We should all be teachers.
In 2013, Tim Minchin, an Australian composer, singer, comedian, actor and a man who has won awards than you could shake a stick at, gave an address at the University of Western Australia. The address was entitled “9 Life Lessons”, he speaks to recent graduates and offers them some hard-earned advice. One of the pieces of advice he offers is to be a teacher.
He says: ‘Be a teacher. Please, please be a teacher. Teachers are the most admirable and important people in the world. You don’t have to do it forever but if you’re in doubt about what to do be an amazing teacher. Just for your twenties be a teacher. Be a primary school teacher… Even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher. Share your ideas. Don’t take for granted your education. Rejoice in what you learn, and spray it.’
We should all be teachers. We need teachers.
There are few jobs as important as teaching. Moulding the minds of the future generation is a surefire way to make your mark on the world. Helping young people to become the best they can be is one of the most important things that you can do.
As a teacher, you’ll get far more done than a politician, make a bigger difference than a CEO, make a contribution to society more valuable than any banker and earn yourself the respect of all of those around you.
So how do you become a teacher? There are many ways to become a teacher in Australia.
If you’re a recent high school graduate then you can enrol in university and get a degree in education. The process is simple, decide which type of teacher you want to be and apply to the course through UAC. If you have existing tertiary qualifications you might be able to apply for course credit and only have to complete a Graduate Diploma in Education or a Masters of Teaching. These degrees can be studied for in two years or less as opposed to the typical four-year degrees students study for straight out of school.
Even if you haven’t already studied to be a teacher but are thinking about pursuing a career in education, there are still many ways you can become a teacher.
You can complete an online course. Courses such as the ones offered on this site offer affordably priced nationally accredited online education courses. So if you’re great with kids, you’ve got a passion for learning and you’d like to pursue a career in education, this is a great way to dip your toe in the water and become accredited as an Early Childhood Teacher, Childcare Worker, Nanny or even a Teacher’s Aide.
You can become a volunteer teacher whilst earning your Masters in Education with Teach for Australia. Teach for Australia is an initiative that seeks to combat educational inequality by supporting career-changers and successful university graduates who are looking to become teachers. Successful Teach for Australia applicants are given 13 weeks of training before being awarded contracts at regional or low-socioeconomic schools whilst earning a full salary. At the end of their two-year contracts, participants are awarded a Master of Teaching degree and have valuable hands-on experience.
You just teach. The last option is simple: just be a teacher. In our lives we should never stop learning, we should always be seeking to better ourselves, to learn everything we can, to broaden our horizons, and then we pass along this knowledge to those around us. So, ‘even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher.’
