What Are Some Career Advancement Options for Teachers?

Are you unsure what teachers can do to get advance in their careers? Are you looking to extend your influence and job opportunities after building some teaching experience? If you answered yes to these questions, then keep reading to learn about several career advancement options for teachers. Schools offering Teaching & Learning degrees can also be found in these popular choices.

Education Administrator

Entering the field of educational administration is the logical next step for advancing your career. Being an education administrator requires that you to set an example for teachers and students at the school you oversee. Some job duties include creating school policies, revising school procedures, setting and meeting educational goals, handling public relations and performing administrative duties like record keeping and budgeting.

You'll normally need to complete a graduate program to work as an education administrator. If you're interested in working in a public school as a principal or school district administrator, a master's degree may be all that's needed. For positions at colleges and universities, a doctoral degree is usually required.

You can choose to study principalship, special education administration or community college leadership. Classes you can expect to complete include systems of human inquiry, organization of higher education and higher education law.

Guidance Counselor

Some teachers make the shift from teaching to counseling. It is recommended you stay at the same grade level that you taught at when you become a counselor. Meaning if you taught at a high school, you should become a high school counselor. This allows you to best relate with the age group you've already spent years communicating with and teaching.

As a guidance counselor, students can come to you with their behavioral, personal, educational and social programs. You'll act as an advisor and talk to the students in order to help them understand and cope better. Whenever possible, you'll want to try to prevent problems from occurring by regularly meeting with classrooms and students to help educate them on drug prevention, family issues and conflict resolution.

A master's degree in school counseling is needed to work as a guidance counselor, although a doctorate degree can increase your career opportunities. Classes you'll be expected to complete in this program include human development, counseling theories, cross cultural counseling and career development promoting. You'll also complete supervised counseling experience as part of your graduate degree program. You'll need state licensure in order to practice as a school counselor.

Librarian

If you're looking to help students beyond a single classroom and even assist faculty members, then becoming a librarian could be a good career choice for you. In this career, you'll help others find information by keeping tracks of the books, computers and other informational resources that make up a school's library.

You'll complete a library science graduate program. Like other career advancement options in this field, you'll want to make your education as specific as possible. Find library science programs that are intended for those who are interested in working in schools.

Depending on what area of library studies you want to focus on, you'll also need to choose one of the following paths, technical services, administrative services or public services. The coursework for these programs includes classes on archive collection, cataloging, reference services and collection management.

To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:

  • 1. Degree Options:

Popular Schools