On Tuesday the world paid tribute to one of the oldest and most valuable profession – teaching. World teacher’s day celebrated on October 5 every year is also an ideal time to acknowledge lectures, trainers, mentors and others who dedicated their working lives to imparting knowledge and skills, says Natalie Rabson of Boston City Campus and Business College.
“No matter their titles we at Boston for example, call our lecturers subject experts, people who teach others play a vital role in society,” she says.
“We would like to see South Africans throughout the country do their bit in showing educators the appreciation they deserve and not only on Teacher’s Day”. If you feel an affinity for educating others, or for training adults, don’t hesitate to consider entering the education arena: The nice thing about teaching is that teachers are needed just about anywhere,” says Rabson.
“In some countries teachers maybe better paid than in others, but in general there are jobs available for those who have good qualifications and teach subjects related to Maths, Science, Technology and Languages. “Some of our BA graduates have gone on to foreign countries and obtained posts teaching English to adults, a great experience for them and very lucrative too.”
The important thing is to look for qualifications that enjoy broad recognition. There are various study options that allow you to ultimately become a school teacher or college lecturer. One of the options that Rabson recommends is to study towards a basic degree via Unisa, the largest correspondence university in the world. Upon completing the basic degree, you can enroll for a post graduate teaching qualification, provided you have carefully selected teaching subjects within your undergraduate degree. The advantage of doing an undergraduate degree followed by a certificate in education is that you have various doors to you. Should you, for example, decide to move from teaching to another career, your degree will open other doors for you on a corporate level, or to run your own business.
Ari Katz, CEO of Boston City Campus and Business College, is a good case in point, says Rabson. Qualified as a chartered accountant, Katz followed his passion for education. He went into lecturing and in 1990 went on to open the college, which today has 46 branches throughout Southern Africa. As a Unisa licensee, Boston City Campus and Business College offers classes for students who register for the Unisa BCom, BA, LLB, BA Admin and BCompt undergraduate degrees as well as the postgraduate degrees of Hons Bcompt and Hons BA. Students who enroll for Unisa studies with Boston can obtain not only tuition but other support as well.
If you’re interested in education and guiding young people but not necessarily in a classroom situation, you can consider becoming a trainer in a corporate environment. Trainers can work for a corporate or run their own consultancies.
Completing either a BCom with specialisation in Human Resources, or a BA with an industrial psychology major will get you started on this career path. You can study a BA Psychology if you are interested in a degree in educational psychology, another potential avenue in education though, not involving teaching itself. Boston provides lectures in the BA Psych, and assistance with Hons BA. To register as a fully fledged psychologist you will need to study up to Master’s level and need to complete any internship to gain practical experience.
Should you need assistance with choosing a course of a study or with your application, contact one of Boston’s career advisors,” says Rabson. They are available free of charge at all our branches nationwide to point prospective students in their right direction where further study is concerned.” As an educational institution is only as good as its educators, Rabson adds, at Boston it is not only the students who undergo assessments. Boston lecturers are also evaluated on a regular basis.
The evaluation includes an assessment carried out by each student of how well the lecturing process and the lectures succeed in imparting knowledge and skills. Factors that are considered, among others: preparation; whether a lecturer shows a solid understanding of his or her subject; presentation and the use of visual aids; and whether the lecturer uses examples from industry or the relevant profession to illustrate points.
Boston City Campus and Business College offers cover 80 dynamic qualifications throughout 48 branches nationwide. Unisa degrees and media studies are available at selected branches. Contact 011 551 2000, e-mail info@boston.co.za or visit www.boston.co.za or catch up with Boston students on the Boston Facebook group/page.
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