“Education is the manifestation of perfection already existing in man.” – Swami Vivekananda
“Education is not filling of a pail but lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
“Teaching is the highest form of understanding.” – Aristotle

Since time immemorial, teaching has been considered one of the noble professions. Teachers have played the role of catalyst for social changes in our society. Mankind has regarded teachers as a boon to society because it is only a teacher who uses his/ her intelligence, patience, and wisdom to polish the learner’s intellect and aptitude and take steps to shape a multi-faceted personality. Teachers not only guide students academically but also nurture them and help in their overall development. However, for taking up a career as a teacher, one required passion for teaching and student.

One can apply in different Government and public schools to follow teaching as a career option.
• In Government schools require specific qualifications and eligibility tests to enter for teaching. Public schools usually offer a better pay scale, benefits, and promotional opportunities for a bright career scope.
• In private schools, it’s easy to have a kick-start. It requires basic qualifications, along with necessary eligibility tests. Students in such schools usually come from an educational background and have an excellent academic approach.

Montessori or playschool teachers
The classroom’s focus is on the child having the right activities and opportunities to maximize his learning. Montessori teachers usually give individual or small group lessons. Lessons are hands-on, straightforward, and intended to engage the child so that they will want to continue the discovery on their own. Once the child is involved, the Montessori teacher steps back and refrains from correcting, complimenting, or otherwise interfering in any way.
Qualifications
To become a professional Montessori teacher, he/she requires a bachelor’s degree in any field. Some institutions offer diploma courses if one has completed their bachelor’s degree. National Academy offers a teacher training course from expert professionals after 12th completion with a wide range of job opportunities.
Salary:
The average Montessori school teacher Salary in India per annum is ₹2,61,800. But salary varies from state to state, and the sector as well.
Role and Responsibilities
One of the most critical responsibilities of a Montessori teacher is observing children closely and determining when students need guidance or autonomy. Observation helps teachers understand where the students are in their development. It determines what activities the teacher will guide students to hold their attention and ignite their curiosity to naturally develop focus and deep concentration.
Teaching according to Montessori Principles:
⮚ Allow children to learn by doing.
⮚ Allow free movement in the classroom.
⮚ Give children uninterrupted learning opportunities.
⮚ Encourage mixed-age interactions.
Some other duties include:
• Encourage students to exhibit joy in their learning process
• Explain clearly to the students in an exciting way
• Gain insight into the child to help them reach their full potential
• Create instruction that supports the whole child’s development
• Participate in meetings, training, and planning to meet the needs of each child
• Use various assessment tools on an ongoing basis to evaluate and make further decisions about a child’s development
• Be responsible for children’s safety and ensure that the physical environment is safe
Job Outlook
It is predicted that the profession will grow by 7% by 2026.

Primary School Teachers
Primary school teachers are involved with students of age between 6 – 12 years in class 1 to class 5, which plays a vital role in their overall development. As a Primary School Teacher, one has to make students learn and experience new things to shape their views and build their numerical, verbal, and reasoning skills. As a Primary School Teacher, one would make students’ learning experience more enriching by teaching them a broad range of topics, including introducing them to sentences, language, quizzes, interactive sessions, personality development, sciences, social sciences, life, computer, and social skills. Through this, one will develop some basic concepts and form the foundation to stay with them throughout their lives.
Skills
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• organizational and time-management skills
• energy, enthusiasm, stamina, patience, dedication, resilience, and self-discipline
• leadership and supervisory skills with team working abilities
• creativity
• good judgment and an analytical mind
Qualifications
Higher Secondary pass under the State Board or equivalent with at least 50% marks and 2-year Diploma in Elementary Education (45% for SC, ST, OBC, PH, Ex-servicemen & Exempted Categories).
• available courses are Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.), Primary Teacher Training program, or Diploma or certificate in basic teachers’ training of two years.
• After completing class 12th, a Diploma in Education (D.Ed.), a two-year diploma course.
• After completing class 12th, a Primary Teacher Training (PTT) program of 2-years duration.
• One can do a Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.), a 4-year integrated degree program offered for training teachers at the school level.
• Some states in India conduct the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for Primary School Teachers in Government and Government aided primary schools.
Institutes in India for pursuing ETE:
District Institute of Education Training (Bhopal),
District Institute of Education and Training (Meghalaya),
Ramakrishna Teacher Training Institute (New Delhi),
Institutes in India for pursuing B.El.Ed:
Gargi College (Delhi),
Lady Shri Ram College (Delhi),
Bansidhar Mahavidyalaya (Uttar Pradesh),
Central Institute of Education (New Delhi)
Institutes in India for pursuing D.El.Ed:
Primary Teachers Education College (Bhojpur)
District Institute of Education and Training (Tura)
Salary:
The average Primary School Teacher Salary in India per annum is ₹239,718.
Responsibilities and duties
• Maintaining healthy working habits and discipline in the school
• Explain specific topics clearly to the students in-depth in an interesting way and clear the doubts.
• Discussing students’ progress with parents and guardians
• organizing the classroom, learning resources, creating displays to encourage a healthy learning environment
• carefully planning, preparing, and presenting lessons that cater to the needs of the whole ability range in the class
• motivating pupils with enthusiastic, imaginative presentation
• keeping updated with developments in the structure of the curriculum
• Connect curriculum standards to daily objectives
• developing students’ interests, abilities, and coordination through creative activities
• guiding, discussions and supervising work in class
• participating in staff meetings, educational conferences, and workshops

