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Are you thinking about becoming a teacher, but want to make sure it's right for you? There are probably a lot of things you're wondering about, like what you'll need to do to be certified to teach, what salaries teachers make, how you can pay for college and others. Use the information below to find the answers to your questions. The academic advisor at the college you're planning to attend can also counsel you about which classes to take to prepare you for your teaching career.

Teacher Preparation and Certification

Before you decide to enter the teaching profession, take advantage of the information offered by Teach Illinois - an overview of the teaching profession, the testing requirements to be certified to teach in Illinois, testing preparation and other valuable information about becoming a teacher. You might also want to get an idea of available teaching positions in Illinois. Use the Matching Assistant, available at IllinoisMentor at collegezone.com, to locate Illinois colleges that offer degrees in education.

State of Illinois/ISAC Programs

There are several programs designed specifically for students studying to become teachers, to help pay for college, including the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program, the Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program, the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program and the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program. A comparison chart provides a side-by-side view of the MTI Scholarship, IFTC, and Illinois SETTW programs.

Also, the Nurse Educator Scholarship Program (NESP) is available for graduate-level students pursuing a career in professional or practical nursing education in Illinois.

Federal TEACH Grant

The federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program, which is effective beginning with the 2008-09 academic year, was designed to benefit current and prospective teachers.

Loan Cancellation/Forgiveness/Repayment Programs for Teachers

There are also programs available to help teachers repay their student loans after college. The Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation for Teachers program, the Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, and some of the Illinois Loan Repayment/Forgiveness Programs offer options for repayment or cancellation of student loans, based on certain teaching requirements.