Career in Education in India

Updated November 30, 2021

When you think of a Career in Education, a career in the teaching field is one of the obvious ones. And, if you have decided to go for the teaching field, it is highly gratifying. In this article, I will tell you what the job options available in the teaching field are. Our education system offers several options for people who would like to be teachers, including a basic Diploma in Teachers Education (D. Ted), a Bachelor in Education (B. Ed), and a Masters in Education (M. Ed). While the Diploma and Bachelor courses extend for two years, the Master’s degree is a year-long course. Teaching has been the best field to choose since immemorial time. Many prominent teachers had existed in India like Dhronacharya, Shankaracharya, and in the modern world like A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Radhakrishnan, etc. Nothing more pride than being a teacher. You make the life of the student, shape the society and even shape the country. Students are the country’s future, so it is a teacher who puts all efforts, intelligence, and skill into making the student’s life. Apart from working as a teacher, of shaping society, you can earn a good salary by teaching students.

The teaching profession is one of the best and prestigious career options, as you will hold the responsibility of making and shaping the future of the country. In India, there are millions of student who needs perfect guidance in his life, and teachers are the one who does not only give the books’ knowledge but also provide life experience knowledge and perfectly guide their career path. So, the teaching profession is a highly specialized field and requires a perfect knack for connecting with students. Although, for some reason, people have a perception that teaching a student is simple and easy to do, it is an incorrect generalization. Everyone can’t teach a student. It requires a perfect knack for connecting with student.

Pre-primary to High School Teaching

Pre-primary Teacher

Enrolling children in Pre-School is to start their primary education. It is the first time when they step out of the home. Pre-primary teachers create a playful and stimulating atmosphere for the children. The teachers interact with students with games, singing, painting, and other playing activities. Thus, they make a base for the children for the rest of their education. They impart on Language development, student behavior, recognizing colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, and developing routines.

Essential Qualifications: You can pursue either of the two courses – Nursery Teachers Training (NTT) for 1 year or Diploma in Early Childhood Education (D.E.C.Ed.) for 2 years after class 12th.

Primary School Teacher

Primary school teachers deal with children of 6 to 12 years. It means they concentrate on the children of Kindergarten to the Sixth grade. They focus on the social and positive intellectual development of the children. Instead of focusing on the particular subject, they have to give a broad range of concepts, including introducing them to sentences, computers, languages, quizzes, social sciences, interactive sessions, personality development, social skills, etc. Education on this level helps students to make the foundational base that will stay throughout their lives.

Essential Qualifications: You can pursue any one of the courses mentioned – Elementary Teacher Education (ETE) for 2 years, Bachelor’s in Elementary Education (B.El.Ed) for 4 years or Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) for 2 years.

Secondary school Teacher-

As a secondary school teacher, you will teach the students of Age 12 to 18 years. Here, you will be responsible for enhancing the students’ knowledge and helping them learn all subjects in greater depth, including science, social science, language, and mathematics. As a secondary school teacher, you are also responsible for shaping the intellect of the fresh and teen pupils and helping them to learn time management. Secondary school teachers are appointed to ensure a healthy learning culture and provide support, observe, and record pupils’ progress.

Essential Qualifications: You can pursue a Bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed) for 2 years after graduating from a teaching subject (non-professional, degree courses).

Senior Secondary or High School Teacher

Secondary school teachers are post-graduate teachers. They are commonly called high school teachers, who instruct students in ninth through twelfth grade in public and private educational institutions. They teach a particular subject on which they have completed a Master’s degree. The primary objective of high school teachers is to educate students and prepare them for college and the job market. As a Senior Secondary School Teacher, you’ll have to lecture and discuss concepts with students in detail, organize workshops/seminars for students, grade tests, conduct progress reports, and communicate students’ progress to parents.

Essential Qualification: You need a Post-Graduation degree in a teaching subject (non-professional, degree courses) and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree. You can pursue post-graduation in any discipline.

