There are a number of opportunities to teach, to get credentialed in K-12 education, and to gain experiences through teaching that are available to graduates other than the pursuit of Graduate Study in English. Below is information regarding many of these options. As the authors of this document (a set of Pitt faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates), we hope that this information will lead you to other sources of information and help you begin to make decisions and plans. Especially, we encourage you to talk to faculty members you’ve gotten to know through coursework about where your interests, commitments, and abilities might take you.
Degree and Certificate Programs
There are three kinds of educational programs that prepare people to teach in public primary or secondary schools: the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), the Master of Science in Teaching (MSEd), and the Teaching Certificate (described below).
1. The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a one- to two-year program during which students simultaneously take classes and participate in student teaching. Students will graduate with certification and a master’s degree. For secondary education, students must have majored in the subject area of their certification. For elementary education, many schools require scores from the “Praxis II Elementary Education Content Knowledge Test” and at least one reference from someone who has observed the student’s work with children. This degree generally differs from the MSEd (see below) in that coursework focuses mainly on the subject to be taught, rather than educational theory, although programs vary.
2. The Master of Science in Education (MSEd) is also a one- to two-year program, requiring student teaching and coursework. It is similar to the MAT in providing certification and a master’s degree, but its design is slightly different in its focus on questions of educational philosophy. The two degrees are so similar that a particular school will offer one or the other, but not both. Both the MAT and the MSEd prepare a student to teach a specific subject or elementary education, and their application requirements are often very similar. However, it is always important to check the requirements of the particular programs you are considering.
3. The Teaching Certificate offers an alternative to majoring in elementary or secondary education or pursuing the MAT or the MSEd. Teaching certificate guidelines vary from state to state but usually include the possibility of earning certification while teaching. Students seeking certification usually work closely with mentors while they complete the training process. Candidates for certification in a particular state must hold a bachelor’s degree and pass the state’s tests and screening process. In Pennsylvania, a student who wants to be certified to teach a particular subject at the secondary level must have majored in the subject area. For certification in elementary education, the student must pass the “Praxis Series Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge Test.” For general information about teacher certification, see the National Center for Education’s website, and you can also get information about Pennsylvania’s specific requirements.
Funding
Students in these degree programs are generally—but not in every case— responsible for funding their own education. Check with specific programs for details about funding options.
Investigating Graduate Programs
Keep in mind that certification varies according to state, and remember that the school you choose will determine the states in which you will be certified. Also, certificates with more requirements are more likely to be accepted by other states. To find out about programs in particular states, consult the Department of Education website for that state. For example, the website of the Pennsylvania Department of Education lists schools that offer certification in this state. However, there is no similar list of all Pennsylvania schools offering MAT and MSEd programs.
Because you will be living in the community where your program is located, be sure that you find out as much as you can about the living circumstances as well as about the academic reputation of the program. It can be helpful to visit a prospective school before you make a final decision about whether to attend it. Ideally, the state in which you hope to get a teaching job should be the state in which you seek certification and do your student teaching. Think carefully about the region of the country in which you would like to live and the kind of community in which you think you would thrive.
Also, since certification varies from state to state, be sure to consider which states will accept the certification you receive. Information about states who honor Pennsylvania certification may be found at the website for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
University of Pittsburgh Options
Pitt’s School of Education has a distinctive approach, and it is a good place to start for those interested in careers in education. See the School of Education website for information about the program. If you are considering applying to a graduate program in Pitt’s School of Education, you may find out more about the program—and find out about undergraduate prerequisites you need to complete—by scheduling an appointment with a pre-admissions advisor in the School of Education by calling 412-648-2230. Also, visit Pitt’s website for prospective graduate students in the School of Education.
Alternative Opportunities for Teaching
Teach for America is a program that allows college graduates to teach as full-fledged, salaried faculty members in rural or urban communities. Students can earn certification during this two-year commitment. In this national program, a qualified applicant receives training at a five-week training institute in one of five locations in the United States and is placed in a job where he or she will teach in a low-income community with the support of local faculty and the national organization. Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate subject area mastery by completing course work and/or passing an examination. Typically, people who teach in the program must enroll in a state-approved course while on the job and, if the teaching and the work are successfully completed, can earn a teaching certificate.
This national program is highly selective: in 2005, out of 19,000 applicants, only 2500 were selected. The program also places a high priority on recruiting African-American and Latino/Hispanic applicants from low-income backgrounds who have leadership skills as well as strong academic records. Teach for America has admirable social goals and offers individuals the opportunity to get a high-quality graduate education, teaching certification, and the experience of teaching at no cost while earning an annual salary ranging from $25,00 to $45,000 (figures from 2007). However, program participants do not have much choice about the location of their assignment.
