| • | Become a Classroom Teacher in a Public School |
| • | Programs Providing Teaching Experience and Certification |
| • | Working in a Public School In a Role Other Than Teacher |
Become a Classroom Teacher in a Public School
Thinking about teaching as a possible career? That's great! If you enjoy working with young people and have the right temperament for teaching, you will succeed.
Here are a few tips on getting started if you don't already have certification to teach in the public schools.
- Get some classroom experience.
Let's be frank - though we hear much about a teacher shortage nationally, in Boston the shortages are in a few limited specialties such as math, the sciences, foreign language and special ed. It's not necessarily an easy place to find a teaching job.- To gain classroom experience, you may want to think about doing programs such as the MATCH Corps or Citizen Schools. Though you would not be employed as a classroom teacher, per se, you would gain paid experience working with young people in public schools in a tutoring and mentoring role. That could be invaluable for you as you pursue your teaching career.
- For other programs that provide you with paid experience in the classroom, see
- Working in a Public School In a Role Other Than Teacher section of this page (below).
- Americorps program, which provides funding to individual programs in all fifty states. While in some states, these program may not offer positions as an actual classroom teacher, most states they do have jobs that involve working directly with young people.(Start at the "For Individuals" link. It can take a while to look through all the different sections of the site that are applicable, so have patience.)
- Teaching fellowships - many of these are in private schools but are designed to provide new teachers with extra support and mentoring.
- Also consider:
- Teaching in independent schools
- Teaching as a volunteer (opportunities in the U.S. and abroad, usually providing housing with other volunteers, all meals, and a living stipend).
- Alternative teaching settings.
- Teaching in Catholic schools.
- Consider getting your masters degree.
If you really want to teach in the public schools in the Boston area, your best bet is to eventually get a Masters degree that includes classroom "practicums" (practice teaching). There are two possibilities, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a Masters in Education. The first ("MAT") generally has more coursework in the subject you will teach (English, History, Math, etc.). You may want to talk to some of the graduate admissions offices of schools in the area. There are many such schools, but Simmons, BC, and Lesley are a few of the top ones.
BC's School of Education - their phone is 617.552.4214.
- Many states offer alternative certification paths while you teach.
These are generally limited to high demand fields (math, science, foreign languages, special education) or underserved urban or rural school districts.- The National Center for Alternative Certification offers some great, state-by-state resources.
- The Massachusetts Dept. of Education has some useful info, though it can be difficult to wade through. Essentially, to be qualified to teach in MA public schools, you have to pass two Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTELs), one in the subject area you will teach, and one in Communication and Literacy. But passing the tests doesn't guarantee a job - if you were a Math teacher with a BA in Math, you'd get a lot of interest, but in most other disciplines, you'd be competing against people who have been through a teacher training program as undergraduates.
- Contact urban school districts - they are more likely to hire teachers who have not been through a teacher education program. Lowell (MA) School District, in particular, has a good mentoring program for new teachers.
- Ask a lot of questions. Ask people in the know.
The Boston College Career Network might be a good source of information - you would register to gain access at . You can contact alumni by phone or by email, and ask them what they think are the best paths for you to get into teaching.
- A couple of books to pick up:
- Inside Secrets of Finding a Teaching Job, by Jack Warner. Written mostly for teachers who have gone through a teacher education program (such as BC offers), but lots of good insights.
- If you are interested in teaching in independent schools, get a copy of Everyone's Guide to Job Searching in Private Schools, by Laurence B. Boggess - it's quite old, but most of the information is still very useful, and we've never seen a more current alternative to it.
Programs Providing Teaching Experience and/or Certification
Some of these programs require that you take courses toward certification and/or a master's degree while you teach, and a few provide full or partial reimbursement for the cost of your classes.
NOTE that this list does not include standard Masters-level teacher training programs.
- Our teacher preparation program treats you as a professional from the very first day. Start your middle and secondary (grades 7-12) school teaching career by working and learning in small schools designed to foster the habit of answering important questions. Our program offers:
- A year long path to teacher certification. For two summer sessions and the academic year between, you join the faculty of a small public middle or secondary school in central Massachusetts or southern New Hampshire - collaborating in a program guided by the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools.
- A stimulating peer group. Participants come to the program with strong college backgrounds in mathematics, science, the arts, English, the humanities, history/social sciences, or Spanish. Some are shifting into teaching from other careers.
