In 2008, 3.5 million people in the United States worked as elementary, middle and secondary teachers, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the same source, these individuals earned between $34,020 and $78,120, depending on the school in which they worked and their years of experience. Specialized certifications are required to obtain a job as a teacher. These certifications, including a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate, indicate that the individual has completed the required teacher preparation program.

Four-Year Degree-Granting Programs

All teacher candidates must attend and successfully complete a degree-granting program at a four-year college or university. The most effective programs are those accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education or the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. While individuals can become a teacher without graduating from an accredited program, successful completion of an accredited program makes getting a license much easier. If a teaching candidate graduates from a nonaccredited four-year program, she must demonstrate her qualifications through the completion of extra coursework or certification tests.

Student Teaching

In nearly every teaching preparation program, student teaching is a requirement during the student's senior year. During student teaching, the teaching candidate acts in the capacity of a teacher and conducts a class at an elementary, middle or secondary school for no fewer than nine weeks. During this time, the principal of the school and a teacher oversees the teaching candidate's work. While the student teacher covers his class, the teacher acts as a mentor, assisting the teaching candidate in refining his teaching style and preparing effective, educationally sound lessons.

Bachelor of Science in Education

Upon the successful completion of the four-year program, students receive a Bachelor of Science in education. These bachelor's degrees indicate an individual's capability to teach in a certain area. If an individual who holds a bachelor's in secondary math later wants to teach secondary English, he will need to attain a second bachelor's degree or complete additional coursework to be qualified for an extension to his original degree.

Teaching Certification

After graduation, teaching candidates must apply for and be granted a teaching certification from their state department of education. The qualifications necessary for a teaching certification vary greatly from state to state. In most states, teaching candidates qualify for a certification by achieving a Bachelor of Science in education and passing a teaching test. Many states use the Praxis II teaching assessment, which tests a candidate's understanding of content area material and general teaching practices. The score required for the passing of the Praxis II varies from state to state, with some states not requiring the test at all and awarding teaching certificates with only a bachelor's degree.

Professional Development

Continuing education is required of all teachers. While the format differs slightly from state to state, teachers in all 50 states are required to write and file a plan for their continued education. This plan is most commonly referred to as an Individual Professional Development Plan or IPDP. In this plan, teachers must outline the ways in which they want to improve their teaching through continued education and explain how they will receive the education that they have listed. These plans are updated regularly and must be completed in order to maintain an active teaching certification.

Source:

Bureau of Labor and Statistics: Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle and Secondary Teachers

Edcational Testing Service: The Praxis Assessment