Have you considered teaching? | 06.04.10
From personal experience, I know as well as anyone that picking a major can be difficult – both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. You probably have tons of different interests, feel somewhat unfocused and want to find some direction.
One idea I’d like to pose to you is going to school to be a teacher. If your first reflex is to say, “Oh teachers don’t make any money!”, that urban myth is entirely unfounded in modern times. Just the other evening, I was looking over average salaries for high school teachers in Massachusetts, and there were maybe 2 or 3 schools out of a list of hundreds that had averages below $50,000 annually.
$50,000 per year, average. Even better, keep in mind that high school teachers usually only work 10 months a year… so you even get a built-in vacation to sweeten the deal. The salaries for college professors is undoubtedly even higher, so having advanced degrees can position you for some excellent earning potential.
Of course, there are a lot of soul-searching psychological aspects to teaching as well that should be kept in mind. Being a teacher is a huge responsibility: you’re not only imparting knowledge, but also contributing to the development of other human beings. There are many roles a teacher must play – instructor, mentor, counselor – and you need to be prepared and 100% willing to give it your all.
There also are a lot of financial aid benefits to being a teacher. Did you know that public service can get your federal loans forgiven (as in, any remaining balance is deleted from your account) in 10 years? If you selected a repayment plan like income based repayment, this means your payments will be low and manageable from day one and if you are not delinquent during the 10 years, the rest of your federal loans get canceled. Crazy awesome, if you ask me.
These are just a few of the benefits allotted to public school teachers… by all means, do some research and thinking. If you believe teaching is right for you, there are definitely many rewarding experiences waiting for you.
Scholarship Points Members: BEATEACHER – Expires July 4, 2010
5 Most Recent Student Loans Blog Posts:
The Student Loan Help blog is sponsored in part by:
i really love to teach not because i was pressured and force by my peers instead i have that principle that "live to teach" and not teach to live"..
Looks very promising
I read what it had to say and i don't think teaching is the job for me. But the information was good.
The article makes the profession sound very appealing, but my interests lie in architecture.
I am going into the Computer Science field, but thank God we have people who want to teach.
wow going to consider it
Teaching may seem like a good job to some, but I feel I need more cushion to my life if i wanted to do this full time (moneywise)
I would never become a teacher it's alot of pressure
Teaching counts as public service and forgives federal loans, no? Count me in!
online teaching is an option
Thought about it, it will be a great way to reach out to the community, maybe as a part time job.
I would enjoy teaching at a community college, but not in High School or below, due to diversity issues.
thank you for sharing us this article. i will do it when i gorw up because i love kids. they are cute and funny.
i think it sounds amazing the thing is dealing from monday to friday with some high school kids that might not even care. but it does sound good.