Become a Teacher: From Pre-School to College

Become a Teacher

From pre-school to college

• India has more than 1 crore school teachers, and 54% of them are women. Teaching is one of the most stable and respected careers, especially in government schools.
• The qualification depends on which class you want to teach: a D.El.Ed for primary, a B.Ed for higher classes, and the new 4-year ITEP for all levels. Then you pass CTET or a state TET and a recruitment exam.
• College teaching needs a master's degree plus UGC-NET or a PhD.
• Always check that your college is NCTE-recognised before you pay: unrecognised degrees are worthless for government jobs.

Official sources

• CTET official website
• NCET (admission to the 4-year ITEP)

Inside this branch

• Deadlines now
• Which class do you want to teach?
• Teacher training courses
• CTET and state TET
• Getting a teaching job
• Teacher pay
• College teaching
• Free training and growth
• For women educators
• Avoid fake colleges

Deadlines now

Checked 4 Oct 2026

• CTET: the exam moved to 12–13 December 2026. Applications reopened briefly in August 2026 because of the Supreme Court TET ruling.
• BPSC TRE 4.0 (Bihar teacher recruitment): advertisement released 22 September 2026; applications open (reported).
• UGC-NET December 2026: exam reported for 14–19 December; watch the NTA website.
• NCET 2027 (for the 4-year ITEP): registration is usually in February, exam in April.

Official sources

• CTET notice: exam moved to 12–13 December 2026 (PDF)

Which class do you want to teach?

Qualification by level

Inside this branch

• Pre-school (age 3–6)
• Primary (Class 1–5)
• Middle and secondary (Class 6–10)
• Senior secondary (Class 11–12)
• College and university

Which class do you want to teach?

Pre-school (age 3–6)

• The NCTE-recognised course is the 2-year Diploma in Preschool Education (DPSE) (reported). Many private "NTT" or "Montessori" certificates are not NCTE programmes: check before paying.
• Anganwadi workers can do a short ECCE certificate or diploma under NEP 2020.

Learn from these

• OfficialFree
  Ministry of WCD: early childhood care and educationNational ECCE curricula in many languages.
• BookFree
  Aadharshila: national ECCE curriculum for ages 3–6 (Hindi PDF)48-week play-based plan (about 23 MB).
• BookFree
  Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi: ECCE activity booklet (Hindi)Small, practical activities for pre-school teachers.
• PracticeFree
  StoryWeaver (Pratham Books)Free children's storybooks in Indian languages.
• ArticleFree
  Pratham resourcesFree early reading and maths materials.

Which class do you want to teach?

Primary (Class 1–5)

• Class 12 with 50% + 2-year D.El.Ed (or the 4-year B.El.Ed or ITEP), then TET Paper I.
• A B.Ed is NOT valid for primary teaching (Supreme Court, 2023). Social-media posts claiming otherwise are fake.

Which class do you want to teach?

Middle and secondary (Class 6–10)

• Graduation with 50% + B.Ed (or ITEP), then TET Paper II for Class 6–8. TGT posts in KVS also need CTET Paper II.

Which class do you want to teach?

Senior secondary (Class 11–12)

• Postgraduation (usually 50%) + B.Ed. No TET is needed for PGT posts.

Which class do you want to teach?

College and university

• Master's with 55% + UGC-NET (or a state SET), or a PhD. See the College teaching branch.

Teacher training courses

D.El.Ed, B.Ed, ITEP and more

Inside this branch

• ITEP: the 4-year integrated course
• 2-year B.Ed
• 2-year D.El.Ed
• Special, physical and arts education

Teacher training courses

ITEP: the 4-year integrated course

• BA/B.Sc/B.Com + B.Ed in 4 years straight after Class 12, admission only through NCET (run by NTA).
• NCET 2026: about 59,000 sat for 16,950 seats in 223 institutions, including IITs, NITs and Regional Institutes of Education (reported).
• By 2030 the 4-year integrated B.Ed is meant to become the minimum teaching degree. The old BA-B.Ed, B.Sc-B.Ed and B.El.Ed courses are being folded into ITEP.

Official sources

• NCET (admission to the 4-year ITEP)
• PIB: the Integrated Teacher Education Programme

Teacher training courses

2-year B.Ed

• Still the main route after a 3-year degree.
• The 1-year B.Ed is NOT coming back: a 2025 draft proposed it, but in March 2026 the government told Parliament there is no such proposal. Ignore sites that say "1-year B.Ed from 2026".

