Does Anyone have a Bachelors...

[MrsAtkinson]

in a field other than teaching or education?

My Bachelors will be in Professional Aeronautics and my Masters will be a Master of Arts in Teaching. Did you find it difficult to find a job?

Thank You in Advance!

[MsCoffeeLover]

Mrs. Atkinson,

Teaching is my second career as well. I have a bachelors in Sociology and Health Education. Returned to school ten years later to get a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education grades 1-8.

Teachers are really in demand--especially here in SC. Teachers are in such demand that there are alternative certification programs.

With your previous and amazing experience and now a masters in education, you shouldn't have a single problem getting a job. Wait!! You were a marine too?

You are totally one of the most awesome candidates for a teaching job!

[Chef Dave]

I got my job as a culinary arts teacher using my associate's degree in culinary arts and the state requirement that I have at least 6,000 hours of on the job food service experience. The fact that I also had a bachelor's and master's degree in education was actually incidental to CTE requirements.

And yes, I agree with MsCoffeeLover that your background as a Marine will be most useful. The corps embodies a lot of positive attributes that any employer would love i.e. responsibility, dedication, punctuality, orderliness, and a sense of personal honor to name but a few. I even like the motto, "Improvise, adapt, and overcome."

By the way - are you familiar with the joint U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program, "Troops for Teachers?"

http://www.proudtoserveagain.com/

If you are not already familiar with this program, you might want to look into it. The program was designed to help facilitate the transition from the armed forces into the public schools.

Also - in terms of future employment, you might want to consider the DoDD schools. I'm sure they'd welcome a Marine with open arms.

Best wishes and welcome to the field of education!

[MrsAtkinson]

Wow!! Thank You both for your help!! It all shed some EXCELLENT light!!!

[wannabeteacher]

ChefDave -

I am trying to go a similar route as you to become certified to teach Marketing Education......can you tell me more?

Per my states requirements if I am reading it right I just need a degree in the subject area (which I have a BBA in Marketing), work experience and pass the content Praxis exam.

How did you then go about applying for employment?

Thanks

[Chef Dave]

ChefDave -

I am trying to go a similar route as you to become certified to teach Marketing Education......can you tell me more?

Per my states requirements if I am reading it right I just need a degree in the subject area (which I have a BBA in Marketing), work experience and pass the content Praxis exam.

How did you then go about applying for employment?

Thanks

Regarding certification, contact your state's department of education and ask to speak to someone in the certification office. Confirm that your understanding is correct and request a certification application. Most state websites will also allow you to download the application from their site.

In Arizona, certification applications must be accompanied by a photocopy of a fingerprint clearance card. Anyone who works at a school (including substitute teachers and aides) must have a fingerprint clearance card which is issued by the state police. It's essentially verification of a criminal background check.

Your state website or certification office should be able to tell you whether or not there are any additional requirements beyond taking the praxis, having a degree in your subject area, and having X amount of work experience.

Be aware that there will be a charge for certification.

Different states also have different types of certification. I currently have a provisional certificate that is non-renewable and only good for three years. To get my standard certificate, which is renewable every six years, I will have to pass a state test, Knowledge of Secondary Instruction. I also have to take a class on the Arizona constitution.

You should also be aware that certification may be accompanied by a continuing education requirement. I haven't really paid too much attention to this since I'm working towards my standard certification ... but I know that I'll be required to demonstrate having taken a certain number of hours of continuing ed in order to renew the standard certification, six years after the initial issue.

In terms of finding a job, I sort of did things backwards. I found a job BEFORE I went to the time and expense of pursuing certification.

While living in Pennsylvania, I googled jobs for chef instructors and found a job in Pennsylvania as well as two in Arizona. The one in PA wanted me to have a minimum of ten years of restaurant experience. That was a bit more than I had. As it turned out, this was a district requirement and not a state requirement.

The districts in Arizona were more promising. After reviewing my on-line job application and resume, one of the districts invited me to visit. They paid for my motel bill though I had to pay for the airfare and rental car.

As it turns out, they didn't hire me - but the other district did.

At that point I went through the fingerprint clearance application process and then applied for my provisional certificate. The district wouldn't hire me until I had all of the right documentation but everything worked out well and I've been on the job now for seven months.

One thing I like about my job is that I appear to be well appreciated. My predecessor sort of fell into the job having started out as a home economics teacher. Home economics is a defunct program in Arizona ... and a lot of former home ec teachers are now culinary arts instructors.

The only problem with this is that most of them don't have restaurant experience. Since culinary arts is supposed to prepare students to work in the food service industry, home economics teachers are at an increasing disadvantage as our state mandated curriculum continues to evolve.

Teachers without "real world" experience are challenged to prepare their students because they don't know what it's actually like to work in a restaurant.

Since I just came out of a restaurant, I know exactly what the average employer is looking for in terms of the skills and knowledge required by entry level personnel. The fact that I am a former elementary teacher has also been a big help to me because it's helped me understand, interpret, and implement the state standards.

[sgaestel]

Bachelor's in English! Currently teaching and working on certification!

[Teachling]

Teaching will be my second career too. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting & MBA in IT management. Currently I am elgible for a probationary certificate & will be doing some traning this summer. I'm also a vet but don't qualify for the Troops to Teach since I got out in the
90s! :(

[dsmms]

I received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 1985 and a Masters in Education in 2006. With a Bachelors in Professional Aeronautics and a Masters in Education, I am sure you will have no problems finding a job!

Donna

[Ms. Bell]

I have a bachelor's and master's in political science. I was working as a paralegal and planning to attend law school when I got laid off 3 years ago. A friend of mine suggested teaching. I originally wanted to get a job teaching social studies, got my cert. and figured it wouldn't be a problem since my degree relates to it, but since I don't coach, it's been almost impossible. I just got my certification in special ed after spending a year working as a TA in sp. ed. Now I'm just waiting for an offer. I live in the DFW area (Dallas/Fort Worth), and I've been told that the more in-demand school districts usually go by a hierarchy. First they select candidates with degrees in education, then alternatively certified individuals, then those working on cert. programs. Sadly, trying to land a teaching job has been hard for me.

[legobedan]

in a field other than teaching or education?

My Bachelors will be in Professional Aeronautics and my Masters will be a Master of Arts in Teaching. Did you find it difficult to find a job?

Thank You in Advance!

can't imagine why that would prevent you from getting a job. a Bachelors in Teaching doesn't mean they learned content, just how to teach. and isn't that what your Masters is about? I'm sure you're fine. I'm a History/Philo BA

[August]

My bachelor's is in journalism. I did alternative certification. I quickly found a great job teaching 8th grade English.

My university and my certification program (which is also university-based) were both highly reputable, so that probably helped

[SciTeacherNY]

My bachelors is in biology and my masters is in education. I have had no trouble in finding in job. In fact, I think it is a plus.

[Boxcar]

I've got a BA in Early Childhood Development. This basically means I don't have a teaching license but am certified to teach. It is weird how not having that word "Education" at the end changes stuff.