Special Education Teacher

A career in Special Education is suited to those who have an incredible passion for teaching special needs children. Teachers of Special Education apply appropriate curricula and activities to maximize their progress. Special Education means personalized schooling given to children with a variety of disabilities, both physical and mental. As a Special Educator, you will have to deal with children of different disabilities, including physical, emotional, and mental challenges and learning disabilities. You will have to give the best care to achieve the best outcome from them. Special educators teach them basic life skills and social skills for their personality development and provide them with specialized one-to-one sessions to understand academic concepts.

Essential Qualification: After your graduation, you need to pursue a Bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed.), specializing in Special Education.

Post Secondary Education Teaching

College or University Educators/ Lectures or Professors

There are excellent career options in education. You can be professors or lecturers in colleges and universities. India’s University Grant Commission (UGC) has set essential qualifications for University lecturers/professors. After completing their Master’s degree, they can appear in the UGC-NET examination for their Ph.D., conducted by NTA. The National Eligibility Test is conducted for determining the eligibility for Assistant Professorship or Junior Research Fellowship. During their Ph.D., they can be assigned assistant professors, and with publishing some researches in their field, they can be Associate Professors and later full-fledged professors. Those designated as the assistant professor, associate professor, or professor help undergraduate and graduate students to earn their degrees. It is a highly valuable position with hefty monthly packages.

Teaching English as a Second Language (TEFL)

A TEFL Teacher teaches English to speakers of other languages. A TEFL teacher can teach anywhere in the world with a professional qualification and has the flexibility to live anywhere in the world and teach English online. If you want to travel the world, teaching English is the perfect way to earn money while you travel. There is a growing demand for TEFL teachers internationally due to the increasing need for international English education. To become a TEFL teacher, you will normally need a BA degree and a TEFL qualification. These courses vary internationally, and a selection of international TEFL/TESOL and CELTA teaching courses are available.

Career in Administration-

Apart from teaching students, there are various other career options in an education in India. If you are interested in overseeing schools, handling daily operations, and managing teachers and students, you can choose your career as a vice-principal, principal, dean, instructional coordinator.

Principal

It is one of the professional careers in Education. The principal manages all the activities associated with the administration of the school, from maintaining the discipline to handling administrative, financial activities related to the school. He/she is also responsible for hiring quality teachers and plays a crucial role in the promotion of quality education. They are the center of the wheel as they keep everything in line and in good working order.

Essential Qualification requires to become Principal: B.ed degree is mandatory, (ii) Candidates who have passed Integrated B.ed such as B.A.+ B.ed/B.Sc+ B.Ed is eligible (iii) Candidates who have passed Diploma in Elementary Education (D.Ed) are eligible to become school principal for primary section (iv) They must have atleast 5-10 years of experience in teaching (vi) Candidates who have passed M.Ed are also eligible.

Vice Principal or Assistant Principal

A career as a Vice-principal is an exciting and rewarding career choice. They are the assistant educational administrator who works collaboratively to support the work of the Principal. These administrators are usually involved with student discipline and act as a mentor and counselors. Vice principals must have a bachelor’s degree with a teaching credential and a master’s degree in educational leadership or administration. They even require 2-3 years of teaching experience.

Career in Student Counseling or Mental Health

Plenty of jobs exist outside the teaching and administrations career options. For instance, if you’re interested in applying for a social work degree to an education position, jobs like a school counselor, school psychologist, and career advisor could be very fulfilling.

Elementary, Middle School, and High School Guidance and Career Counselors

In India, millions of students are at the age of 15 to 20 years, and they need the right counseling for their right career path. A career counselor is a trained professional who can easily figure out the dilemma and weaknesses of students. They help students to choose the right career path. Elementary school counselors focus on addressing behavioral and learning issues. At the same time, Middle school counselors help students prepare for high school and help with personal or academic problems. High school counselors guide students in earning their high school diplomas and post-high school planning by advising them on courses. They also help with personal or academic issues.

