Becoming Certified to Teach

New York City corps members can gain an Initial New York State teaching certificate at the end of their two-year commitment by meeting additional certification requirements and by being nominated by their graduate school partner.

Requirements

New York City corps members are certified to teach under a New York State Transitional B license, which requires you to be enrolled in a master’s degree program throughout your two years as a corps member. In order to qualify for the Transitional B certificate, all corps members are required to:

• Pass three initial New York State Teaching Certification Exam(s) for their license area
• Pass three New York State teaching workshops
• Pass background checks through city and state fingerprinting
• Complete an online application
• Enroll in and maintain good academic standing in their master’s certification program as assigned by Teach For America 

Master's Degree Requirement

New York State requires all teachers to have or be in the process of obtaining a master’s degree in education/teaching. All New York City corps members must be enrolled in a master’s certification program throughout their two years of teaching with our regional university partner. Our university partnership is with Relay Graduate School of Education.

Program Costs

New York City corps member receive a discount on tuition for their master’s programs. Corps members who are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps stipend can expect to pay about $6,700 out-of-pocket over the course of their two years as a corps member.