I'm about to start the teacher certification program at my University to get certified in Chemistry 8-12, but I keep on getting discouraged by former teachers who left the field because they hated it. They tell me that it's the most depressing job in the world and that I should stick to Accounting (what I got my degree in). I enjoy teaching and think that I would be a good teacher, but their words make me feel very

Please share your experiences and feelings toward your job! And if you have any advice for a successful first year of teaching?

I am also in school to become a certified teacher (but not in Chemistry, you smarty-pants!). I have also been told by others that I won't be satisfied with the paycheck or the job in general. I have a real passion for my subject matter (Spanish!) and I long to share my knowledge with those willing to learn. If your heart is in teaching- your opinion is the only one that matters.

I think you really have to have a PASSION for what you want to teach if you want to be successful. Teaching is a hard and grueling profession but very rewarding.

I wish I had continued my degree in secondary education - I think I would have been a good teacher...but it just wasn't meant to be.

Don't let anyone elses' bad experiences get YOU down! If YOU want to become a teacher then you do that!! You won't know if you don#t try

Make sure you'll actually get a job before you leave your field. Teaching jobs are scarce these days. Just a heads up. Don't believe the commercials or college admin. otherwise, yes, teaching can be very rewarding!

Originally Posted by happypiano

I'm about to start the teacher certification program at my University to get certified in Chemistry 8-12, but I keep on getting discouraged by former teachers who left the field because they hated it. They tell me that it's the most depressing job in the world and that I should stick to Accounting (what I got my degree in). I enjoy teaching and think that I would be a good teacher, but their words make me feel very Please share your experiences and feelings toward your job! And if you have any advice for a successful first year of teaching?

I am a teacher and would personally also tell you to stick with accounting. I was one of those people who thought, not me, I'll love it, what could be so bad? Why are my AP high school teachers telling me that they wouldn't do it again and to do something else? I had to see for myself. I should've known that teaching is not the same as when you are the student- it's a completely different experience. I should've known that my positive experiences with teaching during college facilitating language classes were not a realistic indicator of what teaching would be. There's good to it, yes. It's rewarding in its ways. It's complicated. Your expectations as a human being are different when you are a "teacher," and everyone and their mom is entitled to an opinion on you. You can PM me if you want- I'm just stating my experience as a 26 year old going into my 5th year.

I'm also a teacher, and I am taking what other teachers are telling you as advice.. it may not sounds like it, but it is. I researched a bit before I decided to get my credits and carried on.. The pay is terrible, even worst that I anticipated and unless you are lucky enough to get a director that gives a damn, you are most likely to feel very much unappreciated.. BUT it is quite rewarding in the sense that you will be making a difference in a child's life -THAT I can assure you I love my job and absolutely adore my kids, but the day I was reassured that I was doing more than I thought was the day that I taught one of my younger ones how to write, spell and read his name. I seriously almost cried when he came running to me: "Teacher Evy, I can read my name, watch!!" Best day ever.

If you have the passion for it, by all means do it

You have to really truly love what you're doing to be a teacher. It's not a great career and it's so easy to become stale and bored. There is too much interference by parents. The politics is a nightmare and the pay is awful. The vacations do not make up for it in any way.

Give me an office job or a cashiers job any day.. And this is coming from a me, having been in the game for 15 years and never, ever going back. I would rather pick oranges or prune our grape vines over going back to a classroom.

I'm not a teacher, but I've worked in a school for 8 years. Teaching is very rewarding but also very stressful. There are lots of politics and demanding requirements from the state. If your administrator sucks, you can have a horrible time teaching. I've thought about going to school to become a teacher...TONS of time off and the pay is excellent (starting salary is around $100,000 here) and I also love children. It definitely isn't for everyone though. If you feel like you'd be a good teacher and really want to be one, go for it! Don't let other peoples opinions change your mind.

Originally Posted by ChiChi143

I've thought about going to school to become a teacher...TONS of time off and the pay is excellent (starting salary is around $100,000 here) and I also love children. It definitely isn't for everyone though. If you feel like you'd be a good teacher and really want to be one, go for it! Don't let other peoples opinions change your mind.

