Get Your North Carolina Teaching Certification
Becoming a teacher in North Carolina is an easy process. The most direct way to do so is to attend and graduate from an accredited college or university with a state-approved teacher preparation program. Your program will recommend you for licensure with the state after you have completed your education. If you earned your degree and attended a teacher preparation program in another state, you can receive licensure if you meet the federal standards for a "highly qualified" teacher.
If you finished school in North Carolina, your recommendation begins the licensure process that will result in a Standard Professional 1 License that is valid for three years. You will need to supply official transcripts and complete any application forms required. The qualifications for teachers with 0-2 years of experience are currently undergoing review by the state and are not currently available.
After receiving your license to teach in North Carolina, you will want to find a teaching position. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools lead all other urban districts in the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress and touts many awards for the schools in this high-achieving district. Wake County Public School System in Raleigh offers a number of innovative programs such as Montessori, Creative Arts and Sciences, and Active Learning and Technology. Also, due to recent rapid growth, 49 of the 156 school are year-round programs. Guilford County Schools in Greensboro offers the highest starting salary for first-year teachers in the state. This district also offers a strong community bond with a strong volunteer program in the schools. Durham Public Schools offers a wide range of initiatives and programs to enhance teaching and learning within the district.
Once you have taught in North Carolina for three years with your Standard Professional 1 License, you will need to obtain your Standard Professional 2 License. This license is valid for five years and renewable with 10 semester hours of college credit (or the equivalent) each five-year period. There are some specific types of professional development required dependent on your area of specialty.
