Is it smart to finish a doctorate degree while teaching in the public school?

Teachers in the public schools are now trying to fight for their way to promotions. It is as if it is a trend recently that if you are an education graduate, you need to take Master’s Degree. If you are a teacher aiming high for promotion that early, you need to finish you master’s degree early as well. If your aim is much higher then you have to be a Doctor of Philosophy.

Well, I only know that this is very much applicable if you are teaching in the universities. You need to be a full fledge master’s degree holder in the state universities or else you will not be permanent. This is their ticket to being a permanent instructor in the state universities.

In DepEd, the scenario is different. For me, it is not smart enough to hurry in your career since there is a slower version of promotion in the public. Yes, you graduated your master’s and doctor’s degree but in the long run, you are still stuck as Teacher 3. Your salary is even lower than those SHS teachers hired because they are DOST scholars.

It takes many years for a plain T1 in DepEd to apply for promotion even with all the achievements. Unlike in the state universities that promotion is easy as long as you are capable and you deserve it. There is no seniority in the state universities, as long as you have all the necessary skills.

I realized that being a doctor of philosophy in the public won’t matter at all. You have the slightest chance of advancing yourself. You either wait for an item or seek help from friends in the position to back you up. Many teachers in the public schools end up retiring as Teacher 1. If the status of the system will change, there will be more capable teachers who need promotion.

It is not wrong to aim high, but as for me, I will do it one step at a time. I will never push myself to the edge because I know for sure that the edge will never put me in a position that early. Do not hurry yourselves because the more you hurry, the more instance of failure. Try going with the flow and you will be alright. – Clea | Helpline PH