Acharya Devo Bhava

My mother is a teacher and I have always admired her and the respect and love she gets from her students, I want to make a career in teaching but my parents say that it is the last resort of choosing a career option. What should I do? I want to become a science teacher. How can I succeed in this profession? Poornima, Ved Vihar

To succeed in any career interest plays a very vital role. If being a teacher interests you, then you should go for it. As the Sanskrit hym goes, “Acharya Devo Bhava”, Indian tradition equates the teacher to God and has been the key note of Indian culture since ages.

Whether it is religious gurus , Dronacharya, Kripacharya or Vashisht, or whether it is preachers, Shankaracharya or Ramananda Paramhansa, or whether it is the 2oth century educationists like Dr.Radhakrishnan, Shri J.C. Bose, Dr. Amartya Sen (US resident and Nobel Laureate) and our most beloved Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, India has acclaimed and honoured these great personalities with regards.

Teachers are the catalyst for social changes in the society; who not only polishes the student’s intellect and aptitude but also shapes up their entire personality. A teacher’s occupation is a service to humanity and he/she bears the responsibility of creating a better future by nurturing and proper programming the minds of today’s children.

As quoted by Dr. Abdul Kalam Azad, “teachers lay the foundation for creating enlightened citizens for the nation.” Of late In India, teaching is considered a stagnant profession with few opportunities for career progression, as promotion in this sector is based on seniority and not performance.

It has been observed that teachers are underpaid and overlooked and the working hours are long when compared to the few obvious benefits. India currently faces a shortage of over 12 lakh (1.2 million) teachers, according to estimates by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. However, contrary to this popular perception, teaching in India is now a relatively well-paying profession.

Prior to the 6th Pay Commission, the ratio of average teacher salaries to the national per capita income was 3:1 (2006). This ratio is now 5:1. Lately, India is seeing a steep rise in the opening of many private and government schools and institutes and owing to this, the demand for best faculties is also on a rise. Therefore, it’s time for job seekers to rejoice including freshers.

If you have a:

• Passion for teaching,
• Are a compassionate leader
• Have always dreamt of shaping the lives of young people
• Possess the talent to communicate easily with children
• Are Competent (Master of his/her subject), Enthusiastic, Approachable, Motivating, Friendly, Warm, kind and sympathetic
• Can connect with Compassion
• Possess Assertive Communication Skills and are a good listener
  

Then you can make a real difference by choosing teaching as your profession. It is a very challenging profession as you have to cater to students with varied learning styles.

Some of the benefits of a teaching profession include:

• The working hours are comfortable and not too long;
• Personal chores can be taken care of once you are back home;
• Every summer you get an off from work;
• Additional two weeks of holidays in winter and after the first term
• Unlike IT, Sales and Marketing, Finance etc. you are not under the constant stress of achieving fixed targets. You can set your own targets and get respect while achieving them
• Teaching can never be affected by industry recession
  

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." - John Cotton Dana. A potential teacher should be always eager to learn continuously. Therefore, after your Bachelor’s degree, pursue a Masters in your desired subject and become a specialist by doing M. Phil. or Ph.D. Other than teaching in schools and colleges, you can also work in educational research institutes or become self employed by starting institutes/tutorials. Those who have organizing ability have a further scope to become a principal, vice-chancellor in the management level.

Thanks to the pay commission, teacher’s today get salaries that are pretty comparable to the industry standards. The pay packet is the best in government-owned schools and colleges. A teacher in central school teaching primary classes gets a starting salary of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 depending on the class that he or she teaches.

The government schools offer perquisites such as quarters and commutation and medical allowances. Private schools usually offer a higher package of Rs 15,000+ depending on the class, education, and experience of the teacher. For teaching in colleges, you will earn about 40,000 and above depending on your education and experience.

However, the selection method for a lecturer or professor position is stringent and you may need to clear several entrance exams.If you are passionate about teaching and are initiative driven then nothing can stop you from succeeding in this noble career. Follow your heart; roll up your sleeves and march ahead to chase your interest. All the best!!

Top Universities Offering B Ed Correspondence

• Annamalai University
• Bangalore University
• Jamia Millia Islamia Institure of Post Graduate Studies and Research
• University of Kerala, Institute of Distance Education
• University of Madras
• Maharishi Dayananad University
• Mother Teresa Women's University
• Patna University
• SNDT Women's University
• Madurai Kamaraj University
  

To educate you need to be first educated and teaching in schools needs a B Ed degree and some of the colleges that offer this course are:

• Bombay Teacher's Training College, Mumbai
• Lady Irwin College, Delhi
• Andhra University, Visakhapatanam
• SNDT Womens University, Mumbai
• K.J. Somaiya Comprehensive College of Education, Training and Research, Mumbai
• Jamila Milia Islamia University, Delhi
• University of Mumbai
• A.G. Teachers College, Ahmedabad
• University of Kolkatta
• Vignan College of Education, Hyderabad
• Nizam College
• Malla Reddy College of Education, Hyderabad
• Shadan College of Education, Hyderabad
• St Alphonso’s College of Education, Hyderabad
• Anwar Ul Uloom college of Education, Hyderabad
• Presidency college of Education for Girls, Hyderabad
• Global College of Education, Hyderabad
• St Ann’s College of Education, Hyderabad
• Andhra Mahilla Sabha College of Education, Hyderabad

By: Shehre Banu Kagalwala