If you don’t feel that a desk job is for you, you may well have thought about a career in teaching. There are plenty of benefits to a teaching career, it’s an incredibly rewarding and creative profession. When you’re considering this path, the following advice will help you with some of the practical decisions ahead.

1 . Are you suited to a teaching career?

Before you make a decision it’s important to ensure that you are suited to a career in teaching. Teacher’s need to be calm under pressure, and adept at problem-solving. They need to be patient, and have great social skills, particularly with young people. Besides this, teaching requires great leadership skills, you’ll need the ability to improvise when things don’t go to plan. One of the most important attributes that teachers must possess is empathy. Pursuing any kind of career path involves careful consideration of your choice.

2 . Determining your talents & preferences

Next, you’ll need to spend a bit of time thinking about your talents and your teaching preferences. Do your talents lie in a particular subject, whether it’s drama, art maths or science? Perhaps you’re gifted with young children, or maybe teenagers are better suited to your teaching style? Establishing your interest and suitability will help you to pursue the right teaching career for you.

3. Get some experience

If you’re working toward this career, but you’ve never actually taught before, it’s well worth getting some experience. The best way to do this is to volunteer at a local school. Many schools are willing to take on volunteers for a short time period, on the condition that they have a background check.

Experiencing a classroom environment will help you to practice your teaching methods and build your confidence. You’ll also be able to pinpoint any areas of teaching that you find particularly difficult. Volunteering in a school is a great opportunity to chat with teachers, and get advice.

4. Choosing the right program

There are several routes into teaching, some people choose to complete a bachelor’s degree in education. This route takes four years and allows you to go into teaching roles straight after. If you’ve completed a degree in another subject you can get into teaching using your degree and a teacher-training program. All teachers must also pass a licensure exam and obtain teacher certification.

You’ll need to conduct proper research before choosing a college and a teaching certification program. Take a look at the National Council On Teacher Quality, to find the rankings for different programs. Take your time choosing a teaching program, ensure that you clear up any queries about the course and requirements before you get started.

When you’re considering a certain career path it can be helpful to find resources of inspiration. To get started, take a look at the teaching career of Michael DeNobile. Reading success stories can help you to get the motivation you need.