebb and flow and vary from region to region and from city to suburb. Disparities follow patterns of population, aging, sometimes geo-political trends and the economy. Many of today’s retired baby-boomers began teaching when the Vietnam War raged; college students entered the profession. Accepting its traditionally low pay they, in turn, were deferred from military service. Liking education, its benefits and tenure, many remained as pedagogues until retirement. New York City in the late 1960’s and early ‘70’s saw an influx of Puerto Rican citizens swell the student population; teaching jobs were in demand. But by 1976 New York City, facing bankruptcy began laying off civil servants –teachers among them. This scenario was common to many other metropolitan areas over the years. As unions strengthened, they achieved many gains for teachers-most notably pay and benefit issues. Today, teachers enjoy above average pay and security. This is not necessarily the case in urban settings where salaries remain low compared to the suburbs.

A senior, suburban primary school educator may earn significantly more than an inner-city high school principal! Pay issues aside, parents have come to depend on the teacher (perhaps to an extreme) to make up for their absence at home. Because property taxes and teacher’s salaries are inexorably linked, the school is first to blame when the student underachieves. Today’s parent is less likely to have time or resources to prepare the child for school, preschools are enjoying growth and offering teaching jobs. Free classifieds are a good place to look for them.  Teaching is a rewarding profession if one can focus on the classroom and avoid the politics. In the future, while the landscape may be different, there will always be a demand for teaching jobs. They may continue to be abundant in the preschools and in maths and sciences; but teaching jobs will be needed to retrain the unemployed and by adults seeking continued education in retirement. Also, many countries around the world seek U.S trained teachers. This is good news for both young and retired teachers seeking adventure. Keep your eyes on the classified ads to find the openings!