Just need to comment here- I see you live in NYC. OP, most all teaching salaries are nowhere starting at this. I have several friends who work in NYC, one with her Masters, and she makes *nowhere* near this. So maybe you know specific cases of people who are doing teaching as their 2nd career and started higher on the pay scale, or at elite private schools, or something. I just don't want anyone to read this and get the wrong idea that there are places that value teachers enough to start them anywhere near they're worth

Originally Posted by ash14vwb

Just need to comment here- I see you live in NYC. OP, most all teaching salaries are nowhere starting at this. I have several friends who work in NYC, one with her Masters, and she makes *nowhere* near this. So maybe you know specific cases of people who are doing teaching as their 2nd career and started higher on the pay scale, or at elite private schools, or something. I just don't want anyone to read this and get the wrong idea that there are places that value teachers enough to start them anywhere near they're worth

That's why I stated that the starting salary is $100,000 where *I* am located because I know it's not everywhere. I've been told that the county I work in has some of the highest paid public school teachers in the country (and no, its not teachers in NYC that I'm referring to). I know teachers in other locations and they don't get paid nearly enough. Sorry if the OP read it wrong

Please tell the county.

I am a trained Spanish teacher.

Taught Spanish for several years, then moved to a different country, with the intent to leave teaching behind, that's how much I used to hate it.

In my new country, I get paid A LOT better (I make twice as much as I used to) and society in general is very respectful of teachers.

Furthermore, I am teaching a new subject matter and grade level, which helps.

Still, *if* you are living in the USA, I would discourage you from teaching. I agree, you should stay in accounting.

Teaching is demanding, draining, frustrating and like others have said, EVERYONE has an opinion on you. Parents can be hard to deal with, and so can administrators. The kids are the easy and fun part.

Yes, it's rewarding and I do enjoy many aspects of it, but there are sooooo many parts to teaching that take over your life and overwhelm every minute of your day.

If reincarnation exists, I hope I remember NOT to come back as a teacher, despite the positives part of the profession. That's how low the lows can be.

If you like teaching, planning, organizing, and are good with time-management (and are VERY well organized) then you will love being a teacher. You will be EXHAUSTED every day at first, no matter how much stamina you think you have (!) but you will love what you do.

But -- pick a school that fits who you are -- and do your absolute best to get hired there!!!!!!

I'm a former teacher. I taught Spanish for 8.5 years, and then made a career change last February. You have to be really passionate about it. I was passionate about it for maybe five or six years, but there's a lot that goes into teaching. In an ideal world, all children would want to learn [insert subject here] and would be willing to do the work, but I think one of the things that doesn't get publicized enough about teaching is that a very large percentage of your classroom period is devoted to classroom management. That can be exhausting sometimes.

My first job was in a private school and before I moved on to teach in a Montessori school, I did six weeks as a long-term sub in a public middle school. Whether a private or public school, there can be some politicking that occurs, especially in a private school. In those events, it's really important to have a school that has a good administration that will fight for its teachers. At the private school where I worked, they were more worried about their bottom line, and thus it wasn't unusual to hear the director say at a team meeting, "From a marketing persepctive, we have to implement X, Y, Z." That's off putting.

There were definite joys to teaching, though. I loved those "A-ha!" moments when a student was able to synthesize a lesson point and some of the parents were absolute dolls who were very willing to work with their children and the teachers. That is to say, these particular parents didn't come at an issue from the perspective of "I think you're wrong and my child is right." They were interested in ways to make the classroom relationship between their child(ren) and the teacher as fruitful as possible.

I do want to address the comment about teachers having tons of time off. In my experience that hasn't been the case. I think it's a lack of understanding when people think that because the kids are out for summer vacation that it must mean the teachers are as well. Teachers still have bills to pay, and some pick up jobs in the summer because that break is unpaid, or they work on curriculum planning during the summer, or starting their reading lists, etc. in the summer, or take a course that's necessary to keep the certification up to date.

Hey Crystalina! You were so helpful for me when I started teaching with giving advice and info. I am glad you are loving your job now.

LADC... I see you are also an ex Spanish teacher. Do you mind me asking what career you are in now, or pming me it? I ask because I am a Spanish teacher too. I am always looking at other things I can do with it- I just posted a thread about Master's programs and am looking at one in translation but don't know if that will result in a job very easily. I have heard/seen so many turnaround stories of Spanish teachers at schools- it seems hard to keep people in it. I have a few theories on why this is, but that's neither here nor there. I love knowing that there's people who found a new life after teaching :)