In fact, the best thing you can do before you become a fully qualified teacher is to get a feel of the atmosphere in schools or colleges. It is very different from working in a corporate office. So start out with school office jobs. Check out the territory first. In my experience, which is, if I might say so myself, quite vast, all high schools are pretty much the same.
Pointers and Tips
The kids all over America are more or less similar and the environment you will be facing, wherever you go, will be the same. Exceptions of course are Beverley Hills and private schools. But the only thing different in those areas is that the students are really wealthy. Beneath all that money, they're the same as your average suburban kid!
Classroom jobs are really rewarding. I cannot explain to you the sense of achievement I feel every time I understand that I have managed to explain a concept clearly to some kid or the other or have managed to drive a point home. It really makes you feel good and you think ''hey, I'm a good teacher''!
If teaching has always been your passion, I suggest you start small, with student jobs. Yeah, that's right; you can assist your teachers at school or conduct little tuition classes for the neighborhood kids. It's all about practice. After all, as we know too well, teaching today is not just about knowing a subject well, no sir. It requires you to handle kids or children too.
You have to be extremely patient and understanding. In fact, you have to present yourself not as a teacher but as your student's best friend! You have to be the person they turn to for help, the person they turn to when they're sad and the like. Teaching jobs involve you to do a lot more than just ''teaching'' nowadays and every aspiring teacher would do well to keep that in mind.
Be Thorough
Whether you're looking for school jobs or college jobs, I have to say that it is extremely important for you, as a teacher to know your subject because students these days are very clever. If your foundation is shaky, trust me, they'll be able to tell immediately!
And you don't want to look stupid in front of them. School jobs require you to be dynamic - they require you to be someone with a personality. Don't disappoint your pupils! When you're looking for school jobs, be sure that you are prepared thoroughly to face the music!
