When trying to decide upon criteria for how we answer the question of where the best places for teachers to work are, the most important factor to consider is teacher satisfaction. This can give you a pretty accurate idea of the experiences that those in the profession have, but besides this area; teacher pay, opportunities for career development, work environment and the average hours worked can all give you added context.

Arguably the most important factor in a teacher’s degree of satisfaction is how their role is perceived in the context of the wider society. Countries where teachers are seen as part of the elite, or at the very least are respected as important members of society, generally show much higher teacher satisfaction. This is borne out in places like China, where teachers are seen as highly important, and Luxembourg, where teachers are seen as the elite.

Another important part is the remuniation teachers receive. This, in many ways, is not just about ensuring that a teacher can afford a high quality of life as it can play a big role in how teachers perceive the amount of respect they receive in society. If they see that other graduate level professions receive far larger pay packages, dissatisfaction will quickly follow.

Work environment; the day to day grind of what teachers go through, can vary a lot depending upon the country/education body in question. Research shows that respect in the classroom is very important in this area. In addition, not having too much administrative work to do can have a big bearing on how good the work environment is.

One thing that is clear to everyone is that teaching is not the career for everyone. The position requires people who are prepared to work in a pretty stressful environment and remain completely reasonable, which is a smaller portion of the public than you might expect. Typically teachers will work long hours too, as they try to work to manage classrooms, which takes up the school day, and then spend a couple of hours in the evening or early morning planning out lessons.

Because of all of these potential reasons not to become a teacher, if you’re thinking about becoming one you will benefit greatly by gaining experience before you start getting your teaching qualifications. You can do this by contacting schools or classroom aide schemes, where you will get to experience teaching as an aide alongside qualified, working teachers. This can be a great way for you to experience the education system from the perspective of teachers.

While working in schools, as a volunteer or otherwise, is one way to gain experience in teaching, there is the second option of tutoring students privately. Tutoring can be a great way to put into practice your teaching skills, although the one-to-one style of it may not be a perfect representation of what teaching a classroom can be like.

It is important that you try to experience education first-hand before you continue with your teacher training qualifications. Depending upon where you work and what other qualifications you have, learning to be a teacher can take anywhere from 1-3 years, which is a lot of time to spend doing something you may not be suited for. Experience can tell you whether or not the profession is right for you.

Moving to the UK to work as a teacher has a fair number of implications that you need to be aware of. What you need to bear in mind when you emigrate to a foreign country to work as a teacher is that you’re not just going to be exposed to a new culture but also a whole new employment system and a different style of education you’ll need to adapt to. You may also need to get re-qualified for a teaching position before you’ll be able to take a position as a teacher in a school.

One of the best things that you can do when moving to foreign country is to join groups which offer advice, support and people to socialise with before you even arrive. This can be done through the various ex-pat associations that you’ll find in your new home. If you get in touch with a teaching recruitment agency in Canada recruiting teachers to work in the UK, then they should also be able to help you in this area too.

The UK, like a lot of places, goes through tremendous efforts to encourage students from some of the top universities in the world to enter a career in teaching at state schools (in every other country known as public and, this time anyway, it has worked.

Over the last twelve years, the number of students from either Oxford or Cambridge (the top two universities in the UK) working as teachers has nearly doubled, and the profession is the most common career for all Oxford graduates.

While this is all a good thing, the evidence still shows that teachers from these schools are more than 3 times as likely to work in an independent school than a state run school, although the gap between the two has lessened.

The UK has introduced a number of benefits for skilled people to become teachers, including higher wages, bursaries for their university training and more. All of this has seen a marked increase in the number of students from top universities becoming teachers.

Finding highly skilled teachers can be quite difficult. This is basically down to the relatively low pay people can expect to receive for teaching in certain areas, such as those whom have degrees in maths and sciences (where careers in industry with these skills can pay considerably more). Often times what ends up happening is lower skilled individuals end up taking on careers in the teaching profession, which sometimes translates into worse standards in education in those subjects.

