Jobs will always be available in the field of education. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the demand for teachers will grow an estimated 12 percent through 2016.

The bureau also reports that most job openings will result from the need to replace the large number of teachers expected to retire in the next seven years.Subject areas with the highest demand include elementary education, math, science, bilingual education, reading, special education and foreign languages.

To help fill the need for new teachers, the federal government created the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program. The program offers undergraduate and graduate students up to $4,000 per year for tuition.

Grant recipients sign an agreement to serve as full- time teachers for four years at a low-income school in a high-need field once they're finished with school.

For people seeking a second career as educators, the grants help make school affordable.

"Teaching is a perfect second career for me," says Chastity McGraw, 35, of Charleston, W.Va. McGraw received a TEACH grant through Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where she's pursuing a master's degree in elementary education.

TEACH grants require applicants to be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate student in an educational institution that is participating in the grant program.

"This grant only became available this academic year, and we already have 267 students taking advantage of it," says Cindy Knott, dean of GCU'S College of Education. "The students are high quality and committed to their careers – there is no doubt that this program is going to have a major impact on the quality of teachers over the next decade."

For more information about the grant program, visit http://studentaid-ed-gov.