Teaching in South Africa

As Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." The more I think about this quote the more I realize how true it is. We can increase our knowledge, break down stereotypes, improve our lives and our countries  and create a better future all through education. Teachers help build a better future for our society by building up the next generation.

Teaching is a noble profession that requires commitment, tolerance, perseverance, patience, dedication, hard work and the desire to make a difference in the lives of children. Teachers are in demand in many parts of the world and this is a career where you can travel the world and find jobs in many countries.

This career can also give you a lot of job satisfaction because it is fulfilling to guide children to develop academically and holistically and it makes you feel good when you help others and make a positive difference in the lives of others.

South Africa is a country where you can really make a powerful difference in the lives of many needy children. Many children come from low socio-economic backgrounds, are struggling with poverty and have poor home environments. If you want to teach in a place where you can really make a difference in a child's life in a meaningful way then South Africa is the place to be.

To become a teacher in South Africa you can either do a four-year Bachelor of Education degree (B.Ed.) or a Bachelor’s degree in a discipline like English, Law, Maths, Science, Psychology or History followed by a Postgraduate in Education (PGCE). The PGCE counts as an Honours degree so the next step you can pursue is a Masters in Education.

Upon qualifying as a teacher with a B.Ed or a Degree + PGCE you will be required to register with SACE (South African Council for Educators). Just like doctors and lawyers have to register with their boards to practise, so do teachers. All Educators in South Africa must be registered with SACE in order to teach. You send SACE your qualifications and they will issue you with a SACE certificate and SACE number. Teachers also have to do ongoing professional development and earn a certain amount of SACE points for their ongoing professional development.

The post graduate route into teaching (PGCE ) is a very comprehensive course that can do if you already have a Bachelor's Degree with some teaching subjects in your degree like English, Law, Maths, Science, History, Accounting, Psychology etc. Subjects like Law and Psychology can fit into teaching Life Skills in schools. The PGCE consists of around 10 academic subjects plus a teaching practical where you work and teach for a few months in a school. During the teaching practical you have to teach classes in a school and you are graded and assessed on your lessons. You have to write about 10 -11 exams on your academic subjects. The 10 subjects for the PGCE include Educational Psychology, Didactics and Pedagogy, Philosophy of Education, History of Education, Management and Assessment, Teaching Maths and Science, Teaching English and Literacy, Teaching Art and Drama, Teaching Physical Education and Information Technology. The PGCE subjects will vary according to the phase specialization you choose to do your PGCE in. You may also be required to take an additional 11th subject and learn a language like Xhosa or Afrikaans to meet the language requirements.  It's a lot of hard work. People usually do the PGCE over 1-2 years.I finished mine in 1 year, I graduated cum laude and I did it while I was working and earning money to support myself, so if you work really, really hard you can finish it in a year. 

 When you decide to become a teacher you must decide what age range that you would like to teach. The age ranges are grouped into phases. The phase specialisations in South Africa are as follows:

• Foundation Phase: (±5 – 9-year-olds): Grades R – 3
• Intermediate Phase: (±10 – 12-year-olds): Grades 4 – 6
• Senior Phase: (±13 – 15-year-olds): Grades 7 – 9
• Further Education and Training (FET) Phase: (±16 – 18-year-olds): Grades 10 – 12

The age group that I really enjoy teaching is the younger children so I decided to specialize in teaching Foundation Phase. If you are a Foundation Phase specialized teacher like me, you are trained to teach all the subjects like English, Maths, Life Skills, P.E, Art and Afrikaans to one class. My favourite grade to teach is Grade 2 (7-8 years old). Specializing in a phase does not necessarily mean you are trapped into only teaching that phase for the rest of your life. Sometimes principals will hire you to teach a different phase even if your specialization was different and if you teach overseas you may end up teaching a different phase. I even taught middle school English for one year in South Korea.

English is the official language of business, politics, media and schooling in South Africa. South Africa is one of the most multicultural countries in the world and it has 11 official languages (English is one of them). English is also the medium of learning and instruction but your students will also be able to speak other languages like Xhosa, Afrikaans, Zulu, Tswana etc. There is a big language debate in South Africa about whether children should learn in their mother tongue or in English, but English is the international language of commerce and trade. Mandarin is also one of the most spoken languages in the world but could this be due to the enormous population in China? If you have an international, world view it's still beneficial to learn in English, and probably Mandarin too. In South Africa you will often teach English as a home language and you will also teach another African language like Afrikaans or Xhosa as a first additional language (second language). I studied Xhosa in my PGCE and I learned Afrikaans for 12 years in school. I teach Afrikaans as a first additional language. It is helpful to be able to speak English plus another indigenous language in order to teach in South Africa. The South African government has also made a deal with China and now Mandarin will also be taught in South African schools.

When it comes to working in schools there are public schools (government schools) and private schools. Private schools often have smaller class sizes, more resources, more freedom with the curriculum (some teach the American or British curriculum), and sometimes better pay. However the government has taken an initiative to attract more young people to the profession by raising the salary only for newly qualified teachers to be on par especially including the benefits like medical aid, pension and a housing subsidy. I am currently getting the newly qualified teacher benefits. The working conditions and class sizes are still nicer at private schools. In the government schools teachers have big class sizes and they have to teach and assess following the CAPS (Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement) which is determined by the government. The school year in South Africa is divided into four terms and there is a holiday at the end of each term.

One of the skills you will learn by teaching in South Africa is the skill of teaching in a multicultural classroom. This skill will also be greatly beneficial when it comes to teaching children from another culture overseas.

South Africa is a relatively poor country and many children lack resources, food and struggle with poverty. You have to be sensitive to the other issues learners are facing. In some government schools it's not uncommon for children to come to school without even a pencil. As a teacher in a government school you need to be smart, well organised and prepared for these kinds of situations. You also need to become crafty and skilled at making your own resources cheaply as you will not be given any resources in the schools.

Teaching in South Africa is challenging but it is an incredibly rewarding job and you can really make a difference in the lives of children here.