What is a teacher’s certificate?

Teaching is not as easy as it seems, especially with such an amount of various certification programmes, requirements and professional opportunities you have to be familiar with or even obtain one in order to get a certain position.

Today we will talk about teacher certification, what you are supposed to do to get it and how it can influence your teaching career. But first things first, let’s begin with the terms’ issue.

Teacher certification is a respectable and valuable document recognized all over the state/region or even a country. It gives teachers a testimony of their professionalism and suitability for certain roles in a field. 

Before proceeding to the discussion of teacher certification’s pros, it is necessary to draw the line between the terms which are often confused: “certificate” and “certification”. So, what’s the difference?

So, as we have already stated that:

However, different types of teacher certification allow one to work in a specific field as every position requires a different set of skills and experience. 

Moreover, the requirements for getting a teacher certification may differ from region to region and, naturally, from country to country. That is why a teacher with a Texas teaching credential may not be able to teach in Georgia, for example. So, it is crucial to check the requirements that you have to meet in your country/ state/ region. 

However, there are some general requirements like:

Now, let’s go to more specific requirements which you are supposed to meet to get a teacher certification.

Elementary and Middle School Certification

Generalists who work in elementary schools are qualified to teach a wide range of subjects. Middle school teachers have the option of being generalists or specializing in the particular subjects they intend to teach. Here is a list of common grade levels that various certifications cover:

Teaching Certificates and Endorsements in Secondary Education

This is a certification that has appeared due to the No Child Left Behind Act in the USA. It suits teachers who want to work with older pupils (usually in grades 7 through 12). 

If it is your case, you have to demonstrate that you are “highly qualified” to do so. You may accomplish this by obtaining secondary school teaching certification and gaining one or more subject area endorsements. 

Middle-level and high school instructors who have endorsements are allowed to teach subjects that are not included in their teaching credentials. 

An undergraduate major often satisfies the requirements for a teaching endorsement. But you may also become eligible for an endorsement by passing particular tests and courses. 

Teacher Certification for Specific Subject Areas

Some teaching positions focus more on the content than the student’s age. Depending on how the school system is set up, reading experts, speech therapists, and school counselors might easily deal with children from kindergarten and high-schoolers in a single week. 

This type of certification is frequently offered per topic area, without an emphasis on a specific age range, to give such specialists an opportunity of working with a wide range of students.

Nationally Recognized Teacher Certification/Board Certification

If you want to teach from kindergarten to grade twelve, you should consider getting a national certification that covers a variety of subjects and grade levels. National certification is accepted all over the country, and many working places provide nationally certified instructors with unique privileges including increased pay. 

This opportunity isn’t available for everybody though. The American Department of Education states that to apply for a national certification you are required to have three full years of teaching experience, a bachelor’s degree, and a current state teaching certificate in order to be considered. 

You also must put together a portfolio of your classroom work as well as succeed in completing a written test that assesses your teaching expertise. Mind that requirements may vary from country to country, so look for more information on your country’s Department of Education site. 

And now we are going to talk about the traditional way of getting teacher certification which includes the following steps:

At the same time, there are some unique circumstances to take into account. Here are some typical scenarios and other routes that can enable you to temporarily obtain your certification or license as well as teach without going through the entire certification procedure.

Accelerated Certification Programs

If you have a bachelor’s degree and want to become a teacher quickly, you might want to look into enrolling in an accelerated teacher certification program. You can obtain your teaching certification through accelerated programs while you are still working as a teacher. However, don’t expect it to be easy. 

Private and Charter Schools

The public boards of trustees that supervise each of the autonomous public charter schools have the right to hire teachers in accordance with their own set of criteria. That is why private schools often tend to hire people that satisfy this educational establishment’s requirements but do not necessarily meet all the state’s rules. 

The requirements of these schools vary a lot, so you have to contact the school you are interested in directly to get an idea of who they are looking for.

Emergency Teaching Credentials

Some countries or states that suffer from the lack of education specialists introduce so-called emergency teaching credentials which allow teachers to skip a long process of meeting all the requirements and move straight on to working as teachers in high-need fields like mathematics, science, special education, bilingual education, or in high-need locations like urban schools. 

Visit your local Department of Education website for more information.

Transferring Teaching Credentials from Another Country

There are not many places that just accept your foreign certification with no further questions. But some are ready to give you a teaching position and the ability to teach while you are passing all the missing tests. 

Getting a teaching license in this way takes less time and still makes you a fully qualified specialist. 

As you can see, the process of getting a teacher certification is far from being easy and quick. Naturally, a lot of specialists wonder if this document is absolutely necessary. The answer is “yes” if you intend to work in public schools. 

However, there are many other ways how to get into the sphere of teaching which are the following:

And now let’s look through a couple of questions!