Jobs Working With Kids

You will need a bachelor’s degree from a teacher education program majoring in the subject you plan to teach. After obtaining your degree, you will need a licensing certification from the state where you plan to teach. As you start your career, you can expect to earn around $25,000 to $35,000 per year, as of 2009, depending upon where you will be working. Pay for teachers varies greatly from state to state. Scout several school districts where you would be willing to work and find out about salaries offered to beginning teachers.

As a day care center director, you would be responsible for directing and coordinating a day care program. The day care program may be privately owned or a government program. You will evaluate programs and handle employee scheduling and training. A day care center director works closely with parents, counseling them about their child’s educational and social development. Qualifications for day care center directors vary by position, but most call for an associate or bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, with an emphasis on childhood development or early childhood education. You may also be required to have first aid certification. An average 2009 salary for a day care center director is $50,000 per year.

Juvenile probation officers counsel child offenders and may supervise probation ordered by the court. The purpose is to help rehabilitate the offender and return the child to his family to be able to resume his education. You may hold family counseling sessions and individual counseling sessions with child offenders. The probation officer accompanies the offender to court and informs the judge of the progress the child is making. Fields of study for juvenile probation officers include criminal justice and psychology. An average 2009 juvenile probation officer salary is between $40,000 and $60,000 annually.

There are several social service occupations involving children, including a children’s counselor and child protection social worker. These occupations involve caring for children’s emotional and physical well-being and could even involve deciding whether to remove them from a dangerous situation. Some places you could expect to work are government welfare agencies, schools or rehabilitation centers. Most social work positions require a master’s degree in social work, although entry-level positions may allow you to begin with a bachelor’s degree. Salaries for social workers in 2009 range from $35,000 to $70,000 per year.

If you are willing to dedicate more than 10 years to study and training, consider becoming a pediatrician. Your education will begin with a four-year bachelor’s degree with a pre-med curriculum, followed by four years of medical school. After obtaining your medical degree, you will be a general doctor. A pediatric residency is three years. After completing your residency, you will have to undergo further testing to become certified. As a resident, you will make $30,000 to $40,000 per year in 2009. After residency and a few years as a practicing pediatrician, you can expect earnings of $100,000 to $200,000 per year.