Literacy Americorps is a program for volunteers who want to help build communities through literacy education. Full-time volunteers must work at least 1700 hours in a year. The organization provides solid support groups as well as training sessions that guidance and teaching materials. Members are placed at a service site of their choice for some training and then will spend at least 35 hours per week teaching or tutoring students, managing community volunteers, and serving at outreach events.
Volunteering requires some financial sacrifice, but the program offers, in addition to its non-material benefits, a living allowance of $11,100 for the year as well as allowances for health and dental care, child care, and transportation. Upon completion of the year of service, a volunteer will receive an education award of $4,725. There is a local service site in Pittsburgh. Visit Literacy AmeriCorps Pittsburgh online or call them at 412-661-7323 x 119.
Municipal Teaching Programs: In addition to these national programs, there are programs in some localities, especially metropolitan areas such as New York City and Philadelphia, that provide special fast-track forms of certification and fellowships for people who will agree to teach in their school systems for a specific period of time. You can probably locate these programs through the internet using search times such as “fast-track certification” and “alternate certification.”
Teaching English Abroad: Because the English language is used throughout the world, there is great demand for native speakers to work as teachers of English in nations whose official language is not English. A native speaker with a college degree willing to teach abroad for a year or more will find that there are jobs available in many countries. There are obvious benefits, financial and educational, that come with taking such a job. Teaching English abroad is a professional career offering great mobility, an excellent income, and a chance learn about other countries and cultures. Also, a temporary career of teaching English abroad can be a good option for people who want to take some time off after college to travel and still earn money, perhaps before going on to do graduate work.
There are a variety of jobs available. Types of teaching jobs, salaries, benefits, and workloads will vary greatly from country to country. Of course, classroom teaching is one possibility, practiced independently or with another teacher, in elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities. There are also state-supported and private language learning institutes. There are businesses and governments which hire teachers. Private tutoring can also provide part-time or supplemental work. Other side jobs, such as editing and writing, often turn up in connection with a teaching job. Obviously, the more experience and training you have, the better your chances are for finding an interesting and well-paid position. However, it is certainly possible for individuals with only a bachelor’s degree to get a job teaching in some countries. People new to the work are likely to be given a course outline for oral or written English or paired with an experienced teacher.
There are many ways to find jobs teaching English abroad. You can look for and apply for jobs on your own, using internet sources such as TransitionsAbroad.com or any contacts available through Pitt’s Career Services Center. You can also find an organization (private, religious, governmental, non-profit) to train you and place you in a teaching position—and it may be helpful, if you are inexperienced, to have the support of such an organization Whichever route you take, be sure to look carefully at all the details of an employment agreement before signing it.
Everything improves for individuals who have teaching experience and/or degrees or certifications for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Individuals with advanced degrees in TESOL can also work in teaching-related fields such as curriculum and materials design, web design, administration, and assessment as well as serving as consultants about these and other subjects. Anyone with a bachelor’s degree can apply to a post-baccalaureate program that grants an advanced degree or certificate, but candidates with degrees in English, Education, Communications, and Linguistics have obvious advantages. TESOL degree programs vary from school to school but are usually housed in English, Education, and Linguistics departments. These degrees usually take to two years to complete and generally cover the history, structure and development of the English language, studies in cross-cultural communication and understanding, and teaching methodologies. Pitt’s Linguistics Department offers a certificate in TESOL which requires 19 credit hours. Indiana University of PA offers an MA in TESOL which requires 36 credit hours. There are also certificate programs offered in universities and private institutes which can be very short (some as short as six weeks) or almost as long as a degree program. Certificate programs tend to be more practical, stressing methods of teaching, and cutting back on theoretical and historical information. For individuals interested in teaching abroad for a few years it makes sense to do a shorter certificate program. For those who plan a career or a longer period abroad the degree program may be more appropriate. Information about the kinds of jobs available to TESOL holders as well as other information about teaching English abroad may be found at the TESOL.
Teaching English abroad can be a great experience, but it is important to do some research and thinking before you take up this option. Where do you want to teach? What are the living conditions in the countries you are considering? Can you get good medical care? What are the attitudes toward Americans? How safe is the area? Is the culture one in which you can be comfortable? You can get some of this information from your own research, from our government, or from the host institution. It is a good idea to correspond, if you can, with people who are teaching in the places you are considering. Honest organizations are generally happy to connect you to people they presently employ.