Secondary and Higher Secondary School Teachers
Secondary school teachers teach students from class 5 to class 10, and Higher Secondary school teachers teach students of class 11 and 12. A Secondary or Higher Secondary school teacher can teach specific subjects as per their graduation or post-graduation degree.
Qualification for Secondary School Teacher: You can pursue a Bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed) for two years after graduating with a Bachelors’s degree in any subject.
Qualification for High school education: Teaching children between 13-16 years, from classes six and above. Bachelor of Education is a course offered to educate at this level. Candidates must be graduates to take up B.Ed degrees and a minimum of 55% in their degree level to apply for B.Ed.
Common qualification required for Secondary and High Secondary School teachers:
• Master’s degree after graduation and a B.Ed. to teach students in higher secondary classes or those who are in classes 11 and 12.
• For central schools and some private schools, you will need to qualify for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET).
• Some states conduct separate Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) or a State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) or test conducted by the school service commission.
Institutes in India for pursuing B.Ed:
University of Delhi (Delhi),
Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi),
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (Delhi),
Department of Education, Banasthali University (Jaipur), etc.
Salary:
The Average Salary for a Secondary School Teacher in India is ₹3,48,086 per annum.
Responsibilities of Secondary School Teachers
As a Secondary School Teacher, the teacher will be responsible for enhancing students’ knowledge and learning all the subjects in greater depth. From delivering lessons in social science, science, languages, mathematics to teaching them time management, appropriate behavior, giving them feedback, criticism, and supporting them through changes.
Responsibilities of Senior Secondary School Teachers
Senior Secondary School Teachers need to teach in-depth on a particular subject. They teach students from class 11th and 12th. As a Senior Secondary School Teacher, you have to discuss concepts with students in detail, organize workshops or seminars for students, grade tests, conduct progress reports, prepare materials for class notes and presentations, and communicate to parents’ progress.

