Alternative Teaching Certification: Start Your Teaching Career

Washington and many other states throughout the nation desperately need teachers.

“In the last five years, the demand for new teachers in Washington’s elementary, middle and high schools increased by 250 percent,” according to John Higgins, education reporter for The Seattle Times.

The need for teachers presents the perfect opportunity for individuals who have wanted to pursue a career in education to do so.

Certification in Less Time

City University of Seattle’s alternative teaching certification programs offer ways for motivated individuals who have prior experience to finish their studies and progress from student to teacher in one year.

Depending on their circumstances, there are four routes students can take in this flexible and affordable program.

• Route one is for students who are employed by school districts as classified instructional employees or are paraprofessionals who have associate degrees.
• Route two is for students who have bachelor’s degrees and are currently employed by school districts.
• Route three is for students who have bachelor’s degrees and are not employed by school districts but have documented career expertise in subject matter shortage areas such as special education, English language or math.
• Route four is for students with bachelor’s degrees who are employed by school districts at the time of application and hold conditional teaching or emergency substitute certificates.

Preparing for the Future

Students in our alternative teaching certification programs complete:

• An intensive summer teaching academy
• Four in-class Saturday courses per quarter
• A mentored internship program in a school district
• Preparation for the edTPA exam

These programs prepare students to teach and create curricula for shortage areas, which helps meet the growing needs of school districts. This training also better prepares participants for finding jobs in their chosen professions.

Our alternative teaching certification programs begin each summer. The process for acceptance and enrollment into the program can take several months, so now is the perfect time to start. Contact us to learn how you could begin contributing to a brighter future for children in western Washington and beyond.