Be a Gym Teacher

A teacher in Physical Education (PE) leads school children in games and physical sporting events that are aimed at developing their physical health and abilities. Instructors of physical education are needed in both private and public schools for grades K-12. PE teachers encourage students to adopt healthy habits and motivate them to pursue healthy physical activities. As with any instructor, PE teachers need to have strong public-speaking and leadership skills in order to both instruct students in how to do particular activities and to maintain control over their classes.

Steps

Preparing

1. Get your bachelor’s degree. Majoring in exercise science is recommended but not required by all states.
   • Though you don’t have to choose a particular major in order to become a P.E. teacher, many states will require you to have at least taken certain courses, so check your state’s requirements.
   • It is more common for secondary-school teachers to be required to major in their chosen area of instruction than it is for primary-school teachers.
2. Get experience as a student teacher. Most post-graduate teaching programs require applicants to have a minimum number of classroom experience hours.
   • The amount of required classroom hours may vary depending on the teaching program to which you’re applying, so do your research.
   • Many universities offer programs that place students in local classrooms to help them gain experience. Inquire with your university if such programs are available to you.
3. Get physical/sports experience. If you want to be involved in physical education, be sure you yourself are familiar with both physical education and with playing sports.
   • A great way to get experience with sports and physical education is to volunteer to be a coach or assistant coach for a local school or league team.
4. Take education classes. If your university offers courses in education, it’s recommended that you take at least several such courses.
   • Education courses will not only help you determine if teaching is a good fit for you, but also help prepare you for the kind of coursework you’ll be required to take as part of your post-graduate education.

Earning Your Teaching License

1. Apply to teaching credential programs and/or Master’s programs. Once you’ve earned your bachelor’s degree, the next step on the way to gaining your teaching license is attending a post-graduate program.
   • While attending a post-graduate program in education isn’t required to earn your teaching license, it is strongly recommended because it will make meeting the licensure requirements much easier.
   • Teaching credential programs are typically about a year long, while Master’s programs are usually at least two. Though not required, having a Master’s degree in a relevant subject will make you more competitive, and many schools will offer Master’s-degree holders higher salaries.
   • A variety of teaching credential and Master’s programs are available across the U.S., but you still need to be sure to do your research so that you can find the program that will meet your needs.
   • When researching teaching programs, consider factors such as the accreditation of the program, the curriculum, the completion requirements, the length of the program, the cost, the admission requirements, the availability of financial assistance, the number of accepted students, the number of faculty, the size of the institution, and the location of the campus.
   • Remember that teaching credentials are state-specific, so choose a program in the state where you want to teach. If you earn your credential in California but want to teach in Alabama, you’ll have to repeat several steps in order to earn your Alabama credential.
2. Obtain classroom hours. You’ll be required to earn a certain number of classroom-experience hours.
   • The amount of hours required to earn your license will vary by state, so look up your state’s specific requirements.
3. Pass your state’s competency exams. In addition to graduating from a teaching program and earning classroom experience, you’ll also need to pass your state’s required exams to earn your teaching license.
   • Each state offers its own particular exams, and the procedures for taking the exam(s) may vary, so refer again to your state’s specific requirements.
   • The credentialing exam typically measures your basic knowledge as well as your subject and grade specific knowledge.
   • To learn more about your state’s exam, do a search for your state’s name and “teaching exam.”
4. Apply for your teaching license. Each state has unique requirements for earning your license. Go to your state’s Department of Education website to find details on all of the state-specific requirements.
   • Bear in mind that though you must have a license to teach in your state, earning teacher certification is optional, though it typically offers certain professional advantages including prestige and higher earning potential.
   • Alternative licensure is also available in lieu of a teaching credential. If you have your bachelor’s degree but didn’t pursue a credential after college and/or if you’re changing careers, you may pursue an alternative license by finding placement in a classroom working under the supervision of a licensed teacher. While teaching, you’ll also take required coursework. You will typically need to teach and take coursework for one to two years before earning your license. Again, licensing requirements vary by state, so look into the specifics for your state.

Getting a Job

1. Prepare your application documents. Though application requirements may vary by school, there are common documents you can expect to need, including:
   • An updated resume. Make sure your resume reflects your most recent education, awards, and activities and that it’s completely error-free. Remove any old or irrelevant information. For details on writing your resume, see How to Write a Resume.
   • A cover letter. Your cover letter should be specific to each job and should discuss your interest in and qualification for the specific job to which you’re applying. For more information on writing a cover letter, see How to Write a Cover Letter.
   • A teaching statement. Your teaching statement should state your goals, reasons for pursuing teaching, teaching/pedagogical philosophy, teaching methodology, and goals. A teaching statement should identify your teaching interests and goals, concrete examples of how you have and will accomplish those goals, discuss with specific examples issues you’ve faced and resolved in the classroom, which courses you’re interested in teaching, and strong and supportive statements from student evaluations, if available.
   • References. Many job postings will want you to include a list of references; your reference list should provide the name and contact information of professionals who know your work well and can offer you a positive recommendation. Be sure to ask each reference if you may list them before doing so.
2. Look for job openings. After earning your teaching license, you’re ready to begin looking for a job. here are several places you can begin looking:
   • Check with the boards of education/school districts in the area. On the website of most boards of education you can find available job listings, information about the district’s hiring process, and lists of upcoming job fairs.
   • Go to job fairs. Job fairs are opportunities for job seekers to meet with organizations offering jobs. When going to a job fair, treat it as an interview: dress professionally, bring copies of your resume, and hand them out to as many people as you can. Collect business cards and try to make as many contacts as possible. Job fairs are listed on the website of local boards of education and on job compendium sites.
   • Use education-specific job search engines. These search engines are tailored specifically for people looking for jobs in education, so these are your best bet for relevant results.
3. Follow the job application instructions exactly. When you’ve found a job to which you plan to apply, read the application and its requirements carefully and fulfill them exactly.
   • Be sure you meet all of the qualifications and that you submit all of your materials by the deadline.
   • Keep a careful record of the jobs to which you’ve applied and the responses you’ve received to avoid applying to the same job twice or forgetting where you applied if you get a request for an interview or for more information.

Tips

• There are both state and federal programs, such as Teach for America, AmeriCorps, and NYC Teaching Fellows, designed to recruit recent college graduates to teaching that may assist you in getting your teaching credential in exchange for a year of service.
• Teaching isn’t the only opportunity available to those who want to work in physical education. In addition to teaching PE in a K-12 school, instructors trained in physical education may also pursue coaching, personal training, sports management, research, and performance analysis.

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