Teaching is a noble profession- how many of us haven't heard of it especially when you're a gal! Teaching is indeed an awe-inspiring career where you get the opportunity to mix with different individuals, becoming a role model, scope for learning and continue to grow, embrace challenges, and many more.

2021-22 took a massive hit due to the second wave of coronavirus pandemic thus resulted in a major shift in the educational sector including relocation of current employees, number of student enrollment, preference of new skills in candidates, etc. Many vacancies need to be filled, a significant increase in hiring, transitioning to be more tech-oriented- all are the outcome of the epidemic this year.

This rewarding career, particularly in this situation requires Hard skills such as academic certifications, computer knowledge as well as Soft skills – time management, critical thinking, and various interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities. From preparing a resume to crack interview sessions everything calls for fine-tuning.

So, if you are considering a career in teaching, especially during the present situation where the jab of the pandemic has been taking a toll in our educational sector follow the below-mentioned factors:

Tech-savvy crowd dominate the list

When talking about school, we envision the teacher is standing in the middle of a classroom explaining or instructing and students are noting down. But the present situation is quite contradictory. Everything has shifted from physical to virtual. In the present scenario, school management prioritizes tech-savvy teachers. Nowadays, the various training organizations offer a Virtual Online Teaching course that will help you to acquire the necessary skills required for a teaching job in the present scenario.

Prioritizing New Skills

It is necessary to upgrade yourself in the present situation where teaching career has been in constant flux. There is a preference for candidates who are creative, experimental, and always learning. Such as, during virtual demo sessions text-oriented explanations can be replaced by real-life experiments especially in the mid to senior level, which not only reflects a very strong possibility to growth but also impresses the examinant.

Apart from these time management, effective communication skill, Social and emotional intelligence all plays an important part. Join 5-10 minutes before the expected time to show your punctuality (either in Zoom or Google Meet).

Strong communication skill is another essential factor to get sought in a teaching position. In a multicultural and multilingual society, Social and emotional intelligence helps safe and positive teaching outcomes.

Prepare in advance

Perfecting in a virtual interview or demo teaching leads you to a rewarding result. Tools like a camera, microphone, a software program, and a reliable internet connection need to be checked at least the day before interview. Wearing professional attire not only adds point but also boosts your confidence level.

Choose a quiet place so the interviewer can focus his attention on you. Interviewing via video limits the communication with body language. Still, as an interviewee, maintain positive eye contact, use open hand gestures while answering and smile to gain the desired result as recruiters will always look for your potentials to assess whether you are a good fit for the position.

Think out of the box

As the educational sectors are trying to settle down in this new-normal condition, the hiring process slightly differs from the conventional interview round and physical demo-teaching session. In the virtual round of interviews, recruiters prefer asking intriguing and tricky questions which are related to their life, passions such as their favorite book, and role model of their life and reasons behind it.

These are beyond so-called canned questions and candidates are shortlisted based on their abilities. Even sometimes candidates are told to share their one or two minutes recorded self introductory video or demo teaching clips before the interview round.

"Every school and district have unique cultures, messages, and goals," said Johnson in Murtaugh, Idaho "I think it is essential for candidates to do their homework and find school communities that align with their philosophies and ideologies."

Overall, academic management all over the world emphasizes the key qualities such as empathetic nature, forbearance, and social-emotional learning as nobody wants 'Ms. Trunchbull' to hire. There are many teaching jobs in abroad. So, get yourself prepared for some behavioral questions and doing some research works about the school you are interviewing for, checking their academic history would be extremely beneficial.

"Every kid deserves a caring adult that they feel comfortable going to on campus. We need an empathetic teacher as much as we need one who can break down the Constitution,"  said Bloomer in San Antonio, Texas.