Teaching as a career in India

Ranjan K Baruah *

One of the noble professions anywhere in the world is none other than teaching . It is a profession which is respected by all as we are learned and educated because of our teachers. Today, being 5th September is important in India as we observe Teachers’ Day all over the country. In India it is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

He was a renowned scholar, recipient of Bharat Ratna, first Vice- President, and second President of independent India. He was born on 5 September, 1888. As an educationist, he was a supporter of teaching and was a distinguished envoy, academician, and above all a great teacher.

Whenever I conduct a career awareness programme then one of the common aims in life shared by students is to become a teacher. There are many reasons why students say that they want to become teachers and one of the reasons is they see more job security when they become government teachers.

Though we need more passionate teachers, the interest amongst students is there to become teachers and we need to mentor them properly and try to make them aware of how to become successful teachers.

Let us explore how we can become teachers in India or abroad but more focus would be to become teachers in India. In India, one may be taught at the pre-primary, primary, upper primary or middle school, high school or secondary school or senior secondary, etc.

Some of the many institutes you can seek employment with include- Play schools, Nursery schools, Primary/elementary schools, Secondary and Senior Secondary schools, Junior Colleges , Colleges, Universities, educational research institutes , tutorials and even special schools for special children .

One needs to have skills along with qualification. One must have patience, effective communication skills, in-depth knowledge about the subject, confidence, understanding children or students, etc. We know from our experiences that we always love to hear a few teachers more than others because of their style of teaching and way they communicate.

A teacher should be initiative driven and passionate about the cause and role of teaching in the society and more importantly teachers must be like students so that they also learn continuously.

Teaching is the only profession where you need qualification and good marks. We need to be qualified so that we are confident when we deal with students. Apart from degrees there are special training and basic training courses which must be attained by the aspirants.

Aspirants who are willing to work with special children should have a special training or diploma or advance training programme which are offered by different institutes in the country.

Aspirants need to have Bachelors in Education (B.Ed) degree or they may also go for M Ed degree which will give them more advantage with employability and promotion. In case we would like to teach in the primary section or nursery section then we may undergo a few diplomas or other training courses.

Basic Training Certificate, Diploma in Elementary Education and Teacher Training Certificate are other teaching courses in India that can help someone to get a teaching job for the initial stage like nursery or primary, etc. Similarly to become a teacher in colleges or universities we need more qualifications and pass a few entrance exams like National Eligibility Test or State Eligibility Test.

Most of the state conducts Teachers Eligibility Test for different levels. Similarly one can also appear for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) conducted by the CBSE for appointment as a teacher for classes I - VIII in government and state schools as well as unaided private schools that accept CTET scores.

Apart from joining government institutes or private institutes, there are many NGOs working in the field of education and they also engage teachers. Young people may also start their career by joining a fellowship programme like ‘Teach for India ‘ or similar initiatives.