My father recently sent me an article from The New York Times critiquing the way teachers are prepared for their profession in the US.
I have long believed that teachers are very poorly taught (after having gone through a well-reputed program myself), and have discussed this matter with other teachers. I was pleased with this article because it validated many of the criticisms I and other teachers have of teacher training programs. I and others believe that programs need to be more selective of the type of individual they accept, the programs must be free of charge, teachers need to continue their studies in the subject they expect to teach, student teachers need to be mentored more, with more time spent with cooperating teachers, supervisors, and fellow teaching students to analyze what happens in the classroom, including videotaping teaching frequently to review a student teacher’s performance. And new teachers need to be supported through stipends and through hiring of other new teachers to create a supportive, energetic community of educators to keep new teachers from burning out quickly.
If this interests you, have a read of this article, and let me hear your comments on it.
Shimshonit 
My mother says she had a classmate in college who was learning to be teacher because, she said, she wasn’t smart enough to do anything else. Excuse me? You aren’t smart enough to do a task yourself, so you’ll instead teach others how to do it???!!!
By contrast, my calculus teacher, one of the best teachers I ever had – and I mean, really, this guy was awesome; he loved every one of his students, and everyone of them loved him – told me that he had been offered a position to teach at a high school for gifted students, but that he had turned down the offer. He told me that it’s no challenge to teach the students who are gifted; he wanted to teach the high schoolers who had failed algebra in middle school and didn’t want to learn. To teach those who don’t want to learn – that’s the challenge!
So indeed: if we want good teachers, we need to offer incentives for the best and the brightest. Teaching is the most difficult task of any, and it ought to be the most prestigious and elite occupation, not the least.
The other suggestions (better wages, better oversight over student-teachers, continuing your primary education even after you begin to learn for your education certificate, etc.) are just icing on the cake.
Here in France teachers were usually bright students and the competition to get into the job is fierce. However we are not that well-paid compared with Swiss teachers.
I agree with you that we need more training once we have started the actual teaching. I would complain however that the training here is very ideological and very naive. I sometimes wonder how long it has been since those who train us have sen a real student.