Do you enjoy watching and participating in sports? Have you always been interested in coaching your favorite sports? Or, maybe you simply like to be physically active and you want to encourage other people to become active as well. If any of this sounds like you, then you might be considering becoming a Physical Education, or PE, teacher. Before you decide if this is the right career path for you, however, it is a good idea for you to explore the pros and cons of becoming a PE teacher so you can be certain you know what you are getting yourself into.

Pro: Play Sports Every Day

The most obvious pro to becoming a PE teacher is the fact you get to engage in your favorite sports every day. Of course, there may be times when you have to teach sports that you are not particularly fond of teaching. Still, having the opportunity to be physically active on a regular basis and being able to help your students lead more active lifestyles is a very satisfying part of the job.

Con: Safety Can be a Challenge

The fact that PE involves a whole lot of physical activity and may also involve engaging your students in aggressive sports can be a bit of a challenge. After all, you will have students running all around the gymnasium as well as outside. You may also take the students to work out in the weight room or on exercise equipment. All of these scenarios can be dangerous if you are working with students who are careless or who simply are not interested in what you are teaching.

The fact that students with behavioral problems are often included in these classes so they can have an “outlet”‘ for their extra energy or because the class is “easy” can also be challenging for PE teachers. Similarly, special needs students are often included in PE classes, which means you need to also know how to effectively include them in your class without getting hurt.

Pro: Coaching Your Favorite Sports

In addition to teaching sports to students in your PE class, many PE teachers also serve as the coaches for the various school sports. In fact, many PE teachers have coaching jobs included as part of their teaching contract. If you are not interested in coaching, this may seem like a con to you because you might feel as if you are being “forced” to be a coach. If you are interested in coaching, however, the fact that a guaranteed coaching position comes with the job can certainly be a pro. Not only do you get to coach the sport or sports you love, you also get to make extra money with the help of the coaching position.

Con: Teaching Traditional Classes

If you are someone who is dreaming of spending the entire day in the gym teaching students about your favorite sports, you might be disappointed to learn that PE teachers are also often called upon to teach in the traditional classroom setting. If your school needs someone to teach a few Health classes, for example, you may be pulled out of the gym and put into a traditional classroom instead.

Simply put, becoming a PE teacher can be a whole lot of fun for anyone who enjoys being physically active and coaching young people. If you don’t want to risk getting cooped up in a classroom or if you are concerned about working with students of all ability levels, on the other hand, this might not be the best career path for you.