- Professional inquiry and collaboration. You work with experienced teachers, usually on small teams, meeting daily for planning, support, and curriculum development.
- Coaching and mentorship of the highest caliber. Program faculty, including Clare Ringwall, Director, as well as Theodore R. Sizer and Nancy Faust Sizer, are closely associated with the collaborating schools.
- Financial benefits. Participants pay no tuition and receive a $15,000 stipend and essential benefits. Modest out-of-pocket expenses are associated with books and materials for the summer sessions.
- Participants make a two-year commitment to teach in Mississippi public schools, and in return receive both an eight-week intensive summer training program and pursue a Master of Arts in Secondary Education while teaching.
- Teacher Corps recruits are compensated at the same rate as other first-year teachers in their school districts
- Recruits may be eligible for deferment of government loans.
- Positions are secondary level education. Need Bachelor's degree.
Massachusetts Institute for New Teachers
- MINT is an alternative route to Initial certification designed for mid-career professionals, recent college graduates, and college seniors who aspire to teach at public middle or high schools, but don't have a traditional background in teacher preparation.
- MINT provides an accelerated certification process through an intensive seven-week training program.
- The Community Teacher Institute at City on a Hill Charter School will employ and prepare a small group of Associate Teachers in a one-year school-based program leading to Massachusetts Teacher Certification.
- Associate Teachers will:
- spend one full year working at a City On A Hill Public Charter High School, an innovative school in Boston. Associate Teachers will work four days a week in classrooms and after school to raise student achievement.
- participate in a weekly day-long seminar, through which they will earn Massachusetts teaching certification.
- receive a stipend for living expenses and may receive financial assistance for tuition costs if eligible. The Teachers' Institute will work to place these teachers in public schools - charter or district - in Boston following their year at City On A Hill and then continue to support them for their first two years of teaching.
Academy for Urban School Leadership
- 12 month teacher preparation and certification program in Chicago Public Schools.
- Application deadline: March 12, 2006.
New York City Teaching Fellows
- NYC Teaching Fellows is a highly selective Fellowship that mobilizes talented professionals to commit to teach in our city's most under-performing schools.
- Public schools can work, but they must be staffed and led by our city's most talented minds, our most accomplished citizens. New York City Schools Chancellor Harold Levy launched the Teaching Fellows in 2000 to put these accomplished citizens in a position to make a difference in the classrooms that need them most. Fellows are chosen through an intense selection process and trained in an accelerated pre-service program.
- Fellows commit to teach in an under-performing city school, beginning either in January or June.
- They are paid a regular teacher's salary and also receive:
- Intensive pre-service training with living stipend
- Accelerated, fully-paid Master's Degree program
- Classroom support at the school and district levels
- A network of like-minded professionals committed to educational excellence for our city's students
- A national teacher corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.
- ICTC is a volunteer service program that places outstanding recent college graduates as classroom teachers in Chicago's inner-city parochial schools. By combining teaching and involvement in after-school activities, including coaching, the ICTC channels their enthusiasm towards inner-city children.
- Corps members participate in a specially designed summer training program at the Inner-City Teaching Corps Training Institute. Developed in conjunction with Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, the Institute is designed for non-education majors teaching in the inner city and involves interactive classroom experiences. Upon successful completion of the requirements for the Alternative Teacher Certification Program, Corps members earn a State of Illinois teaching certificate.
- Members of the ICTC commit themselves to a simple lifestyle in an effort to identify more closely with the communities they serve. Corps members live together and receive room, board, medical insurance, transportation and a modest stipend of $150/ month for personal expenses. The savings created by this simple lifestyle provide scholarships for inner-city children.
- Our school is looking to fill a number of positions for 2006-2007 school year. While we are unsure of exactly what parts of our staff will be returning next year, positions could like be open for a 4th grade, 6th grade and 2nd grade teacher as well as a P.E./Health teacher. An applicant for this job does not need to be a certified teacher and does not need to have attended the Lynch School of Education. The school is willing to help untrained teachers attain their license to teach in New Mexico during the school year.
- The school provides free on-campus housing for its staff at no charge. It also offers health insurance benefits and an opportunity to have half of your classes paid for if you complete a masters of education. The yearly salary is about $15,000 which is low but manageable, especially for a person who could have potentially done a similar job through a volunteer program.
- Provides an accelerated route to teaching certification and employment for college seniors and recent graduates with majors in Math, English, the Sciences, or history/Social Studies.
