Like Art? Be an Art Teacher

If art is what you like but you want a steady paycheck, then you can consider being a post secondary art teacher. An art teacher teaches painting, sculpture, design and perhaps crafts. The best thing about being an art teacher is that you can teach your students how to express themselves. There are no rules in art.

The skills that an art teacher must have are: Being able to instruct the students; choosing the training methods that the students will learn and be able to teach them new things; knowing how to speak to the students; the ability to think critically so that you can solve problems as they arise, and writing.

The education that is required would be a bachelor's degree. Some go on to get a masters degree such as a PhD, M.D. or J.D when it is needed. In some circumstances you may need on the job training, but with an education, training and perhaps experience in teaching art, most employers assume that you have the necessary skills.

The salary for an art teacher varies by state. In New York, the average salary for art teachers, post secondary was $41,120 for entry level. For experienced teachers the salary is $87,570. A study during 2002 said that there were 3,280 Art, Drama and Music Teachers employed in the state of New York. The same study goes on to say that by 2012, 4,240 will be employed in the state of New York. There will be an increase of 170 job openings every year.

If you are interested in being an elementary, middle, kindergarten or secondary school teacher, the salary per year is $41,400 to $45, 920 during 2004. The top 10% earned $66,240 to $71,370. The lowest 10% earned $26,730 to$31,180. Preschool teachers earned $20,980. The American Federation of Teachers said that those teachers with a bachelor's degree had annual earnings of $31,704 during the 2003-2004 year.