Teaching career opportunities are numerous and varied. The ideal candidate will have a passion for education and will be excited to work with children or adults in need of a clear and understandable education in a variety of subject areas. Some teaching career opportunities focus on one particular age group or subject matter, while others are more varied and less structured. A candidate can teach in a primary or secondary school if he or she has the appropriate certifications, or at the college level if he or she as an advanced degree.
Other teaching career opportunities focus on non-traditional settings. One can, for example, teach incarcerated adults or teenagers. A teacher in an adult prison may help inmates obtain a general education degree, also known as a general equivalency degree (GED). He or she can also teach college level courses to qualified inmates. Teaching career opportunities also exist at juvenile prisons, in which students can take part in high school level courses so their educations are not interrupted by the prison sentence. Some schools are specifically designed for at-risk students who may have just gotten out of prison, have emotional or mental problems, struggle with social interactions, deal with abuse or neglect, or even cope with homelessness.
Of course, sometimes teaching career opportunities exist completely outside the education industry. A person can, for example, become a teacher who works with business professionals on professional development seminars or skills sessions. An educator with specific experience in one area of industry may choose to offer training courses, seminars, or one-on-one guidance to professionals within that industry. These trainers may or may not have education backgrounds, but they are likely to have experience with or specific knowledge concerning the industry in which they operate.
Various teaching career opportunities exist on college campuses. A person can become a full professor after several years as an associate professor or lecturer. Adjunct faculty may work full-time as instructors of lower level courses, though they tend to make much less money than full professors and associate professors. Lecturers are people who have knowledge or skills in a particular field, though their education credentials may not qualify them for a full professorship. Many lecturers do eventually become full professors after years of experience or attainment of higher education degrees, though not all do so. Adjunct faculty can also eventually become full professors or instructors after time and experience.