Teacher training courses

2-year D.El.Ed

• For primary teaching, after Class 12. Still running; long-term policy is moving towards the 4-year ITEP.

Teacher training courses

Special, physical and arts education

• B.Ed / D.Ed Special Education (recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India, RCI): high demand after a 2025 Supreme Court order pushed states to create special-educator posts. RCI registration (CRR) is now free and valid for 7 years (reported).
• B.P.Ed for physical education teachers. Physical education, yoga, art and Sanskrit education are being added to ITEP.

Learn from these

• OfficialFree
  RCI: approved special-education institutionsCheck before joining any special-education course.
• OfficialFree
  RCI: blacklisted institutionsInstitutes to avoid.
• OfficialFree
  NIEPID (intellectual disabilities)National institute: courses and free material.
• OfficialFree
  Indian Sign Language Research and Training CentreSign language courses and dictionary.
• AppFree
  Sign Learn: ISL dictionary (government)Learn Indian Sign Language.

Official sources

• Rehabilitation Council of India

CTET and state TET

Your eligibility certificate

Learn from these

• PracticeFree
  CTET past question papers (official, 2018–2026)Free official papers.
• PracticeFree
  CTET final answer keys (official)Paper I and II keys, some in Hindi.
• OfficialFree
  CTET information bulletinsSyllabus, eligibility and fees: read this first.
• BookFree
  NCERT textbooks, Class 1–8 (free PDF)CTET subject questions come from these books.
• AppFree
  DIKSHA (official NCERT app)Textbook videos and free teacher courses.
• VideoFree
  Let's LEARN (Himanshi Singh)Child development and pedagogy in Hindi (also sells paid courses).
• VideoFree
  Masters Adda OfficialFree CTET pedagogy courses in Hindi (paid upsell).
• OfficialFree
  HTET (Board of School Education Haryana)Example of a state TET.

Inside this branch

• How CTET works
• State TETs
• TET for teachers already working

CTET and state TET

How CTET works

• Paper I for Class 1–5, Paper II for Class 6–8. Each: 150 questions, 2.5 hours, no negative marking, in Hindi and English.
• Pass mark 60% (schools may relax it for reserved categories). The certificate is valid for life.
• Fee: ₹1,000 for one paper / ₹1,200 for both (₹500 / ₹600 for SC/ST/PwD). Held twice a year.

Official sources

• CTET 2026 information bulletin (PDF)

CTET and state TET

State TETs

• Each state runs its own TET for its schools (e.g. UPTET, REET in Rajasthan, HTET in Haryana, MAHA TET, TNTET). Pass the one for the state where you want to teach.
• CTET is accepted by central schools and many states.

CTET and state TET

TET for teachers already working

• Since a Supreme Court ruling (September 2025), teachers of Class 1–8 must pass TET to stay in service or be promoted. Those with more than 5 years of service left must pass by 31 August 2028.
• Minority-run schools are exempt for now while a larger bench decides.
• B.Ed holders appointed as primary teachers between 2018 and 2023 must complete a 6-month NIOS bridge course launched in September 2026 (reported).

Official sources

• Bar and Bench: Supreme Court makes TET compulsory for teachers in service
• LiveLaw: review dismissed, deadline extended to 2028

Getting a teaching job

Government and private

Learn from these

• OfficialFree
  KVS recruitmentOfficial Kendriya Vidyalaya vacancies.
• OfficialFree
  DSSSB online applications (Delhi teachers)Delhi PRT, TGT and PGT.
• OfficialFree
  BPSC (Bihar teacher recruitment)Example of a state recruitment exam.
• OfficialFree
  AWES: Army Public School teachersYearly online screening test.
• OfficialFree
  National Career ServiceFree job portal, including private-school jobs.

Inside this branch

• Central schools
• State recruitment
• Private schools and tutoring

Getting a teaching job

Central schools

• Kendriya Vidyalaya (KVS) and Navodaya (NVS): the last combined drive (run by CBSE) had 14,967 posts (6,413 primary, 3,527 TGT, 2,705 PGT). Selection: written tiers, then interview.
• Army Public Schools recruit through their own screening test (AWES).

Getting a teaching job

State recruitment

• Each state runs teacher recruitment: e.g. Bihar BPSC TRE, Rajasthan REET Mains, Maharashtra TAIT, Delhi DSSSB.
• Watch your state education department and service commission websites; vacancies come in big batches.

Getting a teaching job

Private schools and tutoring

• No common exam; schools usually prefer CTET/TET. Pay varies widely.
• Many teachers also tutor or teach online, which can add income.

