In the grand scheme of things, becoming a teacher is not something you just fall into. It's one of few professions to be so frequently in the media's sights and the picture painted is at times hilarious (seen Channel 4's portrayal of the profession recently?!) and at others, blatantly inaccurate. Rarely do we see a complete picture of what the job entails.

So what's it like to be a teacher; to be responsible for a class, or classes if you teach in a secondary school, and to take those kids through the labyrinthine journey of an academic year? Is it possible to gain anything from it or is it all give, give, give to kids that don't always want to receive?

James Everett is in his seventh year of teaching in a primary school in Worthing, West Sussex. He is adamant that teaching is a very special job. "It gives me immense satisfaction", he says. "I feel really proud to be a teacher and the pay that I get at the end of the month is not why I do it. It's more than a career. It's like choosing a pathway, a journey of discovery. You learn so much about yourself in that time that I think it does make you a stronger person."

Beth Taeger agrees. Having worked in banking initially after leaving university, she trained to be a teacher at the age of 29 and is currently working through her induction period at a high school in Greenwich. "You can't be moralistic about teaching and say that it's a more acceptable job than others. After all, sometimes I don't want to do it if the kids are misbehaving or if I have loads of marking and preparation to do. But in comparison with the office work that I've done in the past it's so much better. When the kids give you positive feedback that really makes you feel good. When they say they like your lessons it's great."

It's this opportunity to make such a difference to the lives of young people that offers teachers a unique sense of job satisfaction. As James passionately explains, "I will never forget the relationships that I have built with some of the children I've taught. They have affected me enormously in such a positive way. You can be such an important part of children's lives and you shouldn't let that worry you; don't be intimidated by it."

You could be forgiven for thinking that the job can be all-encompassing at times. There's no denying that it's impossible not to become firmly attached to what you do in the classroom because of the direct impact your interactions with the children in your class have. Even when they're not hanging on your every word, you'll be having an influence and that's incredibly empowering.

For Beth, "it's fantastic when you get a noisy class to produce good work or when you get a 'breakthrough' moment with certain kids. There's definitely a huge sense of achievement to be had. When I started teaching I stood up in front of the class and shook, literally. I've lost all that fear now and the confidence I've gained has been really good for me."

You don't have to be a top class performer to be an effective teacher. The experience of the last seven years has taught James that kids don't want you to produce reams of planning, or even elaborate resources. "The most important resource to them is you", he says. "That's what they want. They want you on form, they want you interested, excited and motivated. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if your lesson is all singing and dancing, if you're not engaged in it then they'll smell it out. It's what you bring into the classroom that's important and I've learnt as the years have passed not to overburden myself with too much and to be sensible and get a happy balance."

This is crucial. In any career you have to ensure you have time for yourself, but in teaching in particular, your time outside the classroom can hone your skills as much as your time inside the classroom. As James has discovered, "having a life outside school makes you more rounded and that is what children want. They want a real person who has a life and who comes in and tells them about their evening; who can say, I had a marvellous evening last night because you were so good yesterday, and I went home and chatted to my wife and we went out for a walk and it was brilliant - that type of thing they love because it shows you're human."

No-one with an inside knowledge of the job can deny that it can be physically and emotionally exhausting. But you don't get such highs in any job without some perceived lows.

"At the end of the day", says Beth, "I can say that I enjoy my work. Compared with flat-lining in an office job, in teaching you're always going to be busy. And some aspects of your job will be fantastic and you'll want to tell everyone about it. Even if you have a bad day there are people around you who will listen and sympathise because they've been there too and come out the other side.

"There has been nothing so far in my teaching career that has made me think forget it, I'm going back to my old job", Beth explains. "I used to be really bored in banking and in this job there will be at least a couple of things happening every day that I'll want to tell other people about."

James agrees that boredom is never a factor. "I have never once been bored in this job in seven years! If anything, you've always got stuff happening that is exciting and challenging."

Yet if you're still undecided over whether or not to take that leap of faith and apply, take Beth's wise words of advice: "You'll only know if you want to be part of this profession if you get into a school and do some observations. Do it before you even fill in the application form. That will give you the best idea of what it's like to be a teacher and what the job entails."

So, for a challenge, the chance to learn and grow on a daily basis, the opportunity for intellectual and emotional stimulation and a guarantee that you'll never, ever be bored, you'll do no better than giving teaching a go. Oh, and the money's not bad either!