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Job description
Coursework responsibilities include writing syllabi and assignments, giving and grading exams, and mentoring students through fieldwork, internships, or research projects. Many professors split their time between teaching and scholarship, publishing findings in academic journals and pursuing outside grant funding to support that research. The role demands staying current in the field through reading, conferences, and conversations with colleagues, and it typically requires a PhD, reflecting the mix of teaching and independent research expected of the position.
Pros
- Direct influence on the next generation of teachers, counselors, and school leaders
- Highly structured, team-based work environment with regularly scheduled hours
- Combines classroom instruction with the option to pursue original research
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Requires a PhD in the relevant field, a long and costly path to qualify
- Pay tops out around $127k, lower than many other postsecondary teaching fields
A typical day
The 9am methods course is teaching about teaching — twenty future elementary teachers workshopping lesson plans, and the professor models the very feedback techniques the syllabus preaches, because education faculty teach in a hall of mirrors where practice must match theory. Late morning is fieldwork supervision: driving to a partner school to observe a student teacher's math lesson, notes taken for the debrief where confidence gets built and habits get corrected. The research afternoon advances a study on reading intervention outcomes — data from partner classrooms analyzed, a grant proposal revised, because external funding keeps the research lab alive. A doctoral advisee's dissertation chapter needs comments by Friday. The through-line is leverage: every teacher trained well multiplies into decades of students taught well.
Tasks at the job
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Supervise students' fieldwork, internship, and research work.
- Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work, and the work is highly structured, following set procedures. Almost all of the work is done as part of a team.
Education necessary or common
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the relevant field
Common college majors
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Psychology — learning science is the discipline's core
- English/AP English Language — academic writing career
- AP Statistics — education research is empirical
- Child Development if offered
- Public Speaking — teaching is the medium and the message
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Peer tutoring — and reflect on your methods deliberately
- Teach anything: swim lessons, Sunday school, camp — reps matter
- Education club or future-teachers program (Educators Rising)
- Volunteer in an elementary classroom
First steps you can take now
- Tutor a younger student weekly and keep a journal on what works
- Join Educators Rising if your school has a chapter
- Interview a teacher about how they were trained and what was missing
- Read one book on learning science and test a technique on your own studying
