Requirements

Florida offers two types of educator certificates: temporary and professional. 

• Temporary certificates - valid for three years and are not renewable.
• Professional certificates - valid for five years and are renewable.

Both certificate types require the candidate to hold at least a bachelor’s degree and be able to demonstrate mastery of subject area knowledge.

If you are already certified to teach in another state, you may submit your information to the Florida Department of Education, which offers reciprocity with 47 other states.

Jacksonville corps members receive a three-year non-renewable temporary certificate. In order to qualify for the temporary certificate and be hirable by the first day of school, all corps members are required to:

• Pass a Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) Subject Area Exam prior to their first day of teaching
• Provide an official copy of their degree-conferred transcript from ana accredited college or university
• Pay a $75 fee to the Florida Department of Education for each subject area certification applied for

Maintaining Your Certificate

• Pass the Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE) General Knowledge Test by the end of your first year teaching.

Obtaining a Professional Certificate

• Enroll in an alternative certification program and pass the Professional Education Test (PEd) by the end of their third year. 
• Additional routes can be found on the Florida state certification page

Where can I get information about the certification examinations?

Visit the FLDOE website.

Master's Degree Option

Teach for America Central Florida corps members are not required to attend a graduate program during their two-year commitment. However, many of our corps members choose to take advantage of these partnership opportunities:

• Johns Hopkins University’s online master of science in education program (includes nine free credits for your Teach For America summer institute experience)

Estimated Costs

• Test registration costs: $400
• You may be able to offset ongoing costs should you pursue your Professional Certification with an AmeriCorps Education Award.

Teach For America Training 

All Teach For America Corps Members will engage in Pre-Service Training the summer before the start of the school year. Incoming Corps Members can expect Pre-Service to have some virtual and in-person components; more information to come. Once back in your region, there will be ongoing and targeted leadership development provided by the regional staff.