Some people decide that they want to be a teacher early in their lives; others make the decision as a result of a career change. This page will give you the information to understand how to become a teacher in California.

The great thing about the teaching field is the flexibility and variety of educational settings where you can find a job. You can work with all ages of people, from newborn to adult. Therefore, the varieties of opportunities that exist are sure to suit a variety of different interests and lifestyle. Another benefit to teaching is can be the regular work schedule and guaranteed time off. Many teachers work Monday through Friday and are off on the weekends. The hours are typically 6:30 a.m. or 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Teachers have off all summer (May or June through August or September), and all major holidays off. The week of spring break is also a time for rest and rejuvenation for teachers as well as students.

However, all of the scheduled time off can be misleading. It is rare that a teacher only works the hours that he or she is in school. More often than not teachers work long before students arrive and long after they go home. Many teacher duties happen after school, on weekends, and during vacation breaks. As a teacher, you will be expected to help students after school, create curriculum, plan lessons, grade papers, and anything else that the school administration needs. These duties include mentoring students in an after school club, attending meetings, or assisting on committees.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos318.htm

An often overlooked aspect is teaching that goes beyond school work but is equally, or more, important. Being a teacher also involves helping students develop emotionally, morally, and pschologically. In addition, proper schooling should develop students into citizens of the country. This type of education is a lot of responsibility but is often not taught in teacher education programs. If you still think that this sounds good and you live or want to live in California, then this page will help you get started.

Since all states have different requirements, it is important to know that the California Department of Education is not the credentialing body for the state. They use an outside source called the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the CTC. http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/fq/ If you are interested in getting California certification, you can work with them on different credentialing avenues.

Public Schools versus Private Schools

• Since public schools receive money from the state government, the schools are required to comply with all governmental regulations. This means you will need a teaching certification to teach and have, at least, a Bachelor’s degree. Private schools receive private funding and not government money; therefore, they may not require certification. They will, however, least require a Bachelor’s degree.

Approved Preparation Programs

• Approved programs may vary depending on what grade you are teaching. However, most programs can be categorized as follows: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/teach.html

1. College or University Teacher Education programs: Here students earn their bachelor’s degree while preparing to take the licensing exams.
2. Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education programs: Here students who have already earned their bachelor’s degree can get additional preparation for teacher certification.
3. Alternative Teacher Education Preparation Programs: Here students that have degrees can acquire training in the field. Private schools and the Peace Corp are such options. Some colleges and universities also sponsor alternative credentialing programs.

No Child Left Behind or NCLB allows schools to hire teachers who haven’t quite finished their programs if there is a need, so long as they are enrolled in a traditional or alternate teacher preparation program.http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=7318

Teacher certification in California is dependent on the subject and grade that you are planning to teach. Each area has slightly different requirements for documentation and credentialing. The different areas include:

• Administration
• Career or Vocational
• Child Development
• Elementary School
• Secondary School
• Pupil Personnel Services
• Special Education
• Substitute teaching
• Supplementary and Subject Matter
• Teaching English Learners

After completing the baccalaureate, all candidates must take the test of basic skills or CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test). This test is a basic test of reading, writing and math skills. http://www.cbest.nesinc.com/ It is comprised of 50 multiple choice questions for each of the reading and math sections, and an essay section. The test only need to be taken once, and the score last indefinitely.

The next test will depend on the grade and subject. Teachers interested in elementary school will need to take the [[California Subject Examinations for Teachers CSET: Multiple Subject Plus Writing exam. http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl667.pdf Teachers who want high school certification can prove subject matter proficiency in one of three ways:

1. A passing score on a CSET: Individual subject matter test administered by the Evaluation Systems group Pearson
2. Completion of an approved subject matter program
3. For specialized science subject – a passing score on a subject matter test given by the Commission of Teacher Credentialing or verification of completed coursework

By this step, you should have completed:

1. Your bachelor’s degree
2. Approved education certification program
3. Required testing

There are two steps left.

First, you will need to send in the completed application packet to the credentialing agency for review. This includes the application, the application fee, proof of credentials, and passing scores on certification tests. As mentioned above, different certifications require different documentations, so be sure to double check that your application packet is complete before submitting it. If you do not provide all of the paperwork at the same time, this could hold up the processing of your paperwork.

Second, you must be fingerprinted, and submit to a criminal background check. Your background check must pass both the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you have done fingerprinting before but have not been cleared by these agencies, you are not exempt from the additional background check. http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/fee-and-fingerprint.html

Everyone working in schools is required to do this including include:

• Administrators
• Teachers
• Teacher Aides
• Short, long and emergency substitute teachers

California only accepts fingerprints through the Livescan process. You must download the form and go to one of the approved processing centers. This is digital fingerprinting, which is more accurate and takes less time to process. You must bring valid photo identification and pay a processing fee. Out-of-state candidates can still submit inked fingerprints, but may still be asked to provide a digital print once in the state.