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There seems to be a lot of confusion here about alternative teacher certification. Hopefully I can dispel some myths. There are two basic routes to teacher certification.
TRADITIONAL ROUTE: Under this route you attend some college of education and earn a BA in Education or a BA in some field like biology with minor in education. A good portion of your senior year is spent student teaching as an intern. At the end of the 4+ year program you must take and pass the Texas teacher certification tests (one in education theory and the other in your subject area). Once the student has successfully completed the 4-year program, the student teaching, and passed the tests they become certified to teach in Texas.
ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION: This is the route for teacher candidates who already have a BA or MA or other advanced degree and already meet the "highly qualified teacher" coursework requirements for their area of teaching. In other words, they have already taken all the subject area coursework that a student in a traditional school of education would have taken and only lack the education theory classes and internship experience. Students who fit this definition can apply to an alternative teacher certification program where they will take the required education theory classes and subject area curriculum classes and then hopefully find placement as an intern with some school district where they can complete their required internship year teaching. Once the alternative certification candidate has passed all their required classes, successfully completed their internship year, and passed the state certification exams they become certified to teach in Texas. The rub is this. During the time that the alternative cert candidate is teaching as an intern they are teaching under a provisional certificate. Apparently some school districts are reluctant to hire interns with provisional certificates because they can't count the as "highly qualified teachers" under No Child Left Behind.
Now to dispel some myths.
1. According to the State of Texas, Alternative Teacher Certification accounts for roughly 30% of all new teachers hired in Texas and the percentage is rising. So it is utterly untrue that no one gets hired.
2. Once you become FULLY CERTIFIED by either route it really doesn't make any difference which route you became certified by. The great majority of principals simply aren't going to care at all. They will look at your grades, the university you attended, your references, and your experience, etc. So if you go through the alternative certification route and can find some school someplace that will hire you as an intern during your provisional certification year then you'll be as good to go as any freshly minted school of education grad.
2. There are plenty of internships to be found. It might mean driving into the inner city or out to some rural town where you really don't want to spend the rest of your life. And it likely won't be at the most desired school districts in your area. But internships can be found if you are willing to drive or move to where the jobs are. And the pay will likely be low. But remember, at least you are getting a 1st year teacher's salary. The intern student teacher from a traditional school of education is still paying tuition and working for free during their internship and student teaching.
Now I happen to teach science at one of the more sought-after school districts in my region and I went through the alternative certification route. I'm also participating on the hiring and candidate screening process as we are looking for new science teachers. And frankly, at least in the science field, the alternative certification candidates we are getting are more impressive than the traditional education majors. For example, which of these two candidates would YOU hire for a science teaching position?
Candidate A: 24 year old recent graduate of Tarleton State with a BS in Biology and minor in Education. This candidate has a 2.75 GPA and no relevant work experience in science or education. But she has lots of serious partying pictures on her facebook page (yes, you will likely be googled if you are applying for a teaching job). Her references sound a big guarded in their recommendations. She can't really tell you why she wants to be a teacher. It seems like it was the fallback after her grades eliminated med school as an option.
Candidate B is 34 years old and has a BS in Biology from Rice University and a MS in microbiology from Texas A&M. This candidate maintained a 3.7 GPA as an undergrad and a 3.8 GPA has a grad student. She is also fluent in Spanish, has 2 years of experience working in Bolivia in the Peace Corps and 5 years of experience working as a medical lab technician. She recently completed an alternative certification program through the local community college. Her references all sing her praises and say she is bright, hardworking, and mature. She says she has discovered that the medical field really isn't for her and she would really rather be teaching and working with kids even though it's a major career change and significant cut in pay.
You are the principal. Which candidate would you hire? And do you really care that candidate B took her handful of required education theory classes through a community college rather than a state school of education?
Now the choices aren't always this stark. But sometimes they are. There are a lot of very highly qualified people out there with extensive experience and qualifications who have chosen to get into teaching via the alternative certification route. And in the sciences anyway, it turns out that they are often much more highly qualified and experienced than most of the candidates coming out of traditional schools of education with a BS in Biology and a minor in education.
ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION: This is the route for teacher candidates who already have a BA or MA or other advanced degree and already meet the "highly qualified teacher" coursework requirements for their area of teaching. In other words, they have already taken all the subject area coursework that a student in a traditional school of education would have taken and only lack the education theory classes and internship experience. Students who fit this definition can apply to an alternative teacher certification program where they will take the required education theory classes and subject area curriculum classes and then hopefully find placement as an intern with some school district where they can complete their required internship year teaching.
Actually, not all people who already have a BS/BA or MS/MA/MBA are in the alternative certification route. One can enter and complete a Master's degree propgram that leads to initial certification. Many (such as myself) chose to complete a Master's Degree program, and still do the traditional student teaching. This is equivalent to the education credit hours that one would have earned as an undergraduate.
The school district did not consider this alternative certification. I believe most districts label programs as alt-cert when they are minimal classroom and or seminar time, coupled with a one year internship. Generally, these are not university based, but are run by companies or the regional educational service centers.
My wife has been searching for work here for the past year. She has a BA degree in fine arts (almost perfect GPA), graduated as top senior, and has an alternate teacher certification. She has not had much luck finding a job in the last year.