College and University Teachers
If a person is interested in teaching as a profession but only wishes to teach in colleges or universities, then he/she can follow this career pathway. College and university teachers are the senior-most qualified teaching professionals and teach in Government or private colleges and universities.
Qualifications required
• Master’s level degree with a Ph.D. degree is mandatory for promotion from a Lecturer position to an Associate Professor.
• After completing a Master’s degree, qualify in the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
• States also conduct a State Eligibility Test (SET) to recruit Lecturers in the governments’ various colleges.
The National Eligibility Test (NET) is held for determining the eligibility of Indian Nationals for Assistant Professorship or Junior Research Fellowship. The exam is conducted in June and November.
Salary per annum
Assistant Professor average salary: ₹ 540,000
Associate Professor average salary: ₹ 960,000
Professor average salary: ₹ 984000 – ₹1,440,000
In private college, the consolidated average wage varies from ₹ 240,000 to ₹ 600,000
Key skills
Presentation skills
Research skills
Expertise in a particular subject area
Written and verbal communication skills
Reason and problem-solving
Time management
Responsibilities
• interviewing course applicants
• lecture planning, preparation, and research
• checking and assessing students’ work
• general administration
• supervising Ph.D. students and research staff
• managing research budgets
Job Outlook
Postsecondary teachers’ overall employment is projected to grow 9 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Special Educator
A special education teacher works with children and youths who require special instruction by well-trained professionals to help them achieve their highest potential and progress beyond their limitations. Special education teachers should be patient, understanding educators dedicated to giving each student the tools and guidance needed to maximize success.
Special Educator deals with children with physical, emotional, mental challenges, and learning difficulties. The teachers work closely with their families to achieve the best outcome for them, teach them basic life and social skills for personality development, and help them understand academic concepts through personalized one-to-one sessions. However, the majority of special education teachers work with children with mild to moderate disabilities, the teachers modifying the general education curriculum to meet the child’s individual needs and providing required instruction
Special Educator
• Special Educator for Early to Class 12
• Special Educator for High-Incidence Disabilities
• Special Educator for Emotional or Behavioural Disorders
• Special Educator for Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Special Educator in College/ University
Skills & Competencies
• kind-hearted and calming nature
• Critical-thinking skills
• Patience
• Communication skills
• Innovation
• Creativity
• Highly intuitive
• Detail-oriented
• Love children
• Adaptability.
• Empathy
Eligibility to become Special Educator
• Diploma in Special Education course, with a pass in Class 12 with minimum qualifying percentage
• B.Ed course in Special Education, a UG degree from any stream with minimum qualifying marks
• Certificate courses to get mastery over several techniques in special education. However, certificate courses are to enhance knowledge and qualification.
Some Institutes in India for pursuing B.Ed. in Special Education:
Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi),
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (Delhi),
Kurukshetra University (Kurukshetra),
Banaras Hindu University (Uttar Pradesh),
Indian Institute Of Health Education and Research (Bihar), etc.
Salary:
A Special educator’s average salary is ₹ 382,972 per year, depending upon the years of teaching and school administration experience.
Duties
• Collaborate with teachers, school psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, speech/hearing specialists, and school social workers to provide an integrated plan for developing their students’ capacities.
• Set goals for each student, assess their progress and record them
• Update parents on their students’ progress and enlist parental support with behavior control and home activities designed to supplement their classroom learning
• Supervise and train the teaching assistants
• Help plan for the transition of the students to productive lives after completing their secondary education.
• Similar to teachers of other subjects, these teachers plan lessons, instruct children, and assign activities to children. They even grade assignments and tests, track students’ progress, and meet with parents to discuss students’ abilities and challenges they may be facing.
Job Outlook
Special needs children enrollment are increasing, and qualified special education teachers with the right qualifications are in short supply. The employment for special education teachers is expected to grow at about 8% from 2016 to 2026. It is the result of more effective and earlier screening and identification of various physical, emotional, mental, and learning disabilities in children.
Top Recruiting Agencies for Special Educators
• Schools for Disabled Children
• Special Educator Teacher in B.Ed Colleges
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Hospitals that treat Children with Special Needs
• Consultancies that provide Special Education Trainers to Schools

Private Tutors
A private tutor helps students with personalized training to study daily, clears doubts, and boosts confidence to study better.
Education Qualification: Bachelors or Masters degree in any field
Experience: Job requires 2 – 5 years of work experience.
Salary: Rs 30,727 per month depending upon the years of teaching experience, the number of students, and the students’ level.
Skills required of private tutors
• Language skills
• Full knowledge of curriculum and the students expected outcomes at various grade levels.
• Have updated knowledge about learning theories, techniques, and resources.
• Use word presentation, bookkeeping, and email software.
Duties
• Work closely with students to improve their skills in relevant subjects.
• Prepare lessons, assign and correct homework.
• Prepare and evaluate tests.
• Evaluate the student’s progress and discuss the results with students and their parents.
• Identify students’ individual learning needs.

Teachers play significant roles in society as they build the country’s future foundation. The Right to Education act introduced recently in India has given many opportunities for rural children’s education. One can expect that the demand will only increase.
If you are focused and is passionate enough to teach as a profession, then dealing with challenges as a teacher will be manageable. A career in teaching gives you the power to nurture the leaders for tomorrow and instills in you the need to never stop learning.