Path to becoming a teacher?

whitespace
Wed, 17 Aug 2016 01:19:36 +0000

I’ve recently started considering become a teacher as a career path I might be interested in. For years, I’ve been thinking law or politics or something similar, but I’m really not all that sure about it right now. I realize those thoughts can obviously change, but I’ve also started exploring the idea of teaching. Ideally, I’d want to be a high school English teacher, or possibly history/social studies.
I haven’t gotten much farther than that. I’m not sure what state I’d like to live in when I’m older, or what its requirements for certification will be. I’m an English major right now, so if I understand it correctly, I’d need to get a master’s after that in order to take the licensure test? My school does not offer an undergraduate education major. Or, at least, not currently - the page says that they’re no longer taking applications. I plan to bring this up with my advisor at a meeting scheduled in October.
So I guess my big question is how do you become certified to teach at the secondary level? I’m not sure where student teaching fits in, or if I’ll need more than a bachelor’s degree. I’m not opposed to getting a master’s, but I’m not sure how much it would be worth until I start teaching. Is it like an MBA where you’re supposed to have a few years of experience?
Thank you all in advance for the help!