Why Should You Become a Teacher?

Reasons To Become A Teacher

Why Teach? This one question comes with multiple answers. There are numerous reasons why you should consider teaching as your next career move.

One of our favourite teaching quotes is “…A teacher affects eternity, they can never tell where their influence stops…” (Henry Adams). This encapsulates the profound difference teachers make each and every day. Your hard work and effort as a teacher shapes the lives of your pupils and positively influences their future. There are few careers that rival teaching in terms of job satisfaction.

There are so many reasons why you should train to teach. We have detailed just some of the reasons below.

1) Teaching is a rewarding and fulfilling career with unparalleled job satisfaction. 
 As many teachers will tell you, seeing a child’s eyes light up after grasping a new piece of knowledge is priceless.  As a teacher, you are a guide to the world and enable children to fully maximise their talents, potential, and imagination. You help your learners to recognise their strengths and talents allowing them to decide who they are and what they want to achieve in life. Every day, you make a profound difference to the lives of every single child in your class as well as pupils throughout the school. 

2) Teaching is far from boring – you can expect everyday to be different.
Due to the nature of the role, each day of your teaching career will be different. You will encounter new situations and challenges continuously. Teaching can be challenging and frustrating at times. But overcoming the challenges and finding solutions to each individual situation is part of the job satisfaction. Every day is different to the last and you will find each day is exciting and satisfying. Variety is the spice of life and teaching certainly provides this.

3) Teaching is the gift that keeps on giving.

 As a teacher, you will find that the more you teach, the more you learn. You will learn more about yourself as a teacher, which will allow you to develop and modify your teaching style as necessary. You will also find out which lesson plans work well and which ones need to be edited. Through teaching, you will discover areas for professional and personal development as well as uncovering your own likes and dislikes. In terms of subject knowledge, this only improves the longer you teach. You will find yourself learning all types of interesting facts and improving your own knowledge on a range of topics. It is not only teachers who ask questions! Inevitably, your pupils will have questions for you about topics being taught. You will find pupils can ask questions you were not expecting and had not prepared for, which is outside of curriculum coverage. This is a wonderful part of the learning process. Simply be honest, explain that you are not quite sure of the answer but suggest finding out the answer together. Some days, you learn just as much as the children. After all, learning is a never-ending process!

4) There are many opportunities for you to grow, develop and achieve.
As a teacher, you will inevitably be helping to develop the minds of your pupils, expanding their academic knowledge as well as nurturing personal growth and helping them to understand who they are as a person. You will regularly celebrate your pupil’s achievements and be their champion. But, you are not only helping your pupils on the road to success. Teaching is a profession offering excellent career progression opportunities. CPD opportunities for teachers in the UK are fantastic and will help you to achieve your career aspirations. Progression in teaching ranges from becoming a Subject Coordinator (which means you are the lead for this subject and oversee the teaching in this field across your school) to working your way into leadership, such as taking on the role of Deputy Headteacher or Headteacher. There are endless opportunities to progress.

5) Diversity is championed and celebrated.
Every teacher is different. No 2 teachers will have the exact same teaching style or approach to the curriculum. All education staff have the opportunity to be a pioneer in the classroom. You will develop your imagination and creativity as well as your problem solving and reasoning skills.

6) Teaching develops key, and highly employable, skills.
Teaching will allow you to develop a rich and varied skill set. As mentioned, teaching is a diverse role with no 2 days the same. You will spend time planning lessons, for example, but you will find that the lessons often need to be adapted continuously to meet pupil needs. You will find that sometimes you are unable to move on from a learning objective as quickly as you anticipated, or you may find the children grasped the concept quicker than you expected. Adaptability is key in this profession. Moreover, you will be required to develop exceptional time management skills, the ability to prioritise a rich and varied workload and you will need strong team work skills as well as independence. All the skills you develop in teaching are highly transferable in and out of the profession.

7) Teaching is a profession to be proud of with daily doses of happiness and humour.
There are highs and lows in every profession but the highs of being a teacher outweigh the lows. You have the potential to provide a happy and safe environment for children to express their imagination and character. You are facilitating their success on multiple levels. Happiness and humour in your classroom can be very beneficial for wellbeing (both adult wellbeing and child wellbeing!) and allows you to finish, even a challenging day, happy and satisfied. 

We asked real teachers for their thoughts on teaching:



If in doubt, speak to a teacher!
Why not speak to a serving teacher about their experience of teaching? They will be able to answer any questions you may have about the profession. They can share their knowledge on a variety of topics, such as behaviour management, workload management, subject knowledge and the curriculum. Seeking advice from those with direct teaching experience will help you to answer the question ‘Is teaching the right career for me?’

If you are considering a teaching career and would like further information, contact the Kent-Teach team. In addition, visit our Routes into Teaching pages to find the best option for you. The Get into Teaching website is also a fantastic source of information.

Our blog contains several articles about becoming a teacher!
Why I Changed Careers to Become a Teacher – Jeanette's Story
Why A Classroom-Based Teacher Training Route Might Be Perfect For You!
10 Reasons Why You Should Become a Teacher

Become a Teacher