There's shortage of secondary school teachers across America, particularly in inner city and rural communities. Educational recruiting rules are being stretched to the limit as secondary schools accelerate their credentialing programs and offer incentives to lure new teachers into the classroom.
If you've wanted to enter the secondary education field, you may never find a better time to get your training. Among all the education professions, secondary teachers are now -- and will remain for the rest of the decade -- in the greatest demand, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Every state in the nation has a set of licensing requirements in secondary education, and almost all public school districts require a minimum of a bachelor's degree along with completion of a teachers training program. However, many teachers are retiring and, to fill the vacancies, some school districts will allow teachers currently enrolled in degree or training programs to begin teaching while they're still learning.
States seeing large student population growth (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah) will need the most secondary education professionals, the BLS reports. In 2004, there were 1.1 million secondary school teachers in the country.
The American Federation of Teachers reports an estimated average salary for secondary school teachers of $46,597 in 2004. But many school districts with severe shortages today are offering higher salaries and sign-on bonuses for both experienced teachers as well as new graduates of teacher training programs. Private schools, which traditionally pay lower salaries in secondary education, may have greater flexibility in their educational requirements for new teachers.