- Students spend a full year teaching at an urban middle school or high school in Springfield, MA while earning NCATE-accredited certification and M.Ed.
Baltimore City Teaching Residency
- All candidates who are accepted into the Baltimore City Teaching Residency by meeting all of the eligibility requirements will be granted a Resident Teacher Certificate (RTC) by the Maryland State Department of Education.
- The RTC was created to allow outstanding individuals with no previous education coursework the opportunity to teach while taking graduate-level education credits to achieve a Standard Professional Teaching Certificate (SPC I).
- Assuming that all coursework is completed on time, all members of the Residency will receive a Standard Professional Teaching Certificate by the end of their second year of teaching.
- For over four years in Washington, D.C., professionals from all walks of life have made the decision to change their lives and teach in DC Public Schools.
- DC Public Schools is committed to employing highly qualified teachers in accordance with No Child Left Behind requirements. Entering the District as a DC Teaching Fellow makes you eligible for a Provisional Teaching license.
- Fellows are required to successfully complete all required university coursework towards their teaching certification during their two year commitment to teach in DC Public Schools.
- After completing the academic requirements for certification, Fellows will be nine to twelve credits (depending on cohort and academic program) short of the requirements for a Master's degree in Education. Many of our Fellows choose to complete the full Master’s Degree.
- The Kansas City Teaching Fellows program (KCTF) is a movement drawing Kansas City's most talented citizens into our most challenged classrooms.
- By placing highly capable, trained professionals in the highest need areas, student achievement will improve.
- The program seeks to close the achievement gap and effect long-term change by giving students what they need most, a competitive education.
- Fellows commit themselves to teach in an under-resourced school for two years. They receive a regular teacher's salary and benefits plus: a seven week pre-service induction program at our Summer Training Institute; an accelerated Master's Degree and Teacher Certification Program, classroom support at the school and district levels, a cohort relationship with like-minded professionals who are also working toward educational excellence and opportunity.
TeachLA University Internship Program
- Collaboration of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District to work with teachers who have emergency certification to provide professional development.
- The Fellowship Program is open to talented, recent-college graduates who want to get their hands dirty in the problem of inner-city education and work to break cycles of poverty. Fellows teach an average of 2-4 class periods per day while serving as advisors, tutors, proctors, coaches, monitors and all other responsibilities that promote the success of our students’ well-being. They need not be education majors and need not have a teaching certificate. Fellows are provided with a furnished, community house – Casa Maria – where all room and boarding costs are covered. Other benefits include health insurance, life insurance and car insurance – all fully paid by Nativity. Fellows receive an AmeriCorps Educational Award ($4725 for each year of the Fellowship) and can pursue at Assumption College a number of graduate degrees free of tuition costs. Most of all, Fellows receive the administrative support to succeed in the classroom. We are currently looking for 3 Fellows to start academic year 2008-09; our application deadline is rolling, but most hiring decisions are made by March 1st.
Working in a Public School In a Role Other Than Teacher
There are a growing number of jobs that involve working in schools with students, teachers and parents, but do not involve classroom teaching.
- MATCH Corps is a service year program similar to AmeriCorps: committed individuals make a yearlong commitment to public service in exchange for a modest stipend and housing.
- It is an ambitious, intensive, one-on-one tutoring program designed to fully close the Achievement Gap between minority and non-minority students, and between economically disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.
- A distinguishing and unique benefit offered by MATCH Corps is the opportunity to live in the heart of Boston for a nominal fee of approximately $50/month. MATCH Corps Fellows may choose to stay in our newly renovated, third floor, dorm-style residence right along the Boston University Campus on Commonwealth Avenue.
- MATCH Corps also offers Fellows a $600 per month stipend towards food and incidentals, as well as free health insurance.
- Applications are processed on a rolling basis beginning in mid-January. See website for application process details.
- Based in the Bay Area, supports school reform in low-income public schools by placing staff in schools to help support reform efforts, community connections and parent involvement.
MET School (Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, Providence, RI)
- Hosts an AmeriCorps team to increase parental involvement, engage students in community service-learning activities and develop partnerships between the Met and community organizations.
Rhode Island Children's Crusade for Higher Education
- Engages 35 full-time AmeriCorps members in 7 Rhode Island school districts with the greatest number of at-risk children. The Crusade works to decrease dropout rates and to increase the number of college-ready and work-ready youth in the state.
- Offer a 1-2 year Teaching Fellowship that involves participants in hands-on teaching and community-building in summer and after-school educational programs.