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Only you can decide if teaching is right for you, and there is a combination of skills and values that many teachers have.
Here are some signs that you will like teaching:
Here are a few places to start your research:
You do not need a master’s degree to start teaching in Texas, but if you already have a bachelor’s degree and are changing careers to start teaching, a master’s degree isn’t a bad idea.
Benefits of getting a master’s degree to teach in Texas:
You can use our Program Explorer to find master's degree programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
You can use financial aid such as scholarships, grants and loan forgiveness opportunities to help make teaching programs more affordable.
Financial aid options in Texas:
Financial aid opportunities can be federally, privately or institutionally funded. You can learn more about financial aid for Texas teachers in our financial aid guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
If you’re a first-year teacher, the average starting salary for Texas teachers is $48,526. If you have more experience or more education, Texas’ average teacher salary is $62,463.
In most cases, school districts and cities set their own salary schedules for teachers, which are often based on years of experience and credentials:
You can learn more about Texas teacher salaries and benefits on our Salary and Benefits page for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
Choosing the right teaching programs will depend on your experience and where you want to begin your teaching career.
Consider these questions to help determine the program for you:
Questions like these will guide you to choosing the program that fits your goals. You can learn more about choosing a teaching program on our page for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
You can absolutely teach in a subject other than what your degree is in. In Texas, you will need pass subject area assessments and take a teacher preparation program in your new subject.
How to Get Certified in Your New Subject:
To set your teaching career up for success, focus on professional growth and finding the right environment. Follow these key steps:
Teachers generally have a great deal of autonomy — more so than most jobs right out of college. From day one, you'll be entrusted with big responsibilities.
Areas teachers will have the most autonomy
That said, every school varies in terms of teacher autonomy, so it's smart to ask about this during job interviews.
In most cases, yes. With proper training, preparation and practice, you'll build the skills you need to manage students in your classroom.
Your teaching program should show you how to earn your students' trust, develop strong communication skills and use effective classroom management techniques.
Once you're in the classroom, you'll continue to learn on the job and learn from your colleagues. Teachers are a supportive bunch, and experienced educators at your school will help you to continue to build your craft. You've got this!
Yes! While there’s no single way to be a good teacher, there are a combination of skills and values that a good teacher has. Like any profession, it takes time and dedication to develop the skills to teach effectively.
Therefore, good teachers need to have passion, drive, and curiosity to do their job well and better themselves. Each day, you'll improve your relationship-building, critical thinking, creativity and leadership skills, to support your students the best that you can.
Yes, you can use your non-education degree or prior experience to teach in Texas. There are two options available:
Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher: This pathway is a non-traditional route to becoming a teacher. If you have work experience in industries like construction, hospitality, or health sciences, CTE certification lets you apply your skills to teach grades 6-12. Learn more on our page for TEACH San Antonio about becoming a CTE teacher.
No, substitute teaching do not qualify for the full-time classroom teaching experience required to get certified. Paraprofessionals who transitioned to a certified teaching role may be credited up to two years for salary placement only.
However, working in those roles provides valuable experience for applying to teacher preparation programs.
The quickest way to become a teacher online is through alternative certification programs or teacher residency programs.
Key benefits to non-traditional online programs
No matter what type of program you choose, you will have hands-on, in-person experiences during student teaching, so it can’t be done completely online.
In most cases, it will take four years in a traditional teaching program. However, it ultimately depends on the type of teaching program you choose and where you are in your academic career.
You can use our Program Explorer to find programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
The fastest pathways to become a certified teacher is through alternative certification programs or certificate-only programs. If you have educational or professional degrees in the subject area you want to teach, these programs allow you to learn how to teach and, in some cases, start teaching right away.
You can use our Program Explorer to find alternative certification programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
You can become a teacher even if you have a unique background and there are pathways to teaching tailored specifically for situations like this.
Pathways to a teaching certificate:
Learn more about Texas teacher certification on TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
No, you can absolutely become a teacher in Texas at any point in your career.
Each program offers a different range of coursework, hands-on experience and mentoring. Learn more about Texas teacher certification on TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
Alternative certification is a type of teacher certification that prepares teachers for an accelerated entry into teaching. This type of certification is good for people who:
Learn more about alternative certification in our guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
South Carolina offers a variety of teacher certification programs, ranging from programs for people who have never been to college to programs for people who want a master’s degree. You can expect to find these types of programs available at different colleges and universities:
Each program offers a different range of coursework, hands-on experience and mentoring. Learn more about Texas teacher certification on TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
An alternative certification program is a teacher preparation pathway that lets you earn your initial teaching certification while you teach in your own classroom. To apply, you will need to meet these requirements:
Learn more about alternative certification in our guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
In Texas, the primary difference is that a teaching degree is an academic qualification from a college, while a teaching certificate is the legal authorization from the state to teach in a classroom.
