Advantages And Disadvantages of Being a Teacher: Teaching is among the ancient professions in the world, with hundreds of years of history. Of course, a lot of things have changed since then, and education is now a required public duty. Many of us aspired to be like our favorite teachers as children. What’s to stop you? For a variety of reasons, teaching is among the most vital occupations. Teachers, among other things, prepare and impact future generations by offering support, encouragement, inspiration, and information.
Teachers, it occurs to me, lay the foundation for knowledge in all topics. For example, students would not pursue writing if they had never learned how to construct sentences, nor would they strive to be doctors if they had never had the opportunity to discover an interest in science classes, nor would they aspire to be politicians if they had never learned about the importance of government in social studies classes. The profession of teaching is woven into the fabric of society.
Teaching, on the other hand, may not be for everyone. It necessitates a great deal of patience, a desire to assist others in their development and growth, a willingness to work with youngsters, problem-solving abilities, and much more. If you believe you can handle all of that without spending a lot of money, teaching can be a good alternative for you.
Teaching, like any other profession, has benefits and drawbacks. The following are some of the advantages and disadvantages of teaching.
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Advantages (merits) of being a teacher
1. Teachers do an important job for society: Another benefit of working as a teacher is that you will be contributing to society in a significant way. The children’s future will also be in your hands because it will be up to you to educate them how and where to learn as well as some skills and experience so they’ll be prepared for the tough world we are living in.
If you don’t educate those children how to be decent human beings, and they don’t learn it at home because they grow up in terrible family circumstances, they will have no one to look up to when they grow up and may break the law. As a result, you will have a great level of personal responsibility as a teacher and will be able to make a significant difference in our world.
2. Teachers don’t have to work long hours: You will not even have to work long hours as a teacher. You will most likely just work 40 hours per week, however, some teachers work much less. Sure, you’ll have to work longer in the beginning because you’ll need to learn how to proficiently prepare for your classes.
Therefore, with time, you would no longer require as much preparation, resulting in a significant reduction in your productive working hours. Furthermore, because you will frequently arrive home early from work, you will have plenty of time to catch up with your preferred folks after work.
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3. You can improve your people skills: You will be able to effectively strengthen your people skills as a teacher. Because you’ll be working with a variety of students throughout the year, you’ll acquire a solid feel of how they act and how they try to deceive you.
Furthermore, you would soon be able to pinpoint whether someone is lying to you or stating the truth. Those abilities will be useful not only in your professional life as a teacher but also in your personal life, as you’ll be able to apply them to your family members and friends, as well as strangers with whom you may like to spend much more time.
4. You can teach many different subjects: You’ll too have a multitude of freedom when it comes to the subjects you teach. Simply pick your favorite subjects and succeed at them. As a result, you will be able to teach these subjects for an extended amount of time, and you will finally know what you need to understand at work without having to organize your lectures.
Furthermore, because you may choose the subjects that fascinate you the most, you will be willing to spend your time doing the things that interest you the most, which can keep you motivated for a long time when other people have grown tired of what they do for a career.
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5. You’ll always discover something new about your students: Working as a teacher can also be pretty intriguing because you will always learn new things about your kids. In reality, it will take a little time for your students to fully trust you, and it will only be after this initial period that they will open up to you about their challenges and feelings.
In turn, you will indeed be able to assist those children if you can form a deep bond with them, which can be a difficult task but ultimately beneficial in the long run.
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6. Teacher can change the future of education: Teachers can increase educational quality. There is much to be accomplished, but it will need the combined efforts of many devoted teachers.
Exceptional instructors are frequently invited to mentor other members of the staff, which allows them to share their knowledge and wisdom. You can establish a vibrant community of educators by promoting an environment of professionalism, innovation, and sharing as you work alongside numerous skilled educators.
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Disadvantages (demerits) of being a teacher
1. Limited promotion options: As a teacher, you may also have limited prospects for advancement. You will frequently work in the same position for several years, if not decades, which can be disappointing because you will know that your endeavors will not pay off in the long run, but while many others in the corporate sector will be able to quickly climb the professional ladder, you will be trapped in the same position for a long time and may not receive any promotional offers at all during your teaching career.
2. Working as a teacher can be emotionally and mentally taxing: Your profession as a teacher can be mentally hard, depending on the circumstances you want to teach. For example, if you would like to teach math at the high school level, you’ll need to have a strong grasp of numbers, which not everyone possesses.
As a result, make sure you carefully select the things you would like to teach so you don’t run into any problems.
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3. Parents may object to your teaching method: Not only can schoolchildren be challenging, but their parents may object to your teaching style and how you handle their children.
In reality, parents can be even tougher than children at times, and that can be aggravating to have regular conversations with them. Of course, not every parent is like that, and most of them will value your efforts. However, you will have to deal with tough people regularly, and you should ensure that you do have the courage to do so before deciding on a career as a teacher.
4. You’ll have to teach the same lesson over and over: Another disadvantage of teaching is that you will be required to teach the same material repeatedly and over again. The longer you’ve been a teacher, the more you’ll remember all you have to teach by heart and won’t need to prepare for it.
While this is advantageous, it may also get monotonous, and you may grow tired of performing the same things over and over.
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5. Working as a teacher frequently necessitates a college diploma: Teachers, too, require extensive training before being allowed to operate in this sector. A master’s degree or at minimum a bachelor’s degree is frequently required to become a teacher, and other qualifications may be required in some states.
As a result, you will have to devote a significant amount of time and money to this degree, and you should be certain that becoming a teacher is truly what you want to do for a livelihood to justify the initial investment.
6. Relatively low payment: Although the salary is consistent and predictable, it does not exceed the average pay for other key occupations. The devotion and hard work that teachers put in both within and outside the classroom are not reflected in their remuneration.
Salaries maybe a little better in a year in nations where retired teachers are generously compensated. It’s not uncommon for first-time educators in the area to earn less money annually.
To augment their poor incomes, many instructors are forced to work over the summer or part-time throughout the school year.
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Conclusion
Even though teaching is an important vocation, it has recently lost its prestige. The majority of millennials think of it as a normal job. Teachers are also financially undervalued because they are compensated less for working more hours. Teachers also feel undervalued by their bosses, who they perceive to be unsupportive, unpleasant, disrespectful, and indifferent. All of the negative connotations associated with teaching may start to wear you down.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.