t cases you won’t be seeing the same transformations as personal trainers do with adult clients in later life, instilling a sense of importance in leading a healthy lifestyle can be truly life changing for the children in the future.
Not only that, but you’re preventing the health risks that are often associated with weight issues, including diabetes and obesity, improving their quality of life, and even extending their life expectancy.
But before you start down the path towards becoming a PE teacher, it can be useful to take a look at some job search websites at the skills, education, and experience schools and institutions are looking for.
Although specific requirements vary by state, there are a few key requirements that any school or teaching institution will require.
- 1. Bachelor’s degree in teaching related discipline
- 2. Completion of a teacher preparation program
- 3. Pass a certification exam
- 4. Pass a background check
If you want to improve your CV and increase your chances of being accepted to teach PE at any level, you can also complete an advanced credential known as the National Board Certification.
This is offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and can be achieved by completing a voluntary assessment program. Unfortunately this isn’t something you can do straight away if you’re a new or prospective teacher, as one of the requirements to entry is having completed 3 full years of teaching.
This won’t be covered by the time spent studying for your Bachelor’s degree, as although there is a student teaching element combined with the coursework, the 3 years need to be while you already hold a teaching license.
In terms of what the student teaching experience for a degree actually involves, as a prospective PE teacher you will be required to teach children at various grade levels, with your performance being monitored by a licensed teacher.
In addition to meeting the 4 requirements listed above, you will also require a teacher’s license issued by the state in which you intend to teach.
If you would like to find out more about the specific state certification requirements for teaching, or the licenses you need to teach at different levels, we’ve added a link to our ‘useful resources’ section below (entitled State Teaching Requirements).
It goes without saying that you will also need to be passionate about what you’re teaching, as this will help tremendously with being able to convey the importance of health and nutrition in a way that’s interesting to the age range you’re teaching.
Hopefully the information above has provided you with a basic idea of what’s required to enter the world of PE teaching, but if you want to find out more, we’ve also put together a shortlist of recommended resources below. These are designed to cover everything you need to know, from salary expectations all the way through to recommended universities and the license application process.
10 Useful resources for studying to become a teacher of Physical Education
- 1. Online tuition programs
Unfortunately these are often only available for residents of those specific states, and are supplementary to a pre-existing teaching degree. This means that they aren’t generally considered a valid starting point for a career in teaching.
However, the United States Sports Academy does appear to offer online study for their Bachelor of Sports Science degree.
While there are a number of online tools that can be used to discover online degree opportunities, it’s always worth checking with the University or college that you’re enrolling with, as well as your local state’s teaching requirements to ensure they consider that particular course a valid path of entry into teaching Physical Education.
- 2. Searching for jobs as a PE teacher
Once you’ve passed your Bachelor’s Degree, and have the certifications and license required by the state you would like to teach in, you’re probably going to want to start looking for employment opportunities.
While some schools will announce vacancies on their social media accounts or personal