‘Career Switchers’ Teacher Training Program Is Attracting Lawyers
A community college in Virginia is offering a “Career Switchers” teacher training program that is attracting lawyers and other professionals.
The program offered by the Northern Virginia Community College lasts 16 weeks and costs about $3,300, the Fairfax Times reports. About 80 percent of the classes are taught online and the other classes are taught on Saturdays. Candidates must have five years of career experience outside the classroom.
Professor John Wells oversees the program. “We hear, ‘I’ve been a lawyer for 30 years and I quit. I want to be a teacher,’ ” he told the newspaper. “This is for people who are literally switching their careers for life.”
Virginia’s public schools are facing a shortage of about 8,500 teachers this year. The demand is highest for teachers of math, science, and English for speakers of other languages.
