What do they do?

Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

Also known as:

Algebra Teacher, Art Educator, Art Teacher, Biology Teacher, Business Teacher, Chemistry Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Educator, English Instructor, English Teacher, Foreign Language Teacher, French Teacher, Health and Physical Education Teacher, Health Teacher, High School Coach, High School English Teacher, High School Mathematics Teacher (High School Math Teacher), High School Science Teacher, High School Teacher, History Teacher, Language Arts Teacher, Mathematics Instructor (Math Instructor), Mathematics Teacher (Math Teacher), Music Teacher, Physical Education Instructor (PE Instructor), Physical Education Teacher (PE Teacher), Physics Teacher, Science Teacher, Secondary Teacher, Social Studies Teacher, Spanish Teacher, Teacher, World Language Teacher

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 1%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    67,100

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Best colleges for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

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Colleges with the most graduates that become Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Master's degree  (52%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (40%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (5%)
  • Some college, no degree  (2%)
  • Associate's degree  (2%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (<1%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Set up classroom materials or equipment.
  • Apply multiple teaching methods.
  • Develop instructional objectives.
  • Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
  • Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
  • Maintain student records.
  • Monitor student performance.
  • Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
  • Evaluate student work.
  • Plan educational activities.
  • Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
  • Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
  • Assign class work to students.
  • Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
  • Prepare tests.
  • Encourage students.
  • Create technology-based learning materials.
  • Teach others to use technology or equipment.
  • Enforce rules or policies governing student behavior.
  • Assist students with special educational needs.
  • Advise students on academic or career matters.
  • Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
  • Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
  • Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
  • Document lesson plans.
  • Plan experiential learning activities.
  • Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
  • Supervise school or student activities.
  • Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
  • Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
  • Distribute instructional or library materials.
  • Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
  • Coordinate student extracurricular activities.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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