Originally Posted by
John E
I would love to break into the ed biz, but the nearest thing I can find right now is volunteer work with a FIRST robotics competition group at the high school from which my elder son graduated. The upside is that I am having fun working with the students and networking with two of my son's favorite teachers and with a few local industry guys.
Somewhere along the line you'll need a teaching certificate. You can go back to school to get one (takes a year or two) or your state/school district may issue emergency certification if you can prove experience in a high-demand field (math, science, some languages). Even with an emergency cert., you'll want to get your regular cert. sooner or later to give yourself credibility (and most states have a time limit for when that needs to be done).
You could also start by substitute teaching, although subbing can be tough because fresh faces are sometimes seen as fresh meat by some classes. All the subs I talk to know which schools to go to and which to avoid; likewise with the classes. Through subbing you'll soon find if teaching is really what you want to do, and you'll get some experience on the front lines, not to mention getting paid.