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free teacher certification programs
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AmerikanSultana



Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Istanbul

PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2015 8:51 am    Post subject: free teacher certification programs Reply with quote

Hi Everyone,

I've been doing a lot of research trying to find a way to get into a free program. Unfortunately I don't have the 5 - 9,000 dollars it costs for these teacher training programs that lead to certification. And I don't want to take out anymore student loans. I'm already struggling to pay off the ones I have!

I have been searching for a free program that will lead to teacher certification. I really don't care which state. I'm from Washington state but they make it impossible to get certification without going through a university program.

Currently I live in Istanbul - I've been living abroad for 7 years now. I think I'm ready to go home for a couple years, at least I think so! Anyway, I have a M.Ed TESOL (American university) and 6 years experience teaching ELLs (abroad). 2 years in a K - 12, 3 years university, and numerous years throughout teaching adults (privates and classroom).

I foolishly assumed it would be easy for me to get a job teaching ELLs in the US but so far I've been hitting a brick wall, at least in Washington state. I'd like a public school job.

My question is: are there any free teacher certification programs out there? I can't seem to find any!
Also, could I get my teacher certification through working at a Charter school or private school?

There's just so much information out there. And I've talked to so many people that I can't seem to figure out where to start! Any advice or personal experiences would be welcomed! TIA Smile
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peripatetic_soul



Joined: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 303

PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2015 1:48 pm    Post subject: free teacher certification programs Reply with quote

Dear AS,
You stated that you taught in p.s. already. Were you hired as a teacher or assistant? Are you interested in teaching ESL? I entered p.s. after years adjuncting at tertiary level with MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (but had pursued courses in Education dept.).
I'd recommend sending transcripts to your DOE for review and to determine what courses you'd need to complete to obtain license. Also, you'll probably need to take Praxis test. I was pleasantly surprised that I only needed one 3-credit course to fulfill state requirements.
You might also ask DOE if they know of any free programs but first find out what courses you need.
Years ago it was easier to enter p.s. system while also completing licensure (with tuition reimbursement benefits) but with the No Child Left Behind legislation, this is no longer possible. Hope this helps.

Regards,
PS
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt

PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2015 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Given your current qualifications and experience, you'd do well to check out ALTERNATIVE teacher certification/licensure programs. The best place to start is by visiting the DOE websites for the states you're interested in.

We had a conversation similar to this on these forums last fall and, as I recall, we determined that Florida has the quickest and easiest program which, by the way, looks like it can be done online before you come back home.

https://www.teacherready.org/

Should you not be interested in teaching in Florida, you'd have to check with the DOE of the states you're interested in to see if they'd accept this particular certification under their reciprocity agreements or, alternatively, as P.S. suggested, with a minimum of additional courses and testing.
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hash



Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn

PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2015 4:07 pm    Post subject: Re: free teacher certification programs Reply with quote

AmerikanSultana wrote:
I've been doing a lot of research trying to find a way to get into a free program...................................... I foolishly assumed it would be easy for me to get a job teaching ELLs in the US but so far I've been hitting a brick wall, at least in Washington state. I'd like a public school job.

I can't add to the advice you've already been given. I agree it appears you wouldn't have to go back to school for a protracted period of time.....and you might just be 2 or 3 courses away from obtaining a state teaching credential. I should mention, I doubt you'd find a TOTALLY free program. I think that's expecting a little too much.

As you've been advised, what you should do is decide which states you're interested in. Then contact the Education Dept of each state (they're called by different names in the various states) to find out what courses you would need to get a credential. This would involve your sending them transcripts and other documentation as required (plus, of course, a "fee").

The first thing you're going to find out is that EACH state has it's own rules and regulations. That means that each state is going to require something somewhat different from you. (Almost all, however, will require either taking a course or passing a test on the history of the particular state.....almost all states also now require fingerprinting at the police station or other designated "law enforcement" facility. Yes, I know it's hard to believe. But the criminal element has indeed entered the profession).

You'd think that by now, there would be some sort of national central hiring location where a prospective teacher could send documents ONCE and be done with it. Then pay a "fee" to have his documents sent anywhere as required. But no......states are very possessive and jealously guard their "rights" in K-12 schools. This level of education is extraordinarily politicized. In some states, it's vicious.

But my real concern is: are you sure you want to enter the public school system? Anywhere in the US? Do you really know what you're getting into?

It's NOTHING like what you've been doing overseas teaching adults. There are hundreds of online articles outlining the pitfalls of this profession. How good are you really with "kids"?? I don't mean "liking" them.....I mean interacting with them on an hourly and daily basis? It appears that something like 50% of p.s. teachers LEAVE the profession by the end of their 5th year teaching. In your posting here, you sound rather "casual" about entering the ps system......as evidenced by your surprise that with your MA didn't automatically qualify you to teach at the p.s. level. How's your Spanish? Even in WA state a huge % of kids speak it. Unless you do too, it's going to become a stress point after a while. And so on........

I got my secondary teaching cred several years ago, but I came overseas instead and never actually taught in the US, so it's now expired. But from what I've learned since then makes me thankful I never taught in the US.

If I were you, I'd definitely check this angle out. Definitely talk to and discuss this type of thing with current ps teachers and FORMER teachers....know what you're getting into. Here's a sample article on this very subject:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/why-are-teachers-leaving-profession.shtml


..
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mitsui



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Washington state is tough. It costs a lot to get certified.
You would have to go back to school to take education classes.

If you want cheap, try Ohio or Tennessee. Those states have much lower fees.

