How to become a teacher in India - The ultimate career guide

Teaching an individual is like supporting discovery every minute.

One who will be looked-up to as an idol and sometimes replaced as a parent.

It is a major responsibility on every aspiring teacher and successful teacher to take care of students in every way

because let’s remember we are dealing with Young MINDs & Soft Hearts!

Passion! Perseverance! & Patience! Are 3p’s which define a teacher! Teaching was, is and will always be a noble profession. It not only focuses on educating individuals but grooming them with skills and values for life and livelihood.

Imparting knowledge, building Character, shaping personality, nourishing their ideas and guiding them to decisions which will benefit their future is the job of a teacher.

Holistic development provider quality is looked in a teacher. One who can understand the student emotionally and practically and guide them likewise.

If you are aspiring to be a teacher, then we are sure you possess excellent communication skills, desired level of education credentials and class engaging personality.

There are different levels in teaching like:

Pre-Primary school teacher
Primary School teacher
High School/Secondary school teacher
Senior Secondary school/Pre-University Course(PUC)
Professor/lecturer
Special educator

1. Pre-Primary school teacher

Pre-primary school teacher handles the age group of 3-5 years in India. The minimum eligibility to become a pre-primary school teacher is graduation following which some certifications like BTC(Basic training certificate), D.Ed(Diploma in education) and TTC(Teachers training course). Other than these courses you can also peruse NTT(nursery teachers training ) or D.E.C.E(Diploma in early childhood education) after 12th grade.

One can also peruse ETE(Elementary Teacher educat90ion) for 2 years, B.EI.ED(Bachelors in elementary education) for 4 years or D. EE(Diploma in elementary education).

Salary – Average salary varies from 12,000/- per month to 15,000/- per month depending on the level of teaching, the background of the school and the responsibilities undertaken.

2. Primary School teacher

Primary school teacher handles the age group of 6 - 12 years in India. Qualification required to become a primary school teacher is B.EI.ED(Bachelors in elementary education) for 4 years or D.EI.ED(Diploma in Elementary education in India) for 2 years or ETE(Elementary teacher education) for 2 years.

Primary school teacher’s responsibility increases in terms of value building, concept delivery, skill development, interactive sessions, life and social skills.

Salary - Average salary varies from 15,000/- per month to 18,000/- per month depending on the level of teaching, the background of the school and the responsibilities undertaken.

3. High School/Secondary school teacher

High school teachers will handle students from 6th Class to 10th Class. Teachers focus on aligning the attitude and character of the students as they will be dealing with pre-teens and teens in this particular age group. Teachers have to be approachable and compassionate to understand the emotional turbulences of students during this phase and help them pass through it safely.

B.Ed(Bachelor of Education) degree and a post-graduate degree is required as education credentials to become a high school/secondary school teacher. Post-graduation can be done in any discipline of your choice.

Salary - Average salary varies from? 18,000/- per month to 22,000/- per month depending on the level of teaching, the background of the school and the responsibilities undertaken.

4. Senior Secondary school/Pre-University Course(PUC)/Junior College

Intermediate schooling of 2 years duration, a teacher here will be instructing students of class 11th and 12th also called as PUC 1 & 2. The teachers are required to teach specific subjects of specific streams like science, commerce or arts. It’s more like teaching specializations subjects which are building blocks for the major years of higher education like degree/diploma/specialized course and much more.

Education criteria of senior secondary school teachers’ B.Ed(Bachelors of education) and master degree in any discipline both being a minimum aggregate of 55%. Can also attend central/state-specific eligibility tests to get qualified for central/state government based school teaching jobs. CTET(Central teacher eligibility test), STET(State teacher eligibility test).

Salary - Average salary varies from 22,000/- per month to 25,000/- per month depending on the level of teaching, the background of the school and the responsibilities undertaken.

5. Professor/lecturer

After a degree and a master degree, the candidate should apply for SLET or NET examinations to qualify for a PhD. An average of 4-6 years is required to complete a PhD depending on the program design, study subject and institution.

SLET (State eligibility test) or NET (National eligibility test). SLET is re-christened as SET(state eligibility test for lectureship). It is conducted in the month of June. NET is conducted twice a year in the month of June and November. The difference between them is NET cleared candidates can apply for assistant professor’s post in any of the institutes or colleges across India.

After clearing the NET exam, the candidates who apply for the M.Phil/PhD programme are given an award called JRF(junior research fellowship), which is for 2 years along with a monthly stipend. Post 2 years they are promoted as senior research fellow based on their performance the fellowship can get extended to three years also.

The ascending rank of a teacher is lecturer – assistant professor – associate professor – professor.

To become a lecturer in any college, normal master degree is required. Once the candidate completes his/her PhD, the job role begins as an assistant professor, then associate professor then professor which largely depend on research and experience of individuals.

Salary - Average salary of the lecturer to professor varies from lecturer being lowest 25,000 – 35,000 per month to the professor being highest 80,000 - 1, 00,000 per month depending on the level of teaching, the background of the college/institute and the responsibilities undertaken.

6. Special Educator

A teacher who focuses on working with children/youth with special needs. The teacher here works with students with cognitive, emotional, physical, disabilities. Their primary focus is teaching them basic literacy and life skills. Here the responsibility of the teachers is higher than any above as they will have to extend their educative hand to the children’s parents in order to fasten the learning process.

Candidates need to peruse B.Ed. (bachelors of education) specializing in special education or Diploma in special education to become a special educator. It can be supported with different courses available by private organizations and NGO’s to make education much more effective and updated.

Salary – Average salary of a special educator in India varies from 18,000 per month to 35,000 per month depending upon the performance and qualification of the individual.

All the best to all the aspiring teachers! Happy teaching!!

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