As Plan B's go, becoming a teacher ain't bad.

Good benefits, summers off and the chance to shape young lives sounds pretty good to many, especially those without a job.

So, with a high unemployment rate forcing people across the country to consider a change in careers, many are choosing teaching. Applications to a national teacher retraining program based in 20 cities rose 30 percent this year, according to Education News, an online news source.

Locally, officials at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga say in the last year they've seen an increase in the number of people interested in the school's alternative certification program.

UTC's program is appealing because candidates with a bachelor's degree in a subject area -- or 24 credit hours -- can work as full-time teachers while earning their certification in about two years, said Connie Cloud, certification officer for the department of education in the college of health, education and professional studies.

"There is never a day that goes by that I don't get questions from people (about alternative certification). Some days it seems like that's all I do," she said. "I probably see three to four times more transcripts these days than I did this time two years ago."

Many of the recent interested applicants either have been laid off, are afraid of losing their job or graduated recently and have been unable to find work, Ms. Cloud said.

But some of them also have an unrealistic ideas about teaching, she said.

"I think many people have the mistaken idea that, if you can't do anything else, you can always teach. That's a pretty mistaken idea," she said. "It takes someone with a great deal of fortitude to teach."

Staff Photo by Dan Henry Gerald Harris talks to students Thursday during a freshman computer applications class at Tyner Academy. Mr. Harris, a former businessman, plans to finish his teaching alternative certification at UTC this year. He switched careers to become an educator a little more than two years ago.

The trick is, in order to be accepted into UTC's program, applicants must first be hired by a school willing to let them work toward licensure.

In order to spend more time with his family, Stephen Tompkins chose to leave his job as an engineer several years ago and pursue a career in teaching. Mr. Tompkins said he wasn't forced to consider a new career, and he cautions others who might think of teaching as an easy alternative.

"I wouldn't call it a fall-back plan. ... You can't just pick up and say, 'Hey, I want to go teach.' You have to prove you're knowledgeable in your area," said Mr. Tompkins, who teaches chemistry and physics at Sequoyah High School. "You don't just leave one profession and drop into teaching."

Gerald Harris teaches computer applications at Tyner Academy and plans to finish his alternative certification program this year through UTC. Mr. Harris, a former businessman and college basketball coach, said he's not surprised more people entering teacher preparation programs.

"When the economy is bad, people go back to school," he said. "If you're passionate about kids, this is a great career. Otherwise, you're not going to last."

Sharon Vandagriff, president of the Hamilton County Education Association, said alternative teacher certification programs are one solution to the teacher shortage in subjects such as math and science. The preparation isn't as complete as traditional schools of education, but it does serve a purpose, she said.

"If someone has a college degree and is drawn to the teaching field and gets their certification, then we welcome them aboard," Ms. Vandagriff said.

Although Ms. Cloud said participants in UTC's alternative program have been hired to teach all subject areas, most are in high-needs areas such as math, science, special education and foreign language.

"There are way more people who are interested than the county can hire," she said. "One-third to one-quarter of the people that come to see me are actually hired."