Teaching as a career option in India is gaining immense popularity and is always considered to be the most niche career one could opt for. Currently the trend of on-line teaching using the internet is growing and many courses are thought to millions of students world wide through the internet. And the Indian teachers, with their advantage of fluently speaking good English(the second largest spoken language throughout the world) and quality teaching standards and intellect are most sought after throughout the world. Exchange program among teachers of various countries is gaining popularity and there is exchange of techniques of teaching and knowledge among the teaching community so that students get the best results. Teachers are always considered a boon to any society as they shape a child’s interest, career and overall growth. It can be assertively said that both teachers and parents play a vital role in overall shaping the future of any society by inculcating the right values among students.

Eligibility for various levels of teaching: Teaching can be done at various levels namely nursery level, primary, middle school level, high school level and university or college level. Professional level teaching is also done. A teacher has to be passionate about what he/she teaches as this becomes instrumental in cultivating interest in the minds of the children. If a teacher teaches for the sake of earning money, this will reflect on the quality of work done and students are bound to under-perform in that subject. For nursery level teaching, a nursery teacher training program would suffice and the minimum qualification to do this program would be post completion of 12th standard. For teaching for primary/middle school children, a teacher training certificate(TTC) would suffice and the eligibility criteria again is 12th standard pass. For teaching at high school level, a B.Ed or Bachelors of Education, which is a two-year program needs to be completed. The minimum eligibility criteria for the same is graduation in any discipline. To teach at university or college level, a M.Phil program needs to be completed after post-graduation studies and the NET(National Eligibility Test) conducted by the University Grants Commission needs has to be cleared. Candidates holding a P.hD degree will also require to clear the test to become a college lecturer. Private or autonomous institutions may invite visiting professors to teach students. Such visiting faculties are people with immense, thorough knowledge in a particular field of study and are always highly in demand. Special education teachers who cater to children suffering from autism, slow –learners, other metal illnesses can take up special education programs offered by many institutions(both government and private) and cater to the needs of such children and make them part of the normal society by specially training them depending on their level of competency.

Career Prospects & Institutions: Qualified teachers can find jobs both in government and private institutions starting from the nursery to university level. Teachers can find jobs at various levels depending on their qualification and expertise and they can also be self-employed by starting their own tution centres and tutorials. Currently there is a lot of emphasis given to extra-curricular activities too. So people with knowledge in arts and music who have learnt these as children can also conduct classes to pass on their skills to the new generation. Special qualifications are not required for teaching sports, arts, music etc but currently, courses for such areas are also emerging. Learning languages is also gaining popularity and many institutions offer specialized courses in language training and teachers can opt for this option too. Remuneration for good qualified teacher is very high and monthly can reach upto Rs.50,000/- and more for teachers depending on the level of teaching.

Many institutions offer teacher training programs for various levels throughout the country. Just to name a few are IGNOU, Alighar Muslim University, Annamalai University etc.