SO YOU WANT TO BE A TEACHER? A guide for current and prospective students in Aus

So you want to be a teacher ... or are at least considering the possibility?

The purpose of this book is to assist you to better understand what the teaching profession involves. It is written by two people who are passionate about teaching. Throughout the book you will hear from many successful practising teachers, all of whom were finalists in the National Excellence in Teaching Awards. Woven through their words and practical advice, you will hear their passion for teaching, too.

But teaching is not for everyone. So this book attempts to describe the realities of teaching — the frustrations, stresses, myths — because we want you to have a realistic and honest assessment of the pathway to teaching and the experience of teaching. If you choose teaching for a career, choose it with your heart and your head.
Everyone has been to school, but a student only sees a small section of what a teacher does. So we begin by explaining the role of a teacher, to show what teachers actually do with their time.

We then explore why you might want to be a teacher and the qualities of a successful teacher, so that you can consider whether you fit the profile. Then we balance this by discussing why you might not want to be a teacher, not to discourage you, but to ensure you know the full story, not just the warm and fluffy part

You’ll want to know about the pay and conditions, but may feel awkward about asking, so we discuss this too.

Then we look at how you will train to be teacher — the university course and related work. This connects with choices about where you might specialise or focus your career, because this may influence your choice of university units as well as your employment decisions.

If you become a teacher, it is helpful to know what employers will expect of you and how you can ensure you succeed, so we discuss this, with the help of advice from those in the field.

Because education is changing, just like any other industry, and it will typically be four years before you are read y to begin teaching, we offer a peek into the future.

We then hear from a teacher who reflects on her first year in the profession. The final section outlines one teacher’s journey. It highlights the different experiences students may have of education and the different motivations that drive people to become teachers. If you are considering teaching, you probably found school reasonably successful and enjoyable. This story, on the other hand, provides a real-life account of the distress that school can cause for some students, but has a surprising ending, because the distressed student became a teacher.

We hope you find this book helpful as you consider teaching.