Teaching (not TFA) before MPA

[Silver Thread]

Hello all --

I'm a college junior and very conflicted about whether I want to go into teaching, or get an MPA and go into nonprofit management.

Right now my tentative plan is: Since most MPA programs want a few years of work experience anyway, why don't I give teaching a go for 3-4 years? If I like it, I can stay. If I don't, I can go on to an MPA and use my teaching years as my work experience.

My question to you is .... Do you think that MPA programs will value teaching experience? I worry that it won't be seen as highly as other types of work experience such as policy work or working directly in a nonprofit.

Thanks!!

A NOTE: I hope to get into Teach for America, but I only said "not TFA" in the title because it's so competitive that nobody can guarantee getting in. If I don't get into TFA, I'll have to pursue alternate teacher certification, which is definitely less "prestigious".

[OregonGal]

If you want to have some "direct services" experience, that's great! However, if you're not planning on making teaching your career then I'm not sure that taking that route is best.

My main concern is: this is a really, really bad environment for teachers in general. State/local budget issues mean that school districts are slashing payroll left and right. They're not replacing retirees, they're allowing classroom numbers to rise, they're taking away non-essentials like librarians/music/art/languages. If you're not planning on teaching math, science, or ESL you're going to have a difficult time finding a position. I have friends and relatives who are teachers; some were laid off because they were in "non-essential" positions and some haven't been able to find education-related jobs because they are social studies certified. I wouldn't want to encourage someone to step into that environment if they weren't sure that they wanted to make teaching their career.

That being said, I think you can definitely spin teaching experience into a positive on your SOP/resume for an MPA degree, especially if you're planning on an education focus or want to work with education/youth-based non-profits.

The good news is, you still have plenty of time to figure this out! Without knowing your major I can't speak to whether you'd have to pursue additional education to get certified, but if that's built in to your degree then you have until winter of your senior year to make a final decision about what kind of work you want to do. If you'd have to take another year to get certified, you can evaluate your senior year if you want to take that extra year or if you want to work in a direct-services agency/non-profit. There are a lot of programs out there you can work in--I currently work at a non-profit that runs after-school classes for low-income youth, and there's plenty of similar organizations out there with various focuses. That can provide you with teaching experience without needing the certification, and give you more exposure to the non-profit sector.

[understatement700]

Also, this might not provide directly relevant experience for your future but I'd recommend looking into teaching English abroad if you want a little international adventure, and see how you like teaching. Jobs are more plentiful, and in my view, there's usually no need to rush things career-wise.

[OregonGal]

Yes, it's easy to work overseas as an English teacher--however, in my experience the amount of teaching you do really varies on the school! I had friends who were essentially teaching solo, but I had co-teachers who preferred to be in charge so I only ran drills. If I'd had ambitions to be a teacher, my year overseas would've killed them!

[understatement700]

I've had various experiences teaching English overseas too. Yes, it can definitely be a mixed bag, each position can be quite different and it's best to do a little research first. But I've have had very rewarding experiences teaching English. I'm more interested in going the international policy route, but actually my time teaching made me more seriously consider the profession that I ever had before, and definitely increased my interest in international education issues.

[Silver Thread]

If you want to have some "direct services" experience, that's great! However, if you're not planning on making teaching your career then I'm not sure that taking that route is best.

My main concern is: this is a really, really bad environment for teachers in general. State/local budget issues mean that school districts are slashing payroll left and right. They're not replacing retirees, they're allowing classroom numbers to rise, they're taking away non-essentials like librarians/music/art/languages. If you're not planning on teaching math, science, or ESL you're going to have a difficult time finding a position. I have friends and relatives who are teachers; some were laid off because they were in "non-essential" positions and some haven't been able to find education-related jobs because they are social studies certified. I wouldn't want to encourage someone to step into that environment if they weren't sure that they wanted to make teaching their career.

That being said, I think you can definitely spin teaching experience into a positive on your SOP/resume for an MPA degree, especially if you're planning on an education focus or want to work with education/youth-based non-profits.

The good news is, you still have plenty of time to figure this out! Without knowing your major I can't speak to whether you'd have to pursue additional education to get certified, but if that's built in to your degree then you have until winter of your senior year to make a final decision about what kind of work you want to do. If you'd have to take another year to get certified, you can evaluate your senior year if you want to take that extra year or if you want to work in a direct-services agency/non-profit. There are a lot of programs out there you can work in--I currently work at a non-profit that runs after-school classes for low-income youth, and there's plenty of similar organizations out there with various focuses. That can provide you with teaching experience without needing the certification, and give you more exposure to the non-profit sector.

Thanks for the advice -- not what I wanted to hear but it's very helpful!

As for those who suggested teaching abroad -- thanks for the suggestion but I think I'd prefer to stay stateside!