Learn French: C'est un professeur.

In French, when you identify someone using an article (like un, une, le, or la) followed by a noun, you must use c'est. Because the sentence uses the noun phrase un professeur, we have to use c'est.

Is there a way to say this using il est?

Yes! You can say Il est professeur. When you use il/elle est with a profession, the profession acts like an adjective describing the person. Because of this, you drop the article (un) completely.

Does professeur only mean "professor" at a university?

No, un professeur is a general word for a teacher in middle school, high school, or university. It is often shortened to just un prof in everyday conversation.

Should I pronounce the "t" at the end of c'est in this sentence?

Yes! Normally the "t" in c'est is silent. However, because the next word (un) starts with a vowel, you connect the two words. This is called a liaison, and it makes c'est un sound like "seh-tun".