All About Teaching ...

One should be a graduate with a nursery training certificate / diploma to become a primary school teacher. Usually, all those candidates who have a Bachelors'' Degree in education (B.Ed.) start their career as primary school teachers and gradually climb the career ladder.

Pre-Primary and Primary School Teachers ?
To become a teacher, more than the academic records it is the personal skills and aptitude that is more important. In India, there are a number of vocational training centers which provide training for pre school teachers. to apply for this training, students must be 12th pass with an aggregate of 50 percent marks to become a pre-primary school teacher. .

One should be a graduate with a nursery training certificate / diploma to become a primary school teacher. Usually, all those candidates who have a Bachelors'' Degree in education (B.Ed.) start their career as primary school teachers and gradually climb the career ladder. The home science graduates can also be selected for primary school teachers. Candidates applying for primary school teacher training must be graduates or post graduates with at least 55% marks aggregate and must hold either a diploma or degree in education or teaching. Another thing which is important is that the candidate should have at least studied one of the teaching subjects during his / her graduation.

Secondary and Senior Secondary Teacher ?
To apply for secondary and senior secondary teaching, the candidate must have a post graduate degree in the subject and a Bachelors'' Degree in education (B.Ed.) degree. The Bachelors in education course scrupulously prepares the teachers for secondary school teaching. All those teachers who have a B.Ed. degree after their graduation are called Trained Graduate Teachers. To apply for secondary school teaching, it is preferred that the candidate has some previous teaching experience. There are a number of teacher''s training colleges in India which provide this B.Ed. course of one year duration. Some of the universities also offer correspondence courses for training teachers who are already in the service. There are different training institutes for special teachers such as teachers of the blind, deaf and dumb, mentally retarded, art, craft, music and physical education.

NCERT runs a number of Regional Institutes of Education at places like Mysore, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Ajmer. These institutes offer basic Graduate Degree in Art or Science along with a B.Ed Degree. It is a four year course that one should apply for after school. Universities like Shivaji University; Kolhapur conducts a BA, B.Ed course of four years duration. Barkatullah University, Bhopal conducts a BA, B.Ed and also B.Com, B.Ed. course of four years duration, and there are many other colleges in India who offer courses for B.Ed.

Lecturers ?
To become a lecturer, one requires a post graduate degree in fields like Arts, Commerce, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Foreign Languages and Physical Education from an Indian University. All those candidates who have a University or an equivalent degree from a foreign University, with at least 55% marks can also apply for the same. One has to clear Eligibility test for lecturers (NET) which conducted by UGC, CSIR or similar tests accredited by the UGC, to become a lecturer. For those lecturers who have completed 8 years of service after regular appointment and participated in at least two refresher courses of approved duration are appointed in the senior scale. Their appraisal report should also reflect a consistently satisfactory performance. Senior scale lecturers who do not have a Doctorate degree or equivalent published work and also don''t meet the scholarship and research standards, but fulfill all other criteria and have a good overall record in teaching, get the Selection Grade.

Professors ?
All those eminent scholars who are actively engaged in research, whose work has been published and appreciated, and also have a minimum of 10 years of experience in postgraduate teaching can be appointed as professors. Besides that, those who have done research at University or National level institutions and have the experience of assisting students in research work at doctoral level can also apply for teaching jobs as professors.

Future Prospects of becoming a teacher -
Teaching is a good option for those who are comfortable with flexible schedules. This profession welcomes all those who are late entries and those who are changing careers. It is a most suitable career option for married women as it allows them to work again after they have started a family. But it should be kept in mind that teachers who do return after a break are entitled to their old salary only. In case of most professions, once a person leaves, it is difficult for him / her to catch up since new things are always being learned and discovered, but teaching is one of those professions where someone is always needed. So, becoming a teacher is one of the most viable career decisions.

Sukhpreet Kaur Sawhney writes on behalf of Shiksha.com. Shiksha.com is an education portal that connects education seeker with education provider.Shiksha.com has wide information over study abroad colleges, Professional colleges in India and courses like teaching job courses etc.Its education forums enable its users to seek opinion of students, alumni and faculty of colleges and schools through College Groups and School Groups.