The need for
teachers of geography at all levels has risen
dramatically in recent years. Wayne State College offers teacher
certification
programs where students may earn either two Subject
Endorsements (one of which may be in geography) or one Field
Endorsement
(e.g., the social sciences field endorsement includes geography
classes).
Larger school systems (in and out of Nebraska) lean toward hiring
students
with subject endorsements. Smaller schools sometimes (though not
always) prefer students
with the broader social sciences field endorsement, and new hires may
be asked to teach a broader variety of topics.
Secondary
School
Teacher
Overseas
Teacher
There are lots of teaching jobs in foreign countries, particularly in
places where
large numbers of American military personnel or business people are
based.
The Department of Defense maintains K-12 English-language schools in
such places
as Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Guam, South Korea, and Japan.
Also, large U.S. corporations are finding
that they must offer educational opportunities to the dependents of
employees
working in foreign nations. There are also independent American
schools
in many large cities the world over. The benefit
you will always receive from teaching overseas, of course, is the
opportunity
for travel and cultural exploration.
College
Professor
As the number of geography courses in high schools expands, more
students
are pursuing geography as a major in college. This keeps college
geography
departments busy, and these departments employ a number of geography
professors.
Professors have as many specialties as there are disciplines within
geography.
They conduct
research and teach
courses, from introductory classes for freshmen to advanced seminars on
a specialized subject for upperclass and graduate students.
To be a college professor, you definitely need a
graduate degree, usually a Ph.D.
Additional information provided by Richard G. Boehm, Careers in Geography, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., and The Association of American Geographers