If you aspire to be a public school teacher at Department of Education, you have to accept the truth – it’s not as easy as it seems to be!
You need to undergo four stages to get a career as a DepEd public school teacher. These stages are mainly the following:
- Reviewing and passing LET
- Boosting your career profile
- Application process of DepEd
- Waiting of ranking and getting an item
The preparation for LET itself might take 6 months to 1 year to complete it. It involves intensive reviews, scheduled examinations, and getting the license. Application process includes submission of documents, English proficiency test, and teaching demonstration that may take 3-6 months. Ranking and getting an item may take 2-6 months as well.
I personally know lucky educators who started their career as a public school teacher at DepEd 2 years after their graduation! (Wow) However, majority of my co-educators waited around 3 or 5 years just to get a call from the Department of Education.
Are you serious? What will I do during those 2-5 years especially after passing LET?
Probably, you will ask the question above several times after reading the introduction. Worry not! In fact, you can MAXIMIZE the waiting time to BOOST your career profile (2nd stage) that will be beneficial for you in the future.
Aside from the compensation, you will learn new things at work, improve your teaching abilities, enhance your work attitude, and increase your points in the ranking!
So instead of waiting for the results, why don’t you try the career ideas below as an aspirant public school teacher.
[lwptoc title=”Career Ideas Overview” titleFontSize=”16px” titleFontWeight=”extrabold” itemsFontSize=”16px” colorScheme=”inherit” backgroundColor=”#f1f9fd” skipHeadingLevel=”h1,h3,h4,h5,h6″]Private School Teacher
Is it a good career for aspiring public school teachers of DepEd?
Relevance and Learning Experience
- This is a practical career option before becoming a public school teacher.
- It’s directly related to your future job and the experience will be the same to prepare you for possible situations.
- The experience is credited during DepEd ranking.
- You will learn and apply classroom management, lesson plan writing, conduct activities, and participate in leadership roles.
Time and Compensation
- You will work at least 8 hours a day.
- This excludes your time for checking and preparing exams and materials.
- Compensation in private schools largely depend on your qualifications and their background.
- Non-LET passers salary range around 13,000php – 15,000php. If you are a breadwinner, you may want to consider other options.
Tips:
- Apply for a position that is aligned to your target level at DepEd: preschool, elementary, junior high school, or senior high school.
- Work in a school near or in your target Division so you can submit documents easily.
- Read contracts carefully. You might be signing for a 3 or 5-year contract that may hinder your public school application.
How to apply:
- Go to popular job websites such as Jobstreet and Indeed.
- Submit application to the e-mail found on the website of the school.
- Check careers section on the website.
College Instructor
Is it a good career for aspiring public school teachers of DepEd?
Relevance and Learning Experience
- Teaching experience will be credited for the ranking.
- You may handle the same general subjects but are different in terms of content. For instance, a secondary level teacher teaching Reading and Writing for Grade 11 will handle Purposive Communication in college level.
- Although syllabus writing and classroom management are still applicable in this field, college instructors are oriented in teaching adults.
- They are not concerned with the attendance and extra curricular activities that will be prioritized as DepEd teachers.
Time and Compensation
- In the first semester, you might not be able to choose the schedule provided by the program coordinator. As you move forward to the second semester, you can submit your available time.
- It can give you plenty of time to review for LET, prepare for application, and do other jobs.
- Compensation as college instructors is on an hourly basis.
- It depends on your qualification but starting rate may be 100php to 170php per hour. An instructor with 170php working for 21 units (or 21 hours a week) can earn at least 14,000php monthly.
Tips:
- Apply for prominent colleges that will catch the attention of future recruiters.
- Identify how much you need monthly to know the number of teaching hours you will render.
- You can work for two colleges at the same time if you need to earn more.
Academy Tutors (for Filipinos or foreign students)
Is it a good career for aspiring public school teachers of DepEd?
Relevance and Learning Experience
- Teaching experience for academy does not guarantee ranking points. Majority did not count this as a valid teaching background.
- It involves individual or small group. This is far from a class with 30 or 50 students in public schools.
- It does not have any lesson plan, syllabus, or examinations.
- Communication skills will be honed while sticking to your sweet spot, teaching.
Time and Compensation
- Full-time jobs have higher compensation than private school.
- Some part-time jobs are on hourly basis.
- It provides flexibility since you can choose your own schedule.
Tips:
- Teach subjects that are aligned to your course.
- Identify how much you need monthly to know the number of teaching hours you will render.
How to apply:
- The popular academy schools in Manila are MSA, Ahead Tutorial Center, and Kumon.
- You can go to Ortigas, Makati, and other business districts if you are interested in teaching foreigners.
Full-time Corporate Jobs aligned to your Course
Is it a good career for aspiring public school teachers of DepEd?
Relevance and Learning Experience
- Senior high school ranking for DepEd counts corporate jobs as valid experience.
- You will not write lesson plans but you will apply management.
- It teaches you to multitask, be punctual, and adhere to rules strictly.
- It gives you corporate ideas that you can share with your students.
Time and Compensation
- Full-time corporate jobs guarantee higher compensation and benefits.
- You can choose the best schedule for you; morning, graveyard, or other possible shifts.
Tips:
- You can target promotion to the training department.
- Maximize the benefits of a full-time corporate job such as HMO, business trips, and others.
- Always ask for a Certificate of Employment.
How to apply: Go to popular job websites such as Jobstreet and Indeed.
Research Assistant
Is it a good career for aspiring public school teachers of DepEd?
Relevance and Learning Experience
- It is not directly related to teaching but can help in your graduate school.
- It can teach you how to write research papers which you will do as public school teachers.
- Your research works can strengthen your knowledge in your subject matter.
- Research is an essential skill for educators to boost their career.
Time and Compensation
- The compensation depends on the type of researcher you will be: corporate or academic.
- You might consume a lot of time. Researching is a tough job that requires intensive work.
Tip: Treat this job as a good stepping stone once you enter public school.
How to apply:
- Go to popular job websites such as Jobstreet and Indeed.
- Submit application to the e-mail found on the website of the school.
- Check careers section on the website.
Explore More Options
- Volunteer DepEd teachers. In case you had a good ranking from the recent DepEd application but no item was available, you may apply or express your interest in becoming volunteer teachers. It’s a good option to receive experience but does not have any compensation. Ask your division for the openings of volunteer teachers.
- Freelance jobs. Worry not! You may find thousands of freelance or home-based jobs on the internet. They are project-based or contractual. Beginners might not enjoy benefits and might take time to claim expertise. It’s a good option for you while preparing for your documents as an aspiring public school teacher. Check out this article – Bizmates Application Guide: How and Why.
- Administrative job at a school. I personally know someone who initially worked as a faculty secretary. She expressed her interest in a career as a teacher. After 6 months, she was offered a part-time teaching load. Why not?
To our aspiring public school teachers,
Remember that the options stated above are only suggestions to boost your career profile. Take every experience as a learning opportunity and don’t forget to expand your connection in this journey. The people you will meet along the way will give you suggestions and ideas as an aspiring public servant for the future of Filipinos.
If you have other career ideas, participate in the discussion and share this online.
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