FAQs About Successfully Changing Into a Teaching Career

Have you thought about starting a teaching career? Do you feel stuck in your current job? Are you struggling to get excited for another day at work? Do you find yourself browsing job postings?

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you might be needing a career change!

Fun fact! About half of the United States’ workforce changes jobs every 1 to 5 years. If you’re thinking of making the switch, just know that you’re not alone.

If you’re considering a job change, try a teaching career! As an educator, you’ll get the opportunity to positively impact the lives of every student you meet and work in a job where no two days are the same.

Starting a new teaching career isn’t scary

In fact, a career change into education can and should be exciting! If you love the thought of becoming a teacher and working closely with students, then it sounds like a teaching career is right for you.

With Scoot Education, transitioning into a teaching job is painless. When you become a substitute with Scoot, we’ll make sure you feel completely supported in your new position with the support of your very own education consultant.

The best part of subbing with Scoot is that you’ll build a personal connection with your consultant, so you never feel like you’re doing this alone. Your consultant is always open to hearing about your teaching preferences so they can find a placement that fits you best!

Substitutes love working with Scoot for many different reasons! From free professional development to competitive pay, we’ve got it all!

We’ve got part-time options!

It’s normal to have reservations about moving over to full-time teaching. If you want to keep another part-time job or you have other responsibilities in your life, then consider part-time substitute teaching.

The ability to choose your own schedule is a huge benefit to many substitute teachers. As a part-time sub, you can control how much or how little you work every week.

As a part-time substitute with Scoot Education, you can make your own schedule with our app Scoot 2 Work. Control your availability down to the hour, all with the touch of a button!

Working with an agency can also expand the range of schools that you can work at. Instead of subbing in just one place, you have the option of subbing across the city!

Answering all your questions about teaching

Whether you’re moving from the corporate world into education, or have some experience with tutoring or teaching, you may have a lot of questions about this new job.

Luckily, we’ve got all the answers you need and more!

1) Will I like teaching?

Teaching is an extremely rewarding job and educators are often the unsung heroes of society. As an educator, you’ll play a large role in shaping the next generation of leaders.

If working with children and students sounds amazing, then odds are you’ll like this job! If you’re looking for a career that requires you to be creative, flexible, and analytical, then you’re looking in the right place.

And if you want to wake up every morning feeling passionate and thrilled to take on the day, then this career change is perfect for you.

It’s difficult to know if you’ll truly enjoy teaching without trying it out for yourself. If you’re still hesitant about fully entering a teaching career, try part-time teaching! Then you can get a taste of teaching without having to quit your other jobs! Sub with Scoot and get access to our app Scoot 2 Work, where you can create a schedule that fits you best.

2) What is a teaching career like?

Great educators do everything and their job isn’t limited to just standing in front of the classroom (though that’s definitely a large part of it). Through this job, you’ll become students’ role model, confidant, supporter, and motivator.

You’ll see students when they’re having good days and bad days. Sometimes they just won’t want to learn. Great teachers find ways to help these students get through these tough times and finish their school days strong.

It’s not an easy job, but your students will notice the care and attention you give them, even if they don’t say anything.

New adventures everyday

While it may not be easy, it’s certainly exciting. Arguably the best thing about teaching is that every day is a new adventure! You never know what a new day will bring and what fun things your students will say or do.

This is a career of lifelong learning and growing, you’ll always be picking up new skills and meeting new people. Even veteran teachers find themselves surprised by their students!

Sharing your passion

Do you love math? Reading? A specific moment in history? As a substitute, you can share this love with a classroom full of students!

One of the greatest parts of teaching is that you can share your hobbies and enthusiasm with your students!

Meeting new people

As a substitute, you’ll have the opportunity to meet dozens of new students every day. Their laughter, joys, and smiles all become part of your day and you’ll never forget when you meet a student who just makes you laugh.

Meeting you could be the best part of someone’s day and it can cement your place as the number one sub at the school you’re at! The best part is hearing the cheers when you walk into a room because you’re everyone’s favorite substitute teacher.

3) What if my degree is in one subject but I want to teach a different one?

That’s not a problem! Regardless of their majors and degrees, substitute teachers can still fill in for an absent teacher.

There are many substitutes that sub for subjects they didn’t major in – this is just one of the many joys of education!

If there is a subject you know you don’t want to substitute for as a Scoot sub, you can let your consultant know. They’ll make sure to not assign you to any of those classes.

4) How do I know if teaching is right for me?

Teaching doesn’t have just one job description and educators can find their way to this career for a variety of reasons.

Some educators knew that they’ve wanted to be teachers all their lives while others found that their strong writing skills, strong communication skills, or other strengths were well suited for this role. Regardless of what your current employment is, you’ll have a wealth of transferable skills.

