More Options

Deciding to be a Teacher

When determining if a career in teaching is the right path for you, it is important for you to reflect, explore options, gather information and gain hands-on experience in the classroom with youth. As you learn more about the teaching profession, you may find that you refine your goals or pursue other pathways than originally planned. This is just fine. The most important thing is that you are making educated decisions about your future. Keep an open mind as you explore career possibilities.

Reflect

As with any career exploration, you should spend time reflecting on your career goals, interest areas, strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself why you want to work as a teacher, what it is that you like about teaching and what are your general strengths and skills. In the future, as you apply to teacher preparation programs, you will be asked to address why you want to pursue a career in teaching. The more reflection around this question that you do now, the better you will be able to articulate your answer on these admissions application questions.

Seattle University Career Services is a great place to begin your career exploration. Their office administers a number of self-assessments which can help you determine your values, skills, and interests.

Explore

Teaching is a demanding job requiring in-depth knowledge of subject content, age-specific pedagogy, and varied skills such as patience, leadership, and creativity, just to name a few. It is important for you to research the many pathways in education and gain as much experience in the classroom as possible. Doing so will help you decide which age-level(s) and which subject(s) you want to teach.

Gather Information

Websites - A large number of websites focus on the teaching profession. Samplings of these sites include:

Job Shadowing and Informational Interviews - The best way to learn about the teaching profession is to speak with current teachers. Contact your local school and request a meeting with a teacher or ask to job shadow for a day. Reach out to family, friends and others in your network to get connected with teachers. Invite teachers out for a cup of coffee and ask them what it is like to work in education. Through these conversations, you will gain a better understanding of the teaching profession.

Gain Experience

There is no better preparation for a teaching career than working with students in the classroom. While any work with children is important, specifically volunteering or working in a classroom is ideal and will be a requirement of application into teaching certification and master’s programs.

It is imperative that you gain experience in diverse classrooms and with diverse populations of students. Consider working with populations of youth that you have not yet been exposed: if all of your previous volunteer or work experience has been with youth in Grades 6 and younger, seek out experience working with middle or high school students. Consider shadowing or volunteering with a school that is considered to be high-need or high-risk (defined as a school where 40% or more students quality for the free or reduced lunch program).

To find volunteer or paid opportunities with youth in the classroom, try connecting with the following organizations:

Center for Service and Community Engagement
Seattle University Youth Initiative
Your local school district: directly contacting a school or school district office can be a great way to connect with opportunities in the classroom. Search online for contact information.

After completing your bachelor degree, you may want to gain experience before enrolling into a teacher certification or master’s program. Consider the following: