How are corps members eligible to be hired by school districts?
In all Teach For America regions, corps members without undergraduate teaching degrees (includes most of our corps) are eligible to obtain state-issued teaching certificates, licenses, or permits through alternative teacher certification routes, which enable school districts to hire them. Although requirements for teaching vary significantly by state and are typically different for early childhood and K-12 teachers even within the same state, in the vast majority of cases, corps members must possess a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate subject area mastery by completing undergraduate coursework and/or passing certain tests prior to being hired for a full-time teaching position. In addition, most states require individuals who come in through non-traditional teacher education backgrounds (the case for the majority of our corps members) to enroll in state-approved coursework or certification programs.