She had an interview today at a day care center and they are offering her $7.50 per hour. They simply said that they cannot pay more than that, and they typically hire people with much more experience than what my wife has. Is that pathetic or what?
Does anybody know of a place that has openings that would suit her, and would pay better?
Thanks!!
You and your wife should move to midland where there is no economic downsizing, and there are lots of teachers jobs.
Actually, not all people who already have a BS/BA or MS/MA/MBA are in the alternative certification route. One can enter and complete a Master's degree propgram that leads to initial certification. Many (such as myself) chose to complete a Master's Degree program, and still do the traditional student teaching. This is equivalent to the education credit hours that one would have earned as an undergraduate.
The school district did not consider this alternative certification. I believe most districts label programs as alt-cert when they are minimal classroom and or seminar time, coupled with a one year internship. Generally, these are not university based, but are run by companies or the regional educational service centers.
My perception was that most people getting a Masters in Education are already certified teachers who are going back to school for additional training, often in hopes of moving into higher paying administration jobs. In any event, what you describe is most definitely not alternative certification. It's the traditional route but at the MA level not the BA level. I would imagine that the route you describe requires more time and money than an alt cert route. But then you walk out of it with full certification so that is one advantage.
I have heard mixed reports about the quality of alt cert programs around the state. I will say that I thought the program I attended, Mclennan Community College in Waco was high quality. The instructors were all top quality teachers and administrators from the area. And I found the coursework to be equal in depth and quality to the coursework of my masters program in marine science at the University of Washington, which is one of the best in the country. There were students commuting to the program in Waco from as far away as Dallas, Texarkana, and Houston. Or, perhaps more accurately. They started in Waco and landed internships in cities that far away and had to drive back to Waco on Saturdays to attend the internship seminars during their intern years.
Definitely do some due diligence when investigating alternative certification programs. Talk to principals in your area about which programs are most respected. They will know which programs are good and which to avoid.
Definitely do some due diligence when investigating alternative certification programs. Talk to principals in your area about which programs are most respected. They will know which programs are good and which to avoid.
That advice is right on the money. Do your research first. Ask a few principals what routes to certification they would hire, and what they would not.
It irritates me seeing the ads and billboards these places put up. They make it sound like there are thousands of open spots just waiting to be filled. Caveat Emptor!
Once you are in your first (non-internship) job, however, it won't matter much. It's just getting that first spot that is the kicker!
Can anyone please elaborate as to why Alternative Certification is considered the lesser choice for certification? I know almost nothing about the process as of yet, and will google the afternoon away, but your opinions are helpful.
Alright, this is why.....
And I'm a Vet also and currently teaching in San Antonio with a BA in FA
When I went to a Job Fair with my school they said and I quote...
"don't look at any applications with alternative certification"
for every 4 persons that have Alternative certification there are 10 that are certified and have some experience so first you have to climb that hurdle..
next is the "we don't want to pay to train somebody" and also
most schools will only take students with alternative certification in high needs areas namely two Math and Science.
I've always told my friends get your degree...go get your teacher certification and then start your student teaching.
Can anyone please elaborate as to why Alternative Certification is considered the lesser choice for certification? I know almost nothing about the process as of yet, and will google the afternoon away, but your opinions are helpful.
Revolver.....you didn't say what you want to teach, or what age group you want to teach. You don't have to mention it here if you're not comfortable.
I'm just mentioning this because most of the responses are assuming that you want to teach elementary or high school.
Do you have a degree? There are other areas in which to teach that do not involve public schools. You could teach adults in a corporate environment or private sector. Adult education is on the rise because many people are jumping ship to find new ways to make a living. Many companies are regrouping and need people to implement training and ongoing education. There are also continuing education programs in almost every industry. Also community education workshops and other non traditional classroom settings. You would need to get a masters in adult education and training to teach adults. DM me if you want more info.
And I'm a Vet also and currently teaching in San Antonio with a BA in FA
When I went to a Job Fair with my school they said and I quote...
"don't look at any applications with alternative certification"
for every 4 persons that have Alternative certification there are 10 that are certified and have some experience so first you have to climb that hurdle..
next is the "we don't want to pay to train somebody" and also
most schools will only take students with alternative certification in high needs areas namely two Math and Science.
I've always told my friends get your degree...go get your teacher certification and then start your student teaching.
If you need some help OP message me
You didn't say which ISD you applied to. But you are talking about applying for teaching jobs in what is one of the more desirable places to live in Texas. Not surprising that they have no shortage of applicants. That doesn't mean you can't find an internship though if you look. They are out there. But it might mean driving an hour outside San Antonio to find a school willing to hire you in some rural town. Or it might mean moving someplace else for your intern year. Like say Victoria or McAllen or wherever the non-cool cities are in South Texas. People who want to teach will make it happen. Just don't expect to walk into the perfect job in the perfect school in the perfect town as an alt cert intern.
EDIT....sorry I misread your post. You are already teaching and just quoting what the administrators were saying at your job fair. Still, my point is valid. There are internships out there to be had if you are willing to find them. This is a big state with thousands of schools. And a lot of them have a hard time finding teachers.
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