How to become a Teacher in Pakistan?

1. Job Introduction or What They Do?

Career as a teacher is growing in popularity in Pakistan and most of the younger generation of the country believes it to be the safest and the most lucrative option present. Teachers are highly valued in all societies but the culture and religion of the people in Pakistan further adds to the respect and value given to people engaged in this particular field. For Muslims of the country a teacher holds the highest regard after parents. A teacher not only provides academic knowledge to children but at the same time is responsible for the social and personal development of the children.

2. How to Steps:

Some may consider becoming a teacher in Pakistan as easy as pie, however to become a quality teacher one needs to follow certain steps. The steps are as follows:

1) In order to become a teacher in Pakistan a person needs to determine what age group he or she wants to teach. Basically, if you plan on becoming a highly qualified teacher you would want a specialized degree in the field. The first thing one should do is browse on the internet for universities offering teacher certifications or programs. If you want to become an elementary level teacher then acquiring a bachelor’s degree would be sufficient. On the other hand if you plan to teach at the secondary or post secondary level then you should do majors in the subject you want to teach and consequently acquire a teacher’s certification.

2) After you have completed your bachelors it is preferable that you enter the field of teaching by seeking employment in elementary or secondary schools. Only experience at the grass root level helps one to become a highly qualified teacher in Pakistan. After you have had a couple years of experience teaching children from classes 1-10 then you would be ready to progress further.

3) Once you have some teaching experience coupled with a bachelor’s degree in the subject you want to teach it is time for you to seek employment in colleges or universities for becoming a teacher’s assistant. By becoming a teacher’s assistant one learns a lot from the teaching methods of highly qualified and experienced teachers. The time spent as a teacher’s assistant adds to your knowledge and arsenal of teaching tools.

4) After passing through all these stages a person is ready to become a professional teacher who is highly valued by educational institutions and is paid a substantial amount of compensation for the services rendered as a teacher.

5) An important but additional step in becoming a highly qualified teacher is acquiring higher level degrees during the process of teaching. One needs to keep adding to his skills and knowledge and that’s why pursuing higher degrees such as P.H.Ds are preferred by teachers who aim to progress in their careers. This allows for them to grow in stature and raises their income levels considerably.

3. Course Structure:

The course structure for each teacher varies depending on the type of degree one is pursuing. For instance a teacher who plans on becoming a teacher of sociology would pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. Generally teachers teaching at the elementary level of education have acquired one or more of the degrees to enjoy a successful career as a teacher. These include:

a) B.Ed

b) M.Ed

c) M.A (Education)

During the course of these degrees individuals are taught various courses which enable them to acquire sufficient knowledge and teaching skills to enter the teaching field.

4. Recognition of the Course:

These courses are generally recognized in Pakistan only. For international recognition people usually have to acquire education from international universities or highly ranked universities within Pakistan.

5. Job Opportunities

At present there is a dearth of jobs in the country but teaching is one field which has multiple vacancies available. Pakistan is a developing country and for developing countries like Pakistan it is vital that they invest in education. With the trend of private schools and colleges increasing in the country the number of jobs available for teachers is on a high.

6. Eligibility:

The minimum requirement for a teacher to be eligible for the lowest level teaching position in an educational institution is B.Com. Any person who has completed his A’Levels or F.Sc can pursue a B.Com degree. People who successfully clear the B.Com examinations are eligible for acquiring a teacher’s post in an institution.

7. Remuneration

Teachers are usually paid depending on their own qualifications and experience and also the level of students they are teaching. Teachers could be paid as low as Rs. 3000 and as high as Rs. 300000 per month. Highly paid teachers usually teach in colleges and universities while low paid teachers are employed in elementary or secondary schools.

8. Top 10 Universities for Acquiring a Bachelors Degree

1. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore

2. Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi

3. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Tech. Karachi

4. Iqra University, Defense View, Karachi

5. Lahore School of Economics, Lahore

6. National University of Sciences & Technology Rawalpindi

7. Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering, Swabi

8. Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad

9. University of the Punjab, Lahore

10. University of Karachi, Karachi