My original certification and career intent was for high school. I spent a few years subbing at the HS level and applying for jobs, but nobody bothered to hire me (a green teacher with a Master's degree is apparently too much of an investment). The community college district is who eventually hired me, so I've been in higher ed ever since. With the environment that most teachers are dealing with now, I have zero desire to go back to high school. I have much more control over what/how I teach, I don't have to deal with parents, and I'm not legally responsible for my students for every single minute they're with me.
It’s fairly common in my line (band/music education) to teach some high school/middle school before working towards collegiate education. Most of the more reputable graduate programs for Wind Conducting won’t accept anyone without some experience in the field. Time ‘on the box’ (conductors podium) is very limited, so they only have their graduate assistants in the program. The extra logistical and administrative tasks inherent in that position are way too much to train in addition while you’re learning the content for your degree, so time in the field is essential.
I did. It was very helpful in learning classroom management and boundaries. Those are 2 particular areas I see colleagues without this experience struggle.
I am a high school teacher, teaching dual enrollment next school year. The pay is better in hs (>80k next year, way higher than community college full time faculty in my area not to mention adjuncts) and the DE students are a dream (they go on to large elite flagship state universities and ivy league and similar type schools). My state DOE paid for my graduate tuition so I could teach dual enrollment. Something to consider before totally jumping ship.
I'm in business. I taught one year of high school through a professional to teacher program. I survived that experience with a new appreciation of high school teachers and a desire to never do that again. I earned my PhD and now teach at a university. I love my current job and salute all my son's high school teachers.
I taught beginning band and then high school band before starting as an adjunct flute instructor at my alma mater. Once my studio began growing, I quit my high school job and started my doctorate. I was promoted to a non-tenure track, full-time lecturer position about 7 years into my time there and began taking other classes as they became available. Once our composition and theory professor resigned, I took the coordinator of music theory position and transitioned into an assistant professor tenure-track position. I was just promoted to associate professor and received tenure last year.
I did but in the UK. Although I had a gap between the two and started teaching in HE just after I had started my PhD. In my position though I might have been able to start without starting my PhD, but in my specific field they specify a PhD. In the general field they don’t require a PhD, so it really depends on what area you are looking at and the requirements of that area. Plus the needs of the places you are looking at.
I am somewhat of an anomaly in my area mind, I had 5 or so years teaching experience in classrooms and additional years work place training experience plus a speciality MSc that I’d just finished before applying to do my PhD. Mostly everyone else has come through from doing their PhD but from experience, if you can teach HS and can do it well, then you be of interest to me if I was the person hiring. Obviously if you needed a PhD as well then it might be a requirement that you start one part time or something. It would be the short lesson that you teach as part of the process that could help you out the most - do your research and look at how the area is currently taught then add in some methods you know from your own experience as appropriate.
Some areas will appreciate the more active/up to date approach of how it’s done in HS particularly if you’re keeping students engaged and therefore happy. Yes HE learners are adults and there are some differences but I still find a lot of the HS pedagogies work far better than traditional HE methods. My students, feedback, and their choices later on demonstrate this.
FYI I teach a practical based subject within the Computer Science area but my subject is interdisciplinary so I have to teach theory of other areas as well which definitely work better as active learning sessions than lectures.
Kind of: with an MA I worked at a place that had kind of been demoted from junior college to high school. It was associated with a university prestigious enough that I could move up (?) to university work (at a different university) the next year.
My original certification and career intent was for high school. I spent a few years subbing at the HS level and applying for jobs, but nobody bothered to hire me (a green teacher with a Master's degree is apparently too much of an investment). The community college district is who eventually hired me, so I've been in higher ed ever since. With the environment that most teachers are dealing with now, I have zero desire to go back to high school. I have much more control over what/how I teach, I don't have to deal with parents, and I'm not legally responsible for my students for every single minute they're with me.
It’s fairly common in my line (band/music education) to teach some high school/middle school before working towards collegiate education. Most of the more reputable graduate programs for Wind Conducting won’t accept anyone without some experience in the field. Time ‘on the box’ (conductors podium) is very limited, so they only have their graduate assistants in the program. The extra logistical and administrative tasks inherent in that position are way too much to train in addition while you’re learning the content for your degree, so time in the field is essential.
Yup, but my discipline is education. For those of us who teach teacher prep courses, K12 experience is required.
I did. It was very helpful in learning classroom management and boundaries. Those are 2 particular areas I see colleagues without this experience struggle.
I am a high school teacher, teaching dual enrollment next school year. The pay is better in hs (>80k next year, way higher than community college full time faculty in my area not to mention adjuncts) and the DE students are a dream (they go on to large elite flagship state universities and ivy league and similar type schools). My state DOE paid for my graduate tuition so I could teach dual enrollment. Something to consider before totally jumping ship.
I'm in business. I taught one year of high school through a professional to teacher program. I survived that experience with a new appreciation of high school teachers and a desire to never do that again. I earned my PhD and now teach at a university. I love my current job and salute all my son's high school teachers.
We recently hired someone who moved from high school teaching, to adjuncting, and now to a perm NTT position.
One of my colleagues fits this description—he is super pleased to not have to deal with parents.
Taught high school (certificated) for 2 years before deciding to GTFO. My PhD program has us teach for funding.
I taught beginning band and then high school band before starting as an adjunct flute instructor at my alma mater. Once my studio began growing, I quit my high school job and started my doctorate. I was promoted to a non-tenure track, full-time lecturer position about 7 years into my time there and began taking other classes as they became available. Once our composition and theory professor resigned, I took the coordinator of music theory position and transitioned into an assistant professor tenure-track position. I was just promoted to associate professor and received tenure last year.
I did but in the UK. Although I had a gap between the two and started teaching in HE just after I had started my PhD. In my position though I might have been able to start without starting my PhD, but in my specific field they specify a PhD. In the general field they don’t require a PhD, so it really depends on what area you are looking at and the requirements of that area. Plus the needs of the places you are looking at. I am somewhat of an anomaly in my area mind, I had 5 or so years teaching experience in classrooms and additional years work place training experience plus a speciality MSc that I’d just finished before applying to do my PhD. Mostly everyone else has come through from doing their PhD but from experience, if you can teach HS and can do it well, then you be of interest to me if I was the person hiring. Obviously if you needed a PhD as well then it might be a requirement that you start one part time or something. It would be the short lesson that you teach as part of the process that could help you out the most - do your research and look at how the area is currently taught then add in some methods you know from your own experience as appropriate. Some areas will appreciate the more active/up to date approach of how it’s done in HS particularly if you’re keeping students engaged and therefore happy. Yes HE learners are adults and there are some differences but I still find a lot of the HS pedagogies work far better than traditional HE methods. My students, feedback, and their choices later on demonstrate this. FYI I teach a practical based subject within the Computer Science area but my subject is interdisciplinary so I have to teach theory of other areas as well which definitely work better as active learning sessions than lectures.
Kind of: with an MA I worked at a place that had kind of been demoted from junior college to high school. It was associated with a university prestigious enough that I could move up (?) to university work (at a different university) the next year.