To qualify for these credentials, you must meet different requirements:
Learn more about Texas teacher certification on TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
Yes, you can earn your master’s degree and Texas teaching certificate in one program in as little as one to two years.
The benefits of a master’s degree program:
You can use our Program Explorer to find master’s degree programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
Yes, there are many earn while you learn (teacher residency) programs in Texas for teachers to get certified while teaching in a classroom. These programs are built for you to earn your teacher certificate in one to two years, all while applying what you learn from your coursework into the classroom.
You can learn more about what to expect in a Texas Teacher Residency Program in our guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
A teaching residency program is a type of alternative certification program that allows you to earn your initial teaching certificate in one to two years while getting paid to teach in a classroom alongside a mentor teacher.
Key benefits to a teaching residency program
You can learn more about the benefits of Texas Teacher Residency Programs in our guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
You can get your out-of-state teaching license evaluated by the Texas Education Agency to determine if you meet all the requirements to teach in Texas.
Evaluation of your out-of-state teacher license:
To start teaching immediately in Texas you can go through an alternative certification program to begin teaching in a classroom with a Non-renewable Emergency Permit, or if you are hired by a school district for a specific assignment, you can receive a Temporary Classroom Assignment Permit (TCAP)– if you meet educational criteria.
Overview of teaching immediately in Texas:
Alternative certification programs are available in our Program Explorer for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
No, in Texas, you cannot get your out-of-state teaching certificate reciprocated if it has expired. You will need to submit a valid out-of-state certificate and other materials in order to start teaching in Texas.
Substitute teachers usually need at least some college level experience and be over 18 years old. School districts have different requirements and application processes, so check with the school district you want to substitute for to see the requirements to apply.
To have your international teaching certificate or degree recognized by the U.S. and to begin teaching in Texas, you will need to submit your transcripts to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) for a course-by-course evaluation.
Once you submit all the required documents, the organization will evaluate your credentials and send a report to the Texas Education Agency.
You can apply for a Texas teaching license even with an international degree or license. To begin the process, you will need to gather some documents as well as have your degree and credentials evaluated:
International teaching license application requirements:
You will also need to submit official transcripts to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) for a course-by-course evaluation. The report must be sent directly from the evaluation agency for Texas to accept them.
Texas has many benefits for veterans and military spouses to pursue a teaching career.
Pathways and benefits available to veterans, military service members and their families:
You can learn more about benefits and financial assistance for veterans and military service members on our guide for TEACH San Antonio.
Programs in Texas will have a variety of deadlines that vary depending on the program start, but generally, spring semester applications are due by October, summer by April, and fall by July.
Typical application deadlines:
Be sure to carefully review the programs you are interested in and account for deadlines when planning your application. Review application deadlines on our deadline search for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
The balance working full-time while earning your teacher certificate, leverage programs that allow for you to complete coursework online or fast-track programs such as alternative certification programs.
Carefully review program overviews to fully understand the requirements throughout the program. Take note that all teacher preparation programs will require you to student teach, so being able to work in a classroom will be a requirement at some point.
In most cases, it will take four years in a traditional teaching program. However, it ultimately depends on the type of teaching program you choose and where you are in your academic career.
You can use our Program Explorer to find programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
You can apply for financial aid such as scholarships and grant opportunities to help make teaching programs more affordable.
Types of program-specific financial aid:
You can learn more about financial aid for Texas teachers in our financial aid guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
Teaching preparation programs vary in cost, but there are financial aid resources available, especially for teachers and educators.
Financial aid options in Texas:
Financial aid opportunities can be federally, privately or institutionally funded. You can learn more about financial aid for Texas teachers in our financial aid guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
To teach special education, you will need to go through a teacher preparation program that offers certification in Special education, as well as take an exam.
Requirements to teach Special education:
You can use our Program Explorer to find Special education programs in TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
In Texas, there are four main requirements to become a certified teacher. The requirements may become more specific with each teacher preparation program.
The key requirements:
Learn more about Texas teacher certification on TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
While GPA requirements may vary depending on the program and university, you can generally expect to see a cumulative GPA of 2.5 as a requirement for most teacher preparation programs in Texas. You can view GPA requirements for programs in our Program Explorer for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio..
There are a variety of online resources available to help prepare you for the required exams to become a teacher.
Learn more about testing in our Testing Guide for TeachDFW, TEACH for Houston and TEACH San Antonio.
With access to free resources like career coaching, guides and financial aid, you can begin to map out your teaching career. Sign up today to discover the possibilities in education!