I got certified in Arizona. I got fingerprinted there and have the card.
I am certified in Language Arts Secondary but it is just provisional.
That means I can't just get reciprocity in other states yet.
I took a test last year through Pearson. It is available worldwide.
With a MA I am highly qualified.

I still have to take the US Constitution and Arizona Constitution test.
I am doing the online Sheltered English Immersion class, but it is just provisional, which means later I must take the full class.
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hash



Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 1:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it's a HUGE mistake for someone in your position to attempt to get K-12 certification in a state simply because it is easier or cheaper than elsewhere.

You should go to a state where you are "comfortable" (that means different things to different people). Mitsui mentioned "Tennessee" because it's cheap. But would you really be happy in a place like Tennessee? If you're from someplace like Vermont or Washington, Kansas or Montana, Tennessee is going to seem as foreign to you as Turkey was. (I don't care what anybody says or what the US Civil War was supposed to have accomplished: the fact remains that the ol' "South" remains a VERY different and distinct place from the rest of the nation. Charming in many ways, but definitely different). I feel it the minute I cross "the border".

You might adapt more easily if you were to work at a bank or large retailer in a big city like Memphis, of course. But if you're going to be dealing with the CHILDREN of home brewed Tennesseans, you're going to be in for quite a rude awakening.

Especially as a returning ex-pat, you're going to need some kind of support system (again, this means different things to different people). I don't think you can just plop down any ol' place and pretend you're "home". You aren't. It doesn't work that way.


Last edited by hash on Sun May 17, 2015 1:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 1:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My two-cents' worth on taking a different direction:

- Sure, the Saudi government doesn't recognize your online MA, but perhaps you can bite the bullet and get one of those decent-paying teaching jobs in KSA using your BA to qualify. This would allow you to get your student loan debt off your back but also save for your teacher licensure program.

- How about transitioning to another career? If you like writing and have good writing skills, look into completing a certificate in technical writing/communication via one of the numerous US university extension campuses. See http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm
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mitsui



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 5:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vermont is tough. 18 credits are required.

Some people go back to the US and end up selling insurance.
Not sure why, but some ex-teachers do.
I used to work with one and now he is back in Philadelphia.

In Japan, it looks good to be certified if you teach at a high school, so like the OP I was looking at the cheapest program, but in the end chose Arizona since my wife is willing to live there.

I could get a job in Nevada but have to get certified first.

In general it seems that states next to or close to Canada are more demanding with certification.

Places with merit pay look good. I mean Colorado, Minnesota, and parts of California.

I have looked at charter schools and wonder how it is to work at them.
Arizona State University has a few of them.
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 6:23 pm    Post subject: Re: free teacher certification programs Reply with quote

hash wrote:
But my real concern is: are you sure you want to enter the public school system? Anywhere in the US? Do you really know what you're getting into?


This is actually a question worth giving serious consideration to, especially given the fact that many ESL jobs are typically in difficult-to-serve hard-core urban school districts which, not coincidentally, happen to be the neighborhoods where most immigrant and refugee families tend to settle.

My wife is a fully-licensed educator in our state of residence and, despite having received several job offers, has opted to stick with subbing because she doesn't want to deal with all the baloney that full-time permanent teachers have to deal with. In short, she's found that public school teaching--at least in our state--is mostly about testing and paperwork and has very little to do with actually educating kids.
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
My two-cents' worth on taking a different direction:


Another direction worth considering might be private residential high schools that cater to international students. I had a colleague who taught in couple of different schools like that for several years, post-MA (no teacher certification), prior to transitioning into higher-ed. Her assessment was that teaching high-school age international students wasn't significantly different than teaching eighteen year-olds in university IEPS.

Should you be interested in exploring that option further, you might want to check out some of the resources on this recent thread as well as PM some of the more knowledgeable posters.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=109475&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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AmerikanSultana



Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Istanbul

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the information P_S. I hadn't thought to send my transcripts! Smile
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 8:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This also might interest you:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/adult-literacy-and-ged-teachers.htm
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
This also might interest you:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/adult-literacy-and-ged-teachers.htm


Interesting. The median per hour pay is probably about right (a bit higher than the going rate in my state of residence), but I wonder how many folks actually make an annual salary of 48k in adult ed. Maybe it's funded differently in other states, but here teachers are typically part-timers and many low-level administrators are too. If you happen to live in (or be headed towards) a state that actually funds adult-ed at that level, then by all means go for it.
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AmerikanSultana



Joined: 23 Apr 2015
Posts: 10
Location: Istanbul

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey everybody! Thanks so much for the advice, ideas, etc. Really helpful.

I'm in a place in my life where I need to make some changes and choices. I've got student loans to pay off and it's just never ever going to happen earning turkish lira. I had wanted to go to KSA but they won't recognize my M.Ed. So then I was thinking go home, get my teaching license, spend a couple years in the states to shut my family up about me living abroad, and then get into teaching at international schools (abroad of course!). But then it got complicated with all the information on the web. And I'm too late to apply to Teach America or TNTP. My home state makes it tough to get certified. I don't have the money for a teacher program at a university or I could just start in the fall. Blah, blah, blah!
Anyway, you all gave me some great ideas. I'm going to check them out and hopefully have some kind of direction to go in.

Oh and I do like teaching kids. To be honest adults bore me. I like the energy kids have. I know there are some really tough moments with kids but that's life, you take the good with the bad. And I have heard the horror stories about the American school system. But I did survive 2 years at a Turkish Koleji!!! Brutal.

Again thanks for the advice and info!!! Much appreciated Smile
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esl_prof



Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt

PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

AmerikanSultana wrote:
Hey everybody! Thanks so much for the advice, ideas, etc. Really helpful.


Good luck and please keep us posted on how things work out!
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