How to Earn Your Teaching Certificate While Working As a Teacher

A teaching certificate will take at least several months, sometimes a year, to complete all of the requirements. You do not have to put your dreams of teaching on hold because you do not have a teaching certificate yet. Nor do you have to stop trying to fulfill the requirements to earn a teaching certificate because you obtain a teaching position. You can work as a teacher while earning your teaching certificate at the same time.

Things You'll Need

• Phone
• Phone book
• Transcripts

Instructions

1. Find a school that will hire you without a teacher certificate by calling schools in your area and asking about job openings and employment criteria. You will need to obtain employment at a private school or work as an interim substitute at a public school.

2. Contact your local school district to determine what requirements you have met for certification and what requirements you are lacking.

3. Talk with the principal at the school where you obtain employment and inform him of your desire to earn your teaching certificate. Ask him if there are incentives at the school for getting certified such as reimbursement of teacher certification tests or raises.

4. Take any classes that you will need to take. Because you are currently teaching, you will have to take night or weekend classes.

5. Complete the necessary certification tests. Since you are working already as a teacher, tests that focus on the professional aspects of teaching may require minimal study time since you already have experience with this.

6. Visit the certification office at the school district once again and turn in all of your completed requirements. Remember to bring photocopies of passing scores on your certification tests and your transcript with classes you have completed. The certification office will then send all of the requirements to the Department of Education in your state and they will issue you your teaching certificate.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk with other teachers at your school to find out if they are certified and if they are, have them tell you about what they went through to get certified.

• You will receive your teaching certificate in the mail several weeks after you turn in all of your requirements to the certification office.

References

• All Education Schools: Certification Frequently Asked Questions