If you are about to finish high school, or keen for a career change, you may want to know how to become a teacher.
The first decision you’ll need to make is whether you want to work at a pre-primary, primary or high school. Do you want to teach young children the basics of how to read and write? Or would you rather work with older learners, possibly teaching a specific subject?
Before you register to study for a teaching qualification, it is advisable to spend some time at a school to see how satisfying you find the role. Get some basic work experience as a classroom volunteer, day care assistant or extracurricular activity coach. This experience will also look good on your CV in future as it demonstrates how serious you are about becoming an educator. After your initial decision about the age of children you’d like to work with, this is a suggested, but optional, step in how to become a teacher.
If you want to become a teacher, and you are still at school, you should aim to get good marks. To enrol for a teaching degree you will have had to complete Matric with a National Senior Certificate or equivalent. You will also need an Endorsement/Exemption that grants you approval to study at a tertiary level.
Varsity College offers tuition support for two Under-graduate Degree Programmes that will provide guidance on how to become a teacher. You can study towards a Bachelor of Education (BEd) Intermediate and Senior Phase degree, which will give you the skills and knowledge to guide learners from Grade 4 through to Grade 9. Alternatively, you can work towards a Bachelor of Education (BEd) Early Childhood Development: Foundation Phase degree. This programme has been specially designed so that you can academically nurture boys and girls aged 0-9.