Education offers one of the most rewarding and fulfilling career paths, but it requires commitment and determination. Explore our guide to discover what you need to be a teacher.

Becoming a teacher: What do you need?

To reap the endless rewards of being an educator, you need to ask yourself:

  • What degree do you need to become a teacher?
  • What qualifications do you need to become a teacher?
  • What skills and personality traits do you need to work in the classroom?

Our extensive article covers all of these topics and more, so that you can discover if you have the attitude and heart that’s needed to pour into today’s young people.

What education do you need to become a teacher?

Your teaching journey starts with a high school diploma or GED before completing a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

What degree do you need to become a teacher?

The Department of Education states that teaching jobs require a bachelor’s degree and the successful completion of an Educator Preparation Program (EPP). Your course does not strictly have to be a teaching degree, but if it isn’t, you will need to complete an external teacher preparation program.

Once your degree is conferred, an Educator Preparation Program (ERP) like Teachworthy can review the coursework on your transcript from any degree program.

What qualifications do you need to become a teacher?

The state requires all teachers to have completed:

  • High school or GED program
  • Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university
  • Educator Preparation Program, like Teachworthy, to achieve your standard certificate
  • Successful Passing of Content Exams

What do I need to apply for a teaching program?

The application process prescribed by the Texas Education Agency requires specific information to be submitted to confirm that you are eligible to enter an alternative certification program.

Requirements for Applying to a Texas Teacher Online Certification Program

Here’s some insight into the technical details needed to get started:

  • The application asks about your demographic information, education history and related work experience. You will also be asked what subject and grade-level you would like to teach.
  • The Texas Education Agency requires that you be in your last semester of earning your bachelor’s degree or have completed a bachelor’s degree. Your college study area doesn’t matter, but your GPA is very important. Texas requires a 2.5 overall GPA or a 2.5 GPA in your last 60 hours of coursework. The exceptions to this are in high need areas that local school districts determine would be eligible for a GPA waiver.
  • Related work experience could be positions such as a teacher’s aide or a substitute teacher. These types of roles demonstrate you have a better understanding of the job requirements than those without this experience.

How to Apply for Texas Teacher Training

To submit your application, your college needs to send your official college transcripts to your alternative certification program. Once your transcript is received, the Texas Education Agency requires a detailed analysis, conducted by Teachworthy. Teachworthy does not charge an application fee. 

The goal of this analysis is to determine if you will be successful in passing the content exam in the subject area you want to teach. The assumption is that if you have 15 hours of college study in the subject, you will have enough knowledge to facilitate instruction for students in a classroom in that area. 

For subjects like High School English, Teachworthy is looking to see that you have demonstrated an understanding of literary analysis in your college coursework. For subjects like Mathematics, you are required to have some knowledge of a variety of math courses offered in a high school setting – from algebra to differential equations.

For subjects like Social Studies grades 7th-12th, you will need to know World, US and Texas History, World, US and Texas Geography, Government and Economics, among other subjects in order to pass the content test.

Programs like Teachworthy provide access to content test preparation that will prepare you to successfully pass your exams.

What Happens After I’ve Applied to a Texas Teacher Program?

Once the transcript analysis is complete, you should receive a request for an interview where your assigned program advisor will walk you through your best options. You will learn which subjects and grade-levels might work best for you and that have the most job opportunities in your region.

If you are comfortable with the process and expectations, your program advisor will send you a Certification Plan that defines all the steps you will need to complete to become a certified teacher. This will be your guide throughout your journey.

Once you accept and sign the Certification Plan and pay your $195.00 Training Enrollment Fee, you will be formally admitted. You will have testing fees required by the State Education Agency of $116 to $132 per content test you decide to take.

Content Exams and continuing your education

After you have completed your Teachworthy application, it is now up to you to study for and pass your chosen content test. Plan to study by taking practice tests and scoring above the minimum passing score before you sit for the actual exam.

When you feel you are ready, you will register to take your test. Once you receive a passing score be sure you inform your certification program right away. If you haven’t already, you should start working on your web-based interactive training modules and 30 hours of observations. 

Training to enter the classroom

Training to enter the classroom requires a minimum of 150 hours of coursework. Topics include:

  • Teachers as Leaders
  • Behavior Management
  • Curriculum & Lesson Design
  • Equity in the Classroom
  • Frameworks for Teaching
  • Reading Strategies

While training, you will need to complete 30 hours of Field Based Experiences (FBE). These experiences provide an insight into what to expect when leading a classroom. A maximum of 15 hours can be completed by viewing videos that meet certain state teacher requirements. Your certification program should provide you a list of resources that meet the standards. 

The remaining 15 hours will need to be completed on a school campus in a live classroom. 

Securing a teaching position

You are ready to secure a teaching position once you have:

  1. Passed your content exam in the subject area you want to teach;
  2. Completed your pre-service training;
  3. Completed your 30 hours of Field Based Experiences.

Programs like Teachworthy have one additional requirement: attending the research-based Capturing Kids’ Hearts 2-day live training. Over 40,000 educators attend these 2-day events each year and have seen incredible results after implementing the processes taught.

How long is the path to becoming a teacher?

The path to becoming a teacher is full of learning and development. This requires several years of education and practical experience.

To find out the timeframe of the journey towards your dream career, check out our blog: How long does it take to get a Texas teaching certificate?

Dr. Debbie Emery shares how Teachworthy guides you through the training and testing phase of becoming an incredible educator:

Watch the Video for All the Further Information You Need

At Teachworthy, we know as former educators that teachers make a huge impact on the lives of their students. We want to partner with you to ensure your success in becoming certified.

This video explains what the application process looks like with Teachworthy: