Anyone who watches the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver” may instantly feel inspired to become a math teacher. The movie tells the true life story of Jaime Escalante, a high school math teacher at Garfield High School in Los Angeles, and how he was able to motivate and inspire an unprecedented 18 students to pass an advanced placement exam for calculus. However, aside from the glory and satisfaction of seeing students succeed, there are several other job benefits associated with being a math teacher.

Security

Math is a core subject for students at any level and math teachers are needed to provide students with the skills necessary to understand basic and advanced mathematics courses. Most middle and high schools are required to provide students with a variety of specialty math courses such as algebra, calculus and statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor statistics cites a projected 13 percent increase in teacher positions from 2008 to 2018 with science and math teachers in the highest demand.

Money Matters

While the issue of teacher pay remains a debatable issue for most, there is an additional financial perk for teachers entering into science and math fields. The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act signed into law authorizes up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness for qualified math, science and special education teachers who serve at Title I schools for a minimum of five years.

General Benefits

Math teachers will also enjoy the many other benefits that a career in teaching provides. A teacher schedule that includes weekends and holidays off, as well as summer vacation, could be considered the most significant incentive, aside from being able to share your passion with your students.