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Teaching English and Other Careers for the English Major
The following information is useful for those requesting information about careers in English language arts, education, and other English-related areas. Whether you are thinking about becoming a teacher, looking for college programs, wondering about state certification and testing requirements, beginning your job search, or changing careers, these links and resources will help you reach your goals.
(Please note that some documents are available in PDF form and Adobe Acrobat is required to open them.)
So you want to be an English Teacher?
Getting Started: Finding a College
State Educational and Testing Requirements for Educators
Finding a Job
- For information on jobs available in the field, consult the NCTE Online Classified section.
- National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse
A resource for prospective teachers seeking jobs - and for school districts and states seeking qualified teachers.
- Visit the career center at your college or university, or the placement office in the Education Department.
- Read newspapers in the localities you are seeking employment.
- Visit Education Week for a national listing of job opportunities in education and some English language arts positions.
- Visit The Chronicle of Higher Education's Career Network for positions in higher education.
For the Beginning Teacher
NCTE Publications for the New Teacher
Teacher/Mentor: A Dialogue for Collaborative Learning. Graham, Peg and Hudson-Ross, Sally. NCTE’s Conference on English Education & Teachers College Press. College. 191pp. 1998. ISBN 0-8077-3793-3. Stock No. 19077.
Emerging from one highly successful program in English Education, Teacher/Mentor is full of real teacher voices describing classroom research that connects theory and practice, the basics of student teaching (from communication to discipline to leading discussions), and the struggles to collaborate across schools and university settings. A group of 25 mentor teachers, two university faculty, and over 40 teacher candidates worked collectively to create the book, which offers sound advice based on classroom research as well as insights into how readers can invent their own collaborative inquiry communities to realize genuine reform in teaching and teacher education. A must-read for those interested in how teachers are taught, how experienced teachers develop, and how teacher education programs can thrive in mutually satisfying and rewarding ways for all.
Great Beginnings: Reflections and Advice for New English Language Arts Teachers and the People Who Mentor Them. Hayes, Ira. NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership. CEL Series. Secondary. 195pp. 1998. ISBN 0-8077-3793-3. Stock No. 18887.
The first few years as an English language arts teacher can be disorienting, frustrating, and rewarding. These essays offer practical advice on topics such as evaluating student writing and creating support systems for beginning teachers. This book candidly discusses how the “real world” of teaching matches -- or fails to match -- novice teachers’ expectations, in sections entitled Memoirs, For the New Teacher, and For the English Leader. This is the first volume in a new series from NCTE’s Conference on English Leadership.
Teaching College English and English Education. McCracken, H. Thomas, Larson, Richard L., ed., with Entes, Judith. CEE Monograph Series. College. 384pp. 1998. ISBN 0-8141-5037-3. Stock No. 50373.
In these essays, distinguished contributors reflect on the process of becoming teachers, the ever-changing nature of that process, and their professional growth over the last 30 years. We learn of the teaching philosophies and professional struggles of men and women who confronted the issues and debated and defined them further. Contributors include Peter Elbow, whose book What Is English? is a landmark in English education; Jane Tompkins as she rediscovers T.S. Eliot and “a piece of [her] old lost self”; and W. Ross Winterowd as he illuminates the art and craft of rhetoric studies, admitting that his “cantankerous, abrasive enthusiasm” has remained undimmed after decades in the profession.
Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts. Small, Robert C. and Members of NCTE’s Standing Committee on Teacher Preparation and Certification. NCTE. General. 72pp. 1996. ISBN 0-8141-1980-8. Stock No. 19808.
Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts, revised every ten years by NCTE’s Standing Committee on Teacher Preparation and Certification, serves as a guide for developing and/or assessing teacher-preparation programs in English language arts. This newly expanded document opens with a set of general underlying principles and then examines closely the attitudes, knowledge, and pedagogical skills that effective teachers should demonstrate. New to the 1996 edition are chapters that identify the characteristics of effective teacher-preparation programs, relate the guidelines to the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts and to other preservice English language arts teachers can make an effective transition to the classroom, and show how teachers can best use inservice training to develop professionally.
What Else Can I Do with an English Major?
- "What Can You Do with an English Major?" (College English, Vol. 47, Num. 1, January 1985)
- What can I do with a major in English?
List of job titles and job descriptions of entry-level positions for which graduates with a B.A. in English might be hired. Direct and indirect career options.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook
Produced by the Department of Labor, this resource describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.
- Writers Write
A resource for professional writers offering information on journalism, technical writing, songwriting, screenwriting, and publishers of greeting cards and poetry.
- Detroit Free Press Journalism Jobs Page
Offers such services such as: job boards, job fairs, job hunting music, free newspaper career guide, how to get started, new job listings, internships, resumes, press galley forum, 5-stage career plan, fighting censorship, good places to work, preparing your portfolio, free press history, educational links, and journalistic jargon.
- Career Center and Internet Resources for English Majors
Internet Sites with Job Search Information for English Majors
- Career Resources for English Majors
Includes links to helpful sites for English majors looking for careers.
- Fastest Growing Occupations Requiring a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
The chart shows the 25 occupations projected to grow the fastest during 1998-2008 time period that generally require a bachelor’s degree or higher.
More Sources for Careers in English Other Than Teaching.
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