There are things that can and in some cases are being done to encourage some of the more highly skilled math and science university students to enter a career in teaching, including additional funding for their university degrees. This system is reminiscent of what is offered by the military for certain professions (such as a medical education), whereby additional funding is supplied to their education in return for a commitment of a set period. So, by agreeing to become a teacher for a few years, you could end up receiving a significant contribution to your own education.

If you are someone who enjoys travelling, and have a desire to teach or to help students abroad, then pursuing overseas teaching jobs may be a great option for you. Now is also a great time to do so, because the market is booming for teachers overseas. There are many great reasons that providing overseas education is a great opportunity for you to grow as a person, as well as professionally. There are also endless benefits for the children whose lives you are influencing. With that being said, here are 4 great reasons why you should consider teaching abroad!

1. Prime Benefits

You could very well land a decent salary with a great benefits package if you choose to teach in a foreign country. Your financial benefits may include housing, health insurance, retirement funds, and additional allowances. Not to mention, teaching abroad is a great resume booster for the new graduate teachers, students, or those who are looking for a change of pace, or career enhancement. Demonstrating that you are flexible and adaptable to change is a major advantage in your career. (more…)

There is no doubt that one of the most important professions to any industrialised society is teaching, which is one of the reasons why there will always be a demand for more teachers. This offers great job security to people, but there are a number of other reasons why a career in teaching may be right for you.

Teaching offers an above average starting wage, and the skills you learn to be able to teach a classroom and the experience you gain from just the first few years are applicable in a lot of other careers.

A lot of careers require you to constantly keep your skills up to date, which can cost money. This is not the case with teaching though, as the government will offer you plenty of opportunities to learn new techniques.

There are a lot of opportunities for teachers to advance there career as well, with perhaps your first position as an assistant teacher,you can then move all the way up the ladder to be a Head teacher / principal, or perhaps the head of a department. This is accompanied by a massive increase in wage as well, with many teachers in the UK ending their careers earning in excess of £40,000, and head teachers earning over £100,000.

This can vary massively depending upon the location, the subject you’re teaching, and the age of the pupils being taught, but in most of them it will consist of some degree of in-work training and a university course.

The in-work training can differ tremendously; from taking a position as a teaching assistant, where you begin to acquire the skills and understanding necessary to teach pupils in a specific; to starting off as a teacher in a probational role, where you have to contend with a lot of oversight. Sometimes this part of your training could take place during your teaching courses, and other times and locations it may well be after you’ve completed your university training.

Depending upon the age group you’ll be teaching, you may be required to gain additional degrees beyond a teaching qualification. This isn’t always necessary, but it can lead to greater opportunities for teachers in work, with better pay and better opportunities for career advancement. Typically, degrees are unnecessary for teachers of primary / lower schools, and having an education in the subject matter to a high school level is all you’ll need.

A Microsoft certification for education is a highly sought after certification for teachers, which will validate you as a teacher who is technologically literate. The Microsoft certified educator, or the MCE certification is recognised globally as a great qualification, and can be a massive benefit to teacher’s careers.

The MCE certification is gained by undergoing an examination, which will test your abilities in educating with technology. The test is widely viewed to be very vigorous and requires a fair amount of training and expertise to be undertaken successfully. Preparation is therefore essential, and Microsoft can help you in this regard, with a free learning curriculum for individuals looking to gain the qualification, called the Teaching with Technology e-learning curriculum.

This course is sometimes confused with another certification offered by Microsoft, the Microsoft Certified Trainer certification. This other course is where you can become certified in using Microsoft technological tools, such as Microsoft Office, which is also a good certification for teachers.

Career advancement is a very important thing in teaching, and it can be quite difficult as well. While those who’ve made other career choices have the ability to leave their current workplace and seek work (and a raise) at a new place, teachers are generally more limited.

To overcome this, schools try their best to provide clear career advancement opportunities in the same building, but taking advantage of this opportunity isn’t always so clear cut. As with most things, it comes down to striving at what you’re currently doing. This will over time result in your superiors relying on you more and providing you with more responsibilities which will eventually convert into increased pay and promotions.

Sometimes however, despite your best efforts, there is simply no position available above your current position, but striving is still a good choice, as it will be reflected in any letter of recommendation your employer could write for you.