How To Become A Professional Educator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a professional educator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Bryan Carter Ph.D.

Professional educators are responsible for instilling knowledge in each student by promoting interactive learning. They create and distribute educational content while comprehensively presenting lessons. They provide individualized instruction to each student and use visual/audio means to facilitate learning. They also assess and record students' progress and provide grades and feedback. Professional educators earn an average salary of $44,000 annually or $21 per hour.

Professional educators teach people theoretical and practical knowledge relating to a specific subject. They plan and prepare lessons for their students based on their subject matter expertise. This means identifying the particular curriculum standard being taught and then deciding how to teach the standard. They also participate in regular staff meetings with other educators, parents, and administrators to strategize on how to best meet students' needs.

Professional educators typically hold a bachelor's or master's degree in education or a related field. They are expected to have proven work experience as an educator or in a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates with the ability to teach a group of students effectively.

What general advice would you give to a Professional Educator?

Dr. Bryan Carter Ph.D.

Director, Center for Digital Humanities, Associate Professor, Africana Studies, University of Arizona

To ensure they keep in mind cultural studies courses taken at the university, consider supporting the department you received your major in some way.

ScoreProfessional EducatorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,068

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.6

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 3.65%

Black or African American 9.68%

Hispanic or Latino 12.50%

Unknown 3.91%

White 69.74%

Gender

female 64.99%

male 35.01%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.5

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a professional educator

Explore professional educator education requirements

Most common professional educator degrees

Bachelor's

59.8 %

Master's

21.5 %

Associate

13.0 %

Start to develop specific professional educator skills

Skills	Percentages
Classroom Management	7.55%
Curriculum Development	7.29%
Training Programs	6.91%
English Language	6.57%
Autism	5.87%

Research professional educator duties and responsibilities

Manage revolving caseload of students with IEP team including initials, transfer placements, manifestation determinations.
Design and organize workshops for parents to provide tools in assisting students to increase literacy and mathematics achievement.
Provide urban education, multicultural education and leadership training for a diverse population of new teachers.

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