School Psychologist

School psychologists help students with behavioral and social problems to get support and better their educational experience. They compile and evaluate student psychological assessments to share with parents and teachers and to determine the best support systems for them.

Other Career Options in Education

Instructional Technology Specialist- Instructional technologists collaborate with districts and schools in utilizing technology to help achieve educational goals. They can develop innovative programs, help teachers use these technologies in their teaching, and participate in the development of the curriculum.

School Librarian- School librarians assist students in finding sources of information, conduct research, and organize libraries. They can also assist with literacy initiatives.

Education Writer

Writers in the field of education usually are freelancers for a range of publications. Due to the increasing demand to write articles for people who have “boots on the ground,” the writers should have a recent teaching experiences. Since these writers work on a contract basis the requirements for education and salaries are different.

Education Policy

There are many kinds of positions in the field of education policy. All of them contribute to the development of guidelines and rules that govern the public schools’ system. The jobs that are available include (i) Educational Policy Advisors (ii) Education Policy Analysts (iii) Education Researchers (iv) Education Programs Analyst:

(i) Educational Policy Advisors who develop and keep relations with all stakeholders. They also provide recommendations for changes from those connections.

(ii) Education Policy Analysts who analyze our current educational system and determine if the rules and regulations permit students and educators to meet their targets

(iii) Education Researchers who design and conduct academic research in the field of education. They also assist legislators in making decisions based on their findings. Or, in certain instances, they create legislation for education themselves.

(iv) Education Program Analysts are directly employed by the government and they make use of data to support policymakers in their decisions.

Career Opportunities in Physical Education

We are in a world where we need to be healthy from all aspects. Having a physical education degree can give you the skills to perform many jobs that involve teaching children, adults, seniors, and athletes how to maintain their physical shape or reach new fitness levels. The essential qualification are, Certificate Course on Physical Education (C.P.Ed), Diploma in Physical Education (D.P.Ed), Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed), Master of Physical Education (M.P.Ed) etc. Here are various job opportunities in physical education:

Physical Education Teacher- Besides career options in Science, Mathematics, Social Sciences, and other academic subjects, there is a career option in Physical Education. You can work in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges, teaching them various physical games and skills, instructing them regarding the use of the equipment, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Physical Education Teachers should have a degree in physical education, and they also need a teaching certificate which requires courses in child development, pedagogy, and other educational topics.

Athletic Coach- Athlete coaches are trained and qualified teachers in particular sporting activities who are tasked with coaching either young people in school and colleges or professional athletes. Those who work in school are required some special teaching courses. The essential qualifications required to be an Athletic Coach are as- (I) Graduate in any subject from any recognized Indian/Foreign university, (ii) Diploma course in Sports Coaching from with minimum 60% marks, (iii) Sports Proficiency, (iv) Master’s Degree in Sports.

Sport journalist- Sports journalists create and provide news related to one or more sports. They discuss and write about certain sports events, teams, organizations, etc. Working as a sports journalist usually requires extensive knowledge regarding one or more sports and physical education in general. Moreover, they should have a good network with professionals who are directly involved in the industry.

Athletic trainer- Athletic trainers are health professionals employed by various establishments, including hospitals, schools, colleges, fitness centers, and professional sports teams. Their primary job is to detect and treat those who suffer from muscle and joint injuries. They also provide various strategies for injury prevention. They are typically the intermediary between the patients and the doctors who take care of them. The process of becoming an athletic trainer requires at least a bachelor’s degree and classes in kinesiology, fitness science, sports medicine, and athletics training.

Apart from being a Physical Education Teacher, Athletic coach, athletic trainer, there are various other options that you can hold after meeting their essential qualification. You can be a Sports Dietitian, Fitness Instructor, Senior Fitness Instructor, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist.

…………………………………………………….