The responsibility of being a teacher these days is becoming heavier and heavier. A lot of people think of teaching as an easy option. Who wouldn’t want two months off work for the Summer? But, teaching certainly isn’t easy. You often go home with piles upon piles of grading to do, your classroom and teaching methods are subject to inspection at different points in the year and young children are becoming more disrespectful by the day. So, if you want to avoid all of that but still work with children, what are your options?
Teaching Assistant
A teaching assistant is there to give the teacher help in any aspect of educating children. However, you won’t go home with as much work as the teacher, you won’t have as much responsibility and you’ll be able to switch off completely at the end of every working day. Because you often get to work with the children in small groups or one-on-one, you also get the opportunity to form strong bonds with the children that you teach. Being a teaching assistant also means you won’t have to have a degree to start working.
School Counsellor
More and more schools are seeing the benefit of having a school counsellor on the grounds. There are many things that can affect how a student learns, including problems at home or learning difficulties. The advantage of counselling is that students get a chance to talk about the things that are bothering them and hindering them from progressing in the classroom. You can do masters in school counselling programs online if you’re interested in gaining the qualifications you need.
Cafeteria Staff
Whether you’re working in the kitchen to provide kids with their school meals or monitoring behaviour in the food hall, working as a member of the cafeteria staff can be highly rewarding. It’s also a fantastic option if you have children yourself. Many mothers struggle to find jobs that work around their children. Working in a school, in any capacity, will often mean you can start and finish the same time as your children and still earn a wage.
Substitute Teaching
If you love being in the classroom, but you like a change of scenery and you don’t want to be responsible for any of the stressful aspects, a substitute teacher role could be ideal. You get to choose where and when you work while still be able to influence young minds. It’s a way of using your skills but avoiding the obvious stresses of being a teacher. You may even get to teach a variety of different subjects too.
School Librarian
If you have a passion for books and working with children, a school librarian could be a good fit for you. You’ll get to build relationships with the students, help them achieve their goals and promote reading at the same time. Schools may expect librarians to have some computer skills to help students access the internet, but experience of managing a library should be all the qualification you need.
As long as you’re improving the quality of education for students, what does it matter which role you take on?
