How do I become an English Teacher?

How to become an English teacher with a bachelor's degree In English?

• Hi, I'm currently a college student (first year) and I'm on the program to earn a bachelor's degree in English. I'm at a community college currently; transferring to a university once I earn enough credits. They don't have the secondary education program I wanted, so I had to choose English. I want to become an English teacher for high school students, but I know I need to get a license and extra classes to do so. Can any teachers help me out? I have heard about an alternative route program, but do not know much information about it. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

• Answer:

  The process is specific to the state you live in, and somewhat also to the school district you want to teach in. As someone who has done alternative certification, I would strongly suggest that you consider attending a university that offers a program leading to teaching certification. Alternative licensure can be very expensive and time-consuming depending on the state requirements. You may find you need many additional courses (you will at least need some education courses) and possibly even a period of student teaching, which would mean working without pay. In some states you don't need this, but must get an employment offer from a school and then teach for a year under a mentor. That means getting hired without certification, and there is no shortage of high school English teachers, which means you would have difficulty. In general, I would say that alternative routes to licensure are not a good idea for someone with the opportunity to just enroll in an education program to begin with. This is especially true for teaching high school English - in many areas alternative licensure is only possible in subjects where there is a shortage of teachers, and there are plenty of English teachers for high schools. If you want more details on licensure you should look up the website of your state's department of education.