How You Benefit By Becoming a Teacher

Clearly, the best part of being a teacher is the opportunity to help kids and change lives. Rare is the adult who can’t look back and at least partially credit his successes to one or more committed teachers who in some way, be it directly or indirectly, helped him realize his goals.

But aside from the joy that comes from doing such rewarding work, the teaching profession has some substantial perks, the most apparent one being the school schedule. Teachers can use summer break, winter break, and spring break to pursue other interests, such as travel, art, writing, research, or any number of other things. They can also use the time to pursue professional development opportunities (for which grants are often available) or to supplement their income by taking another job. And while the number of hours worked per week can vary greatly from teacher to teacher, depending on course load, extracurricular commitments, and the school in question, many educators find they work very reasonable hours and have a good deal of time to themselves, even when school is in session.

Teaching is also a great way to stay sharp and keep learning throughout one’s career. By constantly having to impart information to young people, teachers enjoy the benefit of retaining large amounts of information about the subjects they most love as a matter of necessity and habit. It is a frequent complaint among non-teaching adults that they wish they could readily recall the subjects they loved in high school and college but professionally departed from for one reason or another. Teachers may be so used to their mental acuity that they don’t necessarily notice it very much, but it is a real leg-up they have on those who don’t become educators, and it is a huge benefit of teaching to enjoy such a lively intellectual existence throughout one’s adult life.