Attention Young Teachers -Is Teaching Your Dream Job?

Teaching in Ghana is one of the most chased professions by a lot of desperate young people. Some say if you couldn’t get straight admission to the university, the only option left is to become a teacher just to earn some salary to cushion yourself. Some years back, teaching was regarded as a stepping stone to many other better professions or jobs because seeking employment with teaching was easy and quick. This saying is somehow changing gradually in the current dispensation as teaching will soon become “a forever chosen profession” once employed.

Let me take this opportunity to educate young teachers on the current policy of GES that is meant to keep them forever in the service. The systems of recruitment, re-engagement, and study leave have been centralized and are no more easy and quick. Headquarters is in charge of everything and the regional and district directors are only custodians of letter writing, confirmation, and processing of documents. Recruitment and re-engagement are now politicalized. Unless GES opens a system called Recruitment Portal, no one can be employed in the Ghana Education Service. Strangely, many village schools are empty and even some remotest secondary schools are begging for facilitators. This is a paradox that we are yet to crack.

What it means is that should you encounter any form of difficulties such as ailment, traveling, or leave of absence and an approval is granted, you are no longer considered as a teacher with GES. You might have your details with GES but no one is going to mind you until this political recruitment portal is opened. As it stands, NPP is busily recruiting their members into the teaching profession after backdoor payment and NDC will also continue when they win power. What you should know is that the IPPD boss and the HRM Director are all political appointees and they are closely related to recruitment and re-engagement processes. Once you leave, you will not be allowed entry again unless the government decides to recruit teachers and it is open to everyone. Teaching is no more appealing because the new policies are harsh, unfriendly, biased, discriminatory, and unacceptable.

My advice to young teachers is simple. If you have an aim of leaving the profession, you must not wait long before leaving. Once you know what you want to do with your life, start building up knowledge and skills towards it. If you have to attend school, spend good money, and get yourself upgraded in a different field.

Do not hesitate to apply for your dream job or chase your dream job even though you find yourself in the classroom. Once you get the job of your dream, you can resign and say goodbye to teaching.

They have abandoned their dreams and I have accepted to remain teachers for life. Many of such are desperate professionals and have ever regretted it.

Some of the old teachers were badly oriented and *did wrong courses that are not taking them anywhere*. With the current nature of the teaching profession, young teachers have the greatest chance of salvaging their future from the misery that the teaching profession is facing now. Once you set a good target, in the next 5 – 6 years, you should find yourself in a well-paid profession that can give you better hope for the future than teaching.

If someone told you there is no job in Ghana, tell him or her it is not true. People who cannot find jobs are those who are not prepared enough, both knowledge and skills, once you are equipped companies can hire you and give you good money. Some private companies and organizations pay very well. They do not look at your political colours before, they look at your skills and knowledge. Forget about the experience, because companies consider skills and knowledge first before experience. And once you are qualified, they can allow you to prove yourself. Those who love business, can save capital and do good business that can fetch them good money.

Read: What to do if School Placement Checker Card is not working

READ: 2021/2022 School placement: Check students who will NEVER be placed

READ: Avoid these 7 mistakes during 2021 Self Placement into SHS

Listen to the testimonies of many lawyers, engineers, MPs, businessmen, and women, etc, many of them were once teachers but had a dream, chase it, and are now enjoying life far more than their colleagues they left behind in those villages still teaching.

TEACHING IS NOT AN OPTION TO ACHIEVING SELF-ACTUALIZATION IN LIFE – IT IS A CHOICE THOUGH! I WILL ADVISE YOU TO CHOOSE WELL. THE FUTURE IS YOURS!

Yaw Arhinful

(Teachers’ Series Author)