K-12 visual arts
Art Teacher
Six hundred students a week and a supply budget that ran out in October.
Typical pay
$42k-$80k
How you get in
Art education degree plus state licensure
Outlook
Steady but position-limited; often one per building
No federal jobs data covers this role yet.
Art teachers deliver visual arts instruction across many grade levels. Elementary art teachers often see the entire school, which means enormous student loads and a supply budget that rarely matches the ambition.
A day in the life
7:30a – 5:00p · 9 hours 30 min
- 7:30aPrep materials for five different projects
- 8:15aFirst class, then a new group every 45 minutes
- 11:30aLunch and kiln loading
- 12:15pAfternoon classes
- 3:30pClean the room, which takes longer than anyone thinks
- 5:00pMount work for the district art show
How to get in
Art education degree
Duration
4-5 years
Cost
$40,000-$180,000
Credential
State teaching license in visual arts
- Complete an art education degree with studio and pedagogy coursework
- Build a personal portfolio alongside teaching preparation
- Complete student teaching and licensure exams
- Apply broadly — positions are limited since schools have few art teachers
Artist into teaching
Duration
1-2 years
Cost
$4,000-$20,000
Credential
Alternative certification in art
- Hold a studio art degree
- Complete an alternative certification program
- Pass the visual arts content exam
- Bring genuine practice experience students respond to
Museum and community arts education
Duration
2-4 years
Cost
$40,000-$150,000
Credential
Art or education degree; museum education coursework
- Work in museum education, community arts or after-school programs
- No teaching license required in most of these settings
- Build program development and grant writing skills
- Different pace and population than a school building
What people love
- · Teach a creative subject you care about
- · School calendar and benefits
- · You see every student in the building
- · Genuine creative latitude in curriculum
What wears people down
- · Art budgets are cut before almost anything else
- · Hundreds of students per week to know and assess
- · Teachers routinely buy supplies personally
- · Cleanup and setup are unpaid time