So you want to be a teacher? is designed to assist current and prospective teaching students to make the right decision about their future career. Drawing on their substantial experience in education, Phil Ridden and Tracey Gray delineate with engaging candour the path to becoming a teacher. The book explores why you might want to be a teacher, why you might not, and the personal qualities required. It describes what teachers actually do, the pay and the conditions, and looks at how you will train to be a teacher. The many options a teaching qualification proffers and the areas of specialisation available are also provided. The authors discuss the professional teaching standards within a national curriculum framework, and offer a peek into the future, as you make it to graduation and start out on your career. Throughout the book, the realities of teaching across all educational sectors are captured through the voices of successful teachers, finalists in the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). In addition, the account of one teacher's journey from struggling student to educational leader provides an inspirational tale.Fully referenced, with an appendix listing teaching courses throughout each state and territory, So you want to be a teacher? will ensure that if you do pursue a career in teaching, it will be with true conviction and the passion to thrive.