Become a Teacher in Florida
Florida Department of Education
http://www.fldoe.org/Turlington Building, Suite 1514 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399
(850) 245-0505
Florida highlights
Become a teacher in Florida
Florida Teacher Shortage areas
Earn Your Florida Teaching Credential
To become certified as a teacher in Florida, you will need to complete the appropriate number of college credit hours, a teacher preparation course, and the standardized tests specified below. If you have a teaching credential from another state, you may be able to use an interstate reciprocity program to become certified in Florida. Learn more here about getting your Teaching Credential in Florida.
Florida offers two levels of certification: a Temporary certificate for beginning teachers and a Professional certificate for teachers who have met additional competency requirements.
Learn more about getting your teaching credential.
Return to the topPrerequisite Coursework in Florida
All states require that certified teachers at a minimum have a Bachelor’s degree. Additionally, some states have certification credit hour requirements for in specialty areas. Florida has diverse coursework requirements, with different prerequisite coursework for over 40 different subjects . Although there are more detailed specifications listed on the site, Florida requires a major in elementary education or 30 semester hours in Elementary Education related-coursework to work as an Elementary School teacher, and a major or 30 semester hours in the desired subject area for Secondary Education. Visit the subject page for more specific requirements. A passing score on the Florida Subject Area Subject Examination or a valid American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) certificate can suffice in place of the specified coursework. There are a number of ways to move from a Temporary to a Professional Certificate, most of which involve additional courses from a teacher preparation program. For more information about prerequisite coursework to teach in florida, click here.
Return to the topRequired Tests for Florida
Certification testing in Florida is run by FTCE (Florida Teacher Certification Examinations). Teachers are required to complete the Florida General Knowledge Test and the Florida Subject Area Examinations. Applicants for the Professional Certificate may need to take the FTCE Professional Education Test.
Read more about teacher certification tests.
Florida Teacher Certification
To earn your teaching credential you will have to complete the appropriate amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program. A list of accredited teacher preparation programs in Florida can be found here.
Return to the topAlternate Teacher Certification in Florida
Anyone with a bachelor’s degree in the state is eligible for the Florida Alternative Teacher Certification Program. This program provides certification through a combination of on-the-job training and a support system that includes an online curriculum, peer-to-peer mentoring and “survival instruction” in effective teaching and classroom management techniques. The program involves four levels of assessment to determine a trainee’s mastery of the required competencies. The trainee’s support team will include a building-level administrator who will verify that competencies are being put into practice. The team must also include an outside educator, either from the school district or a university program, as a “collaborative partner.” You must obtain a temporary teaching certificate and secure employment with a school district in order to be eligible for the alternative certification program. The process for temporary certification can be started here.
Educator Preparation Institutes (EPIs), offered by many community and state colleges, are another alternative route for mid-career professionals or non-education majors. The EPI program requires completion of seven courses and two field experiences for a total of 21 credits.
Additionally, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence has an online program that can lead to a temporary teaching certificate in Florida.
The Troops to Teachers program helps members of the military transition to a teaching career. In order to participate, you must have or earn a four-year college degree. Participants can receive a stipend to cover certification expenses if they teach in a high-needs school or in a district where a high percentage of students live below the poverty level.
Return to the topCertification Reciprocity in Florida
Interstate reciprocity is a program that allows teachers certified in one state to teach in another state. To find out which other state teaching licenses can be used in Florida, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page . Or, for more specific questions about your situation, contact the Florida Department of Education.
Return to the topBenefits of a Master’s in Education in Florida
It is no longer enough to just have years of experience for teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, the careers of teachers increasingly depend on their results in the classroom. A Master’s in Teaching will give you more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as more hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor. After a Master’s program, you will be able to achieve better results in the classroom and have more job security and higher pay.
A Master’s degree generally leads to a pay increase, although the increase in pay varies by school district. This table of Average Teacher Salaries by Degree Level for Florida school districts shows teachers holding a Master’s earning $2,000 -- $8,000 more than teachers with a Bachelor’s degree.
Learn more about the Benefits of a Master's in Education.
Return to the topMasters in Education Financial Aid
Florida residents are eligible for the Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship as well as the TEACH Grant, a grant which gives financial aid to students in return for an agreement to teach in a high-need school.
Learn more about how to finance your Master's degree.
Return to the topFlorida Teacher Salary and Incentives
The average teacher in Florida makes $51, 230 per year, which is 133% of the state average income. Florida provides differential pay as an incentive to get teachers into high needs schools and shortage subjects. Florida teacher salaries vary by school district. To get a better idea of what pay is like in each school district, click here.
Learn more about teacher salaries.
Return to the topFlorida Teacher Benefits and Retirement
Teacher retirement benefits are provided via the Florida Retirement System. Florida teachers can retire with full benefits at age 65 after at least 6 years of service, or at any age after 33 years of service.
Florida’s benefits differ from district to district, so contact your district representative to learn more.
Learn more about benefits for teachers.
Return to the topProfessional Development for Teachers in Florida
School Principals establish the guidelines for Florida’s professional development. However, there are a few statewide rules that each principal must abide by that are outlined in the Florida Professional Outline Evaluation Protocol. Florida aims to analyze student achievement and link this achievement to teacher quality. Florida has some limited induction policies to provide professional development and mentoring to new teachers. Links to Department of Education professional development and support resources can be found here.
Return to the topFlorida Teaching Jobs
The ‘Recruitment’ section of TeachInFlorida.com compiles job postings and teaching job initiatives such as the Troops to Teachers program for returning military personnel.
Learn more about finding a teaching job.
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