Sample+Career+Profile+(teacher)

Arthur Samuels Career: Teacher

__Tasks (what do people who have this job do):__ If you want to be a teacher you must love working with kids. Teachers teach subjects such as Math, English and Social Studies. [|While elementary school teachers teach all these different subjects, middle or high school teachers usually stick to one subject]. In addition to actually teaching the classes, [| teachers grade papers and projects]. They also speak with parents about how a student is doing in school. **Finally, they [|sometimes go to workshops in order to improve and develop their teaching] .**

__Level of education required (amount of years spent after high school, name of degrees, tests you have to take, licensing you have to get, if any):__ To be a teacher, [|you must have at least a bachelor's degree]. You must also get **certified to teach in a public school (which means you'll have to pass a certification exam)**, and in many states, [|you need to have a master's degree as well]. At private schools, the school may or may not require certification and may also require you [|to get a degree like a master's or a doctorate]. This means at least you will need **four years of education after high school, and you may need as many as ten or eleven if you get a doctorate.**

__Salary (amount at entry level, amount at mid-career, whether there are benefits):__ Teachers do not make a lot of money. [|In May, 2008 the average salary for a high school teacher was $54,390]. For private schools, it was a little less-- [|$48,420]. In New York, a starting teacher will make [|$45,530]. Teachers in New York also usually belong to the union, which means they have good [|medical and retirement benefits].

__Future prospects/chances of getting this job (what is the likelihood of landing this job in the future, and why is that the case):__ It is not clear whether it will be easy or difficult to get a teaching job in the future. Jobs [|can be hard to find]. In one school district on Long Island, there are [|3,620 applicants for only eight spots]. New York City has a [|hiring freeze] right now, which means some schools are not hiring new teachers at all. However, in some subjects, [|job prospects are excellent.]

__Average hours spent on the job (how many hours per week do most people who have this job work):__ [|Most teachers work more than 40 hours per week.] They spent about 7 hours per day teaching, but also need to grade papers and plan lessons when they are not in the classroom. [|Several coach sports or run clubs, and they may or may not also work over the summer.]

__What do I need to do in high school to get ready for this job:__ [|To be a teacher you must attend college (and you may need a Masters degree as well)]. You should get the best grades you can in high school so you can get into a good college.

__What do I need to study in college to be ready for this job:__ When you are in college, [|you will need to take some classes in education]. You will also need to do some student teaching, where you work with a more experienced teacher.