So you think you might want to become a teacher? Well then read on, and you'll see exactly what it takes to get one of the most rewarding and satisfactory jobs out there.

This article is based on an article written on Education Initiation on the subject of becoming a teacher, which you can read here: http://educationinitiation.com/how-to-become-a-teacher/

Step 1: Get a Degree

The first basic requirement of a teacher is to get a bachelor's degree. This step is crucial, as without doing so you won't even be considered for any kind of teaching job.

Depending on what level and subject you want to teach, your major choice will be different.

If you want to teach at the lower levels of education (such as elementary), you will want to get a degree in education or elementary education. You will need to have a well rounded knowledge base of the different subjects you are going to teach, but more important than that is simply knowing enough about education to teach your students.

If you plan on teaching at the secondary or higher levels, you will likely want to focus more on a specific subject. Depending on your school, you may get a degree in your subject's education (such as business education), or do a major/minor combo (Major in education, minor in science), or a double major. Talk this over with your school's counseling and figure it out based on your career goals.

Step 2: Get Certified

Depending on where you are at in your career, getting your teaching certificate may be very easy or very difficult.

If you are currently in an education program, earning your degree at a university per the first step, then this will be fairly easy. In nearly all such programs, you will earn your teaching certification at the same time you are earning your degree.

If you are further along in your career and are simply looking to start up in education with an existing, unrelated degree, then you are going to have to earn your teaching certificate the hard way. Look for programs you can do in your state. You can also look into online programs, which have been especially popular of late.

Step 3: Student Teach

Again, this step can be easy or hard depending on your particular situation. Teachers are required to student teach before they can have their own classes. If you are currently working on your degree, the school you are attending will likely have an established system for setting up their students with teachers in the field, which works very well.

If you are working on your certification outside of school, talk with the people who run your certification program about how to go about getting a student teaching position. They may also have a system in place for it. If not, talk with school districts you would like to teach in and tell them about what you are looking to do.