There are also some who part-time teach on the side of their primary jobs in order to earn extra money.

Regardless of the reason, if you feel that pull of a teaching career, then the best thing you can do is try it out for yourself! If you substitute teach with Scoot, you’ll have the option to substitute teach part-time on a schedule that works for you. You’ll get the chance to bolster your teaching skills while seeing whether a career in education is the right one for you.

5) Is it hard managing a lot of students?

The short answer to this question is yes.

The long answer is that teaching will test the strength of your memory and multitasking abilities all while you direct a full classroom.

On tough days when a class is particularly rowdy, you may wonder if this was really the right decision. Just know that many teachers and substitutes have been in the same position as you!

Managing and motivating a class is a skill that can be learned. Nobody started their teaching career as the perfect educator. Just like every other incredible teacher and sub you’ve met, you will also learn how to handle the responsibility of a class.

6) How do I become the best educator possible?

Most people can remember a teacher or substitute that changed their lives and shaped them into the person they are today. If you’re wondering about how you can be that educator for your students, it’s a sign you’re on the right track!

There are several qualities that all great, life-changing educators have:

Patient

Great educators are patient with students. Even if you’ve repeated yourself a dozen times, remain patient and understand that your students are trying their best.

Be extra patient with the student who just doesn’t understand the lesson or is struggling to follow along in class, and they will remember your kindness throughout their time with you and beyond.

Great listeners

As an educator, your job isn’t just about lesson planning. Sometimes students need a shoulder to lean on and someone to listen to them talk about their problems. Or sometimes they just want to share something funny that happened recently.

Actively listen to your students, even if they’ve told you this story a million times!

Respectful

This goes along with the previous point about being a great listener. As an adult, you might feel like a student’s problems are childish. Don’t express this to your student or you’ll guarantee that they’ll never say a thing to you again!

Instead, respect their feelings and the story they’re telling you. The issue that seems small to you is huge to them and it means a lot to be treated with respect. The chances are that the teacher that you appreciated the most was respectful to you, even if they didn’t understand what you were going through.

I’m interested in a teaching career! Where do I start?

So you’re changing careers into teaching – that’s great!

This is a career in which you can contribute to your community and leave behind a positive legacy. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing that you’ve played a part in shaping a student’s life for the better.

The steps to start your teaching career can vary depending on your location and what subject and grade level you want to teach. Generally, most states and school districts require that you meet a minimum education requirement.

Becoming a substitute teacher

The requirements to become a sub can vary greatly depending on the state and even the city you’re located in. However, most locations require a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.

We have detailed blog posts about how to become a substitute depending on your location that you can check out below!

• California
• Arizona
• Texas
• Colorado
• New Jersey

Becoming a teacher

Teachers must have a teaching credential that can be obtained through completing a teacher certification program.

These different programs are often expensive but fortunately, TeachStart makes it affordable and easy. You’ll get hands-on teaching experience at reputable schools, all while earning a salary and paid holidays!

Launch your teaching career today and join TeachStart to get paid to get your teaching credential!

Change lives and begin your teaching career

People are changing careers into teaching all over the country!

If you’ve decided to leave the corporate world, want to transition into a more full-time teaching position, or just want to try something new, teaching can offer you a new career option!

You’ll be able to work closely with students and get the opportunity to talk to them, help them and see the “lightbulb” go off when they finally grasp a concept they’ve been struggling with. What could be better than that?

Teaching with an agency can make your life easier

The rules and requirements to becoming an educator can be confusing to navigate, especially if you’ve never taught before.

Fortunately, Scoot guides all our educators through these confusing processes!

Substitute teaching career

Get started on changing careers into education! Sign up to substitute teach with Scoot and you’ll:

• Get your own education consultant, an experienced expert who can answer all your questions. Whether you need help becoming an educator or need advice while teaching, your Scoot consultant has your back!
• Receive exclusive access to Scoot Camp, our voluntary teacher preparation program that helps educators feel prepared for success in the classroom. This free professional development covers three important subjects:
  • Behavior management
  • Special education
  • Trauma-informed teaching
• Be in full control over your schedule with our app Scoot 2 Work. We have no availability minimum so you can work as much or as little as you want!
• Enjoy weekly pay every Friday via direct deposit, straight to your bank account!

Educators are in high demand everywhere, making this the perfect field to start working in immediately.

Apply to Scoot now

Full-time Teaching Career

If you know you want to become a full-time teacher, then you’re in the right place!

We’ll pay you to get your teaching credential and gain valuable teaching experience through our unique teacher credentialing program, TeachStart!

Apply to TeachStart now