Teaching as a career

In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college. These professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy and the science of teaching. Requirements for preschool teachers vary by country. Some require a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, while others require specialised teaching qualification certifications. Some teachers are licensed to teach preschool through grade 3. Others are licensed to teach grades 1 through 6 or 8. Some are licensed to teach middle school or high school. Some have a licence to teach a special subject.
The qualifications required to practice as a teacher varies in each country. There are different qualifications required for teachers of different levels. Here we have included India and U.K. as two examples.
U.K.: To teach in the U.K., you need to gain qualified teacher status (QTS). You can obtain this status on initial teacher training (ITT) programme, which is completed in one year. On completing the course by meeting minimum requirements, you will be awarded QTS and become a newly qualified teacher (NQT) ready to undertake your induction year.
Another route is through a Postgraduate Certificate in education. A PGCE takes one year to complete full time. If you want to do a PGCE or equivalent postgraduate qualification, you will need the experience of working with children, preferably in a school environment. Other routes include Early Years Teacher Training (EYTT), Teach First, SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training), School Direct, etc.
India: In India, B.Ed (Bachelor of Education) is an after-graduation degree course that makes you eligible to teach students in secondary and senior secondary schools. Choosing the right course to study will depend on the age group and/or subject you would like to teach. Think about what would suit you. Working in a school, while training will give you real experience, depending on the place where you live and the subject you teach.
Special Education Needs Teacher: A Special Educational Needs (SEN) teacher is specifically employed to work with children and young adults who need extra support or require an advanced programme of education in order to complete their learning successfully. A key aspect of working in this field is identifying individual needs and being responsible for creating a safe, stimulating and supportive learning environment.
Accrediting Organisations: The quality assurance and accreditation bodies have been authorised to operate by their respective governments either as agencies of the government or as private (non-governmental) organisations.
The arious accrediting bodies in the U.K. include The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England and The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) across the U.K. In India, it would be the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), etc.
Shyamala Elango is the Director, Educational Services at Inner Universe. She can be reached at elango.shyamala@inneruniverse.org.

• Supplements