Become a Teacher in Maine

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A Teacher in Maine

Teaching in Maine Snapshot

$54,240

Secondary School Teacher Salary

$52,860

Elementary School Teacher Salary

$13,690

Public School Spending Per Student

All career and salary information pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019 pupil expenditure information was provided by Governing

MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-6600

Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Maine

Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Last update: 04/22/2020)

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Prerequisite Coursework in Maine

All states require at least a bachelor’s degree in order to teach at the elementary school level (K-8), Maine requires you to have completed an approved teacher preparation program and/or one that has included the following coursework.

  • Six semester hours in each of the following: English, mathematics, science, and social studies
  • Three semester hours in each of the following: elementary reading methods, elementary mathematics methods, elementary science methods and elementary social studies methods
  • Three semester hours in each of the following: teaching exceptional students in the regular classroom, elementary math, elementary reading, elementary science, elementary social studies, and children’s literature or elementary language arts methods or the writing process

To teach at the secondary school level (7-12), Maine requires you to have completed an approved teacher preparation program or one that has included the following coursework:

  • A minimum of 24 semester hours in the subject area you plan to teach: English, Life Science, Mathematics, Physical Science or Social Studies
  • A minimum of 3 credits each for “Teaching Exceptional Students in the Regular Classroom” and secondary methods in the desired subject area

Maine also requires a period of student teaching.

2

Maine Teacher Certification Programs

Teacher Certification Programs can be taken online or on-site. They typically include an educational theory and classroom skills seminar and a fieldwork component of student teaching in the area. A list of accredited teacher preparation programs in Maine can be found on the Maine Department of Education’s Educator Preparation Programs page.

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Required Tests for Maine

Most states require tests to show competency in basic skills as well as in the desired subject area. Maine requires the PPST (Pre Professional Skills Test) for Basic Skills, the Praxis II: Subject Tests for Subject Area competency and the PLT: Principles of Learning and Teaching.

You can learn more about the Praxis exams by visiting Teach.coms’ Ultimate Guide to the Praxis Exams and read more about teacher certification tests on Teach.com.

Initial Teaching Certifications

To earn your Maine teaching credential you will have to complete the required amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program. Learn more about getting your teaching credential at the Maine Department of Education.

Learn more about getting your teaching credential on Teach.com.

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Discover an 8-week Online Teaching Short Course from Harvard’s Bok Center

Harvard University

Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

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Higher Education Teaching Certificate

Deepen your understanding of higher-order teaching practices and broaden your skill set while creating a unique and inclusive strategy for your specific context.

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Alternative Certification in Maine

Maine does not currently offer any alternative certification programs. For more information on becoming certified in Maine, visit their Teacher Certification page.

Maine Teacher Certification Information & Links

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Transferring Your Certification

Certification Reciprocity in Maine

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 Maine, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page. For more specific questions about your situation, contact the Maine Department of Education.

To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Maine, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com

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Jobs, Benefits, and Opportunities for Teachers in Maine

Maine Teaching Jobs

Most teaching jobs in Maine are placed through Serving Schools, a site where schools can post job openings and job seekers can easily filter them. Additionally, there are a number of postings at Maine Info. With many shortages, Maine is looking for highly educated teachers to enhance their educational system.

Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.

Maine Teacher Salary and Incentives

In Maine, teachers earned an average of $53,000-$54,000 in 2018 depending on the grade level taught, according to 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Salary schedules in Maine are left up to the district.  Maine does not provide incentives for teachers in high-needs schools or shortage subject areas.

Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.

Maine Teacher Benefits and Retirement

The state of Maine offers benefits that include health care plans such as full dental plans, long-term disability, and long-care health insurance. Retirement benefits are provided via Maine’s Public Employees Retirement System. Public School teachers become vested in the state retirement system after 5 to 10 years of service (depending on plan). Teachers in Maine can retire at 60, 62 or 65, depending on which plan they’re enrolled in, as long as they have taught for at least five years and have one year of service immediately before retirement, or at any age with 25 years of service.

Learn more about benefits for teachers on Teach.com.

Maine Teacher Shortage Areas

A teacher shortage occurs when there are not enough teachers in key subject areas, which has been partly caused by years of teacher layoffs during the Great Recession, a growing student population and fewer people entering teacher preparation programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute.

The following is a list of teacher shortage areas in Maine for the 2020-21 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

  • English as a Second Language
  • Gifted/Talented
  • Art and Theatre
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Elementary Education
  • Early Childhood
  • Health and Physical Fitness
  • Mathematics
  • Special Education
  • World Languages (French, Latin, Italian, Spanish)
  • Science

Financial Aid in Maine

Maine 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 on Teach.com.

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Career Advancement

Professional Development for Maine Teachers

Maine has implemented a data and results-oriented model of professional development geared toward improving schools in the most efficient way possible. This model was originally implemented with great success in Iowa. The model attempts to unify Maine’s curriculum and instruction, staff development and the continuing changes in education. To learn more about Maine’s professional development, visit the Department of Education website.

Benefits of a Master’s Degree in Maine

It is no longer enough to only have years of experience teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, teachers are almost solely evaluated by their success in the classroom. A master’s degree in the field of education can 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 may be able to achieve better results in the classroom and have more job security and higher pay.

Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.

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Harvard University

Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

info

Higher Education Teaching Certificate

Deepen your understanding of higher-order teaching practices and broaden your skill set while creating a unique and inclusive strategy for your specific context.

infoSPONSORED

Last Updated May 2020