💡 Why it matters: Everything children learn later depends on the reading, writing and number skills they pick up in primary school. Warm, patient teachers who make learning fun are needed everywhere.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for kindergarten and elementary school teachers are projected to change little from 2025 to 2035 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦600k – ₦2M
- Mid-career
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Senior
- ₦5M – ₦12M
≈ ₦167k – ₦417k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay for kindergarten and elementary school teachers. Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles for elementary school teachers (except special education). US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Canadian category: Primary school teacher. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Teach reading, writing, numbers and basic science
- Use songs, games and stories in lessons
- Keep the classroom safe and happy
- Mark work and track each child's progress
- Meet parents to share how their child is doing
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Patience
- Creativity
- Communication
- Classroom management
- Kindness
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- NCE at a College of Education, then top up to a degree
- Any degree plus a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Teacher degree apprenticeship (degree and QTS while working in a school)
- Work as a teaching assistant first, then train as a teacher
🇺🇸 United States
- Alternative certification programs for career changers (varies by state)
- Work as a teaching assistant while studying
🇨🇦 Canada
- Concurrent education degree that combines subject study and teacher training
- Early childhood education diploma at a college, then teach or top up to a degree (varies by province)
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Do well in English and Maths in school
- 2Study education at a university or college
- 3Do teaching practice in a real school
- 4Get the teaching licence or registration your country requires
- 5Teach, then become a senior teacher or head of department
⏰ A day in the life
You greet 30 children and begin with a counting song. Later you read a story, supervise break time, mark exercise books, and chat with a parent after school.