Hey all,

I was just wondering, what is the easiest (least costly) way to become a teacher with an English degree. I graduate soon with a 3.2 GPA, not great, but not terrible either. I was also active in student organizations and a collegiate sport. I would prefer to be a secondary school instructor.

Also, is there a way to go back to school and earn a different degree, like pre-med or engineering? Would I have to go back for another 4 full years, or are there post-bac programs available?

Although English is what I desire to study, there are almost no job prospects for an English degree at the moment. I'm just trying to weigh my options. I don't think I would do very well with Grad school either because my GPA isn't that great. I have not taken the GRE or PRAXIS exams yet.


Any suggestions? Thank you.

P.S. I scored much higher on the ACT (4 years ago) on the math and science portions, with a 30 composite score overall. That's the reason why I ask about the engineering/pre-med.

Which country do you live in? In some countries, there is a teacher's education program for 1 year, for those who completed a bachelor's degree other than Bac. Ed.

Depending on which school, 3.2 GPA might be enough, but if it's not enough, then I suggest that you leave your file open so that you can take more courses to boost your average or redo some courses that you had a low mark in.

In the U.S. each state sets requirements for a teaching certificate, so you must check the guidelines to find out what you need yet to be able to teach in that state.

My sister has her master's in English and she would be the first to tell you don't get that degree expecting to make any money from it.

She teaches middle school French now. I find it oddly amusing.

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Originally Posted by Emland

My sister has her master's in English and she would be the first to tell you don't get that degree expecting to make any money from it.

She teaches middle school French now. I find it oddly amusing.

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I have a bachelor's in English and a master's in psychology and spent 30 years as a librarian. Go figure. (It did all work together real well though -- English for the library part and psychology for the people part.) Oh, and I still didn't make any money.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

I have a bachelor's in English and a master's in psychology and spent 30 years as a librarian. Go figure. (It did all work together real well though -- English for the library part and psychology for the people part.) Oh, and I still didn't make any money.

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So, can you tell how crazy I am by what I check out? ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Emland

So, can you tell how crazy I am by what I check out? ;)

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Maybe, but then you might be doing a term paper for your Abnormal Psych class. :D

Haha thank you all for the amusing and helpful responses. I really don't care about money. I guess I would like to choose "enlightenment" over security. I probably just sounded like a snob right there. I'll check things out in my state, and the state where my parents live (OH and SC). Honestly, I'm a little burned out right now from school, so the post-bacc/med school is probably not the right idea. I'm just weighing my options for my English degree, which is versatile, but I feel that it's hard to get in the door with most companies/jobs. I would like to teach because I like being with young people and help making a difference (I was a coach my last year in college for my collegiate sport teaching freshmen how to row). Also, I totally love Literature, and I would like to feel that I was making a difference through teaching. Health benefits aren't bad either.

Like I said, I really don't care about the money as much as I do the level of enjoyment that I would get from my work. I'm pretty frugal with money and could stretch a dollar pretty far (hello ramen and grilled cheese).

Any other suggestions?