Parenting Pays: Careers in Education and Child Care

By Elizabeth Buckner
Learning & Life Columnist
October 20, 2006

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Raising children can be the toughest job out there--you should know. From the house to the spouse and the chores to the children, you've done it all. Now that you're ready to jump back into the workforce, don't discount your hard-earned experience as a parent -- it's a ticket to many of the nation's fastest-growing jobs in education and child care.

A World of Possibilities in Education

A career in teaching is a perfect transition back into a full-time job. You get to work with children all day, but still get your evenings and summers off to spend with your own family. The job outlook for teachers is always good, and in the coming years a large percentage of current teachers are expected to retire, opening up even more jobs for qualified teachers.

According to the National Bureau of Education Statistics, two million teachers will be needed in the next three years. Demand is particularly high in areas such as math, science, English language teaching and special education. The average salary for beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree is $31,704, but salaries rise quickly with more experience or a master's degree.

Fast-Track Teacher Training

In all states, teachers need to be certified. Traditionally, this meant coursework at an education school. Increasingly, however, schools are speeding up the process of getting teachers into classrooms through alternative certification programs. These programs put teachers in the classroom after only a few weeks of training and allow them to work towards a master's degree through evening classes. In fact, in the past five years, more than 130,000 teachers have received alternative certification through such programs.

Child Care

Child care offers another flexible career option for re-entry into the workforce. According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, high replacement needs should create good job opportunities for child care workers. While the pay can start out low, ranging from five to twelve dollars an hour, it increases with training and experience. A job in child care offers flexible scheduling and the option of being self-employed--a perfect first step back onto the road of your professional career.

You already have experience working with children, so why not add the formal training you need and start getting paid for it?

Sources

About the Author
Elizabeth Buckner is a freelance writer and current Fulbright grantee to Morocco, where she is conducting research on language education and the growth of English. She holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Education from Swarthmore College.

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