How to Get a Teaching Job in Journalism
Although graduating from journalism school is by no means a requirement to enter the profession, many aspiring reporters choose to attend as a means of gaining relevant skills and better positioning themselves to enter the job market. Many of the faculty at these schools, as well as those who teach high school and college classes on journalism, were once journalists or, in some cases, still are. If they are not, then they bring the table a related body of knowledge that will be useful to journalism students. While requirements for positions vary, many journalism teachers follow a similar career path.
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Instructions
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Work as a journalist. While not all journalism teachers have worked as professional journalists, all teachers should be capable of producing work that would be acceptable for publication in a journalism periodical. Journalists who worked as full-time reporters or editors should have an extensive body of work upon which to draw. However, those attempting to enter journalism teaching from another, related profession---say, English teaching---should freelance a few articles to demonstrate their capability.
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Gain some teaching experience. To be a successful journalism teacher, you will not only have to be adept at the craft of journalism, but you will have to be able to explain this craft to amateurs in a way that is comprehensible. Although you will probably not need a teaching certificate---though if you are planning on teaching in public high schools, you probably will---you may wish to take some teaching classes to get familiar with the practice and buff up your resume.
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Identify the level at which you wish to teach. Journalism teaching, also most often associated with graduate journalism schools, is also frequently taught to college students, high-school students and, in some cases, middle-schoolers. Before beginning to apply for positions, you should evaluate your own skill set, credentials and needs to best identify the sort of student you want to instruct. Keep in mind that college professors are generally better compensated than high-school teachers.
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Apply for open positions. The most consistent employers of journalism teachers are graduate journalism programs. Journalism schools commonly hire not only tenure-track professors, but also a large number of junior faculty who help students master some of the basics of the profession. Unless you are in an area with a number of different journalism schools, such as Los Angeles or New York, you should probably consider the possibility that you will have to move to attain a first job.
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