Teacher pay

Honest numbers

Inside this branch

• Government school pay
• Contract and private pay

Teacher pay

Government school pay

• Central schools (starting basic pay, plus DA and HRA on top): PRT ₹35,400 (Level 6), TGT ₹44,900 (Level 7), PGT ₹47,600 (Level 8).
• State government pay is similar in structure but differs by state.

Official sources

• Kendriya Vidyalaya: teacher pay levels

Teacher pay

Contract and private pay

• Guest and contract teachers earn much less: reported from about ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 a month depending on the state.
• Private school primary teachers are reported at roughly ₹15,000–40,000 a month, varying widely.
• A permanent government post is worth the effort of preparing for recruitment exams.

College teaching

Assistant Professor

Learn from these

• OfficialFree
  UGC regulationsRules for college teacher qualifications.
• BookFree
  Shodhganga: Indian PhD theses (free)Read real PhD research.
• CourseFree
  SWAYAM (including ARPIT for college teachers)Free postgraduate-level courses.
• VideoFree
  Inculcate Learning (UGC NET Paper 1)Free NET Paper 1 and Education lessons in Hindi.
• VideoFree
  National Testing Agency (YouTube)Exam-process videos from NTA.

Inside this branch

• UGC-NET and PhD

College teaching

UGC-NET and PhD

• UGC-NET (NTA, held in June and December) qualifies you for Assistant Professor, PhD admission, or a Junior Research Fellowship (₹37,000 a month, rising to ₹42,000).
• Starting pay for Assistant Professors: Academic Level 10 (about ₹57,700 basic).
• UGC's 2025 draft rules on appointments are not final yet.

Official sources

• UGC-NET (NTA)

Free training and growth

Keep learning, free

Learn from these

• CourseFree
  NISHTHA teacher training courses (NCERT-CIET)Free certified training in English, Hindi and Urdu.
• CourseFree
  SWAYAM: education coursesFree online courses for teachers.
• AppFree
  SWAYAM appLearn on your phone.
• BookFree
  National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 (PDF, large)About 47 MB: download on Wi-Fi.
• BookFree
  National Education Policy 2020 (PDF)The policy behind ITEP and the new school stages.
• VideoFree
  NCERT Official (YouTube)NCERT's own channel.

Inside this branch

• Free courses for teachers

Free training and growth

Free courses for teachers

• NISHTHA on DIKSHA: free government training on teaching methods, assessment and inclusion.
• NEP 2020 expects every teacher to do 50 hours of training a year. SWAYAM has free courses (ARPIT for college teachers).
• The National Awards to Teachers recognise outstanding teachers every 5 September.

Official sources

• DIKSHA (free NISHTHA teacher training)
• National Awards to Teachers

For women educators

The profession women lead

Learn from these

• OfficialFree
  UDISE+ dashboard (teacher statistics)State and district teacher numbers.
• OfficialFree
  Maternity Benefit Act (Ministry of Labour)Maternity rights for private-school teachers.
• OfficialFree
  National Commission for WomenFor workplace harassment or discrimination complaints.
• ArticleFree
  Who teaches in India: a TISS research brief (PDF)Pay, gender and working conditions.
• CourseFree
  NISHTHA courses you can do from homeFree certified training on a phone.

Inside this branch

• Women in teaching

For women educators

Women in teaching

• 54.2% of India's school teachers are women (2024-25), up every year.
• Government teaching offers job security, regular hours, and 180 days of maternity leave for central government employees (private schools follow the Maternity Benefit Act: 26 weeks).
• Teaching is also a strong path back to work after a career break: CTET is valid for life.

Official sources

• PIB: UDISE+ 2024-25 (women 54.2% of teachers)

Avoid fake colleges

Check before you pay

Inside this branch

• Red flags

Avoid fake colleges

Red flags

• Only NCTE-recognised D.El.Ed, B.Ed and ITEP courses (RCI for special education) are valid. Ask the college for its NCTE code and check it on NCTE's list.
• "Degree without attending" offers are fake: courses need regular attendance.
• NCTE has warned about agents falsely promising to arrange recognition, and has withdrawn recognition from colleges that broke rules.
• Also check the UGC fake universities list before joining any degree, and RCI's blacklist for special education.

Official sources

• NCTE list of recognised institutions
• NCTE public notice warning about fake recognition agents (PDF)
• UGC list of fake universities (state-wise)
• RCI blacklisted special-education institutions