How to Become a Teacher in Florida

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Choose What You Want to Teach

The first question you must ask yourself is what level you see yourself teaching. Do you see yourself thriving in an elementary school environment? Would you, perhaps, enjoy teaching high school or becoming a special education teacher? This is an important question to answer before diving further into the teaching requirements in the state of Florida. Depending on which of these options you choose, there are certain steps that you must follow. The Florida Department of Education has information on students and educators in the state, which could help you make your decision.

Earn a Bachelor's in Education to Meet the Requirements for a Teaching Certificate in Florida

To become a certified educator in Florida, you must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree within a state-approved teacher education program from an accredited institution of higher education.

Complete a Teacher Preparation Program

Teacher education programs are usually comprised of two elements, college coursework and fieldwork. Candidates will take classes covering a breadth of areas, including subject-based teaching methods, differentiated instructional strategies, classroom management, technology integration, and more. The fieldwork portion of the program includes classroom observations, student teaching, and/or interning. While student teaching, candidates will take over a class under the guidance of a mentor teacher. Student teachers will prepare and implement lessons, assess student progress, monitor classroom behavior, and more. Often times, student teachers will be required to prepare a culminating portfolio.

The teacher education program must be accredited by CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation), which is a combination of two former accrediting agencies known as NCATE and TEAC. The Florida Department of Education website has a list of all of the campuses located in the state that offer teacher preparation programs that are approved. Keep in mind that you can also complete a teacher preparation program online, as long as it is accredited.

If you decide to become a teacher early on in your college career, you should be able to complete a teacher education program while fulfilling the requirements for a bachelor's degree, this is referred to as the traditional or joint pathway. However, if you already have a degree, you can participate in an alternative or post-baccalaureate teacher education program. Many institutions even offer joint Master's Degree and educator certification programs.

Alternative Teacher Certification in Florida

Florida offers several alternative pathways to professional educator certification.

Teacher Certification Reciprocity in Florida

Florida offers reciprocity for Out-of-state Teachers. There are two routes for out-of-state teachers to qualify for a Florida Professional Certificate.

Route 1: Valid Standard Certificate Issued by a State Other than Florida

The teaching certificate or licensure should be a standard or Level II certificate
The certificate cannot be expired or revoked
The subject(s) shown on the certificate must be considered comparable to those issued in Florida

Route 2: Certificate Issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

The NBPTS certificate must be current and valid
The Florida certificate will reflect the Florida subject considered comparable to the NBPTS subject.
American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE)

If you already have a bachelor's degree, another alternative pathway to licensure is through the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE). The American Board is a program that helps people become teachers in Florida. Since 2004, the Florida State Board of Education has approved the American Board as a route to full teacher certification.

College Teaching Experience

Another alternative route is through college teaching experience. If you have two (2) semesters of full-time college teaching experience and passing scores on the applicable Subject Area Examinations, you could be eligible for Florida certification.

Pass the Tests Required for Teacher Certification in Florida

The next step to becoming a certified educator in Florida is to pass the required tests. In Florida, testing is is administered through the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) or can be taken through the Praxis series of exams.

Basic Skills Test

Candidates will need to earn passing scores on the Florida General Knowledge Test, which assesses the candidates skills in basic reading, writing, and mathematics.

Professional Education Test

This test is generally made up of 120 questions focusing on general pedagogical questions.

Florida Subject Area Examinations

This test will assess the candidate's competency in the subject that they will teach. A candidate should earn a passing score on their subject tests in order to be able to apply for certification in that area.

FIND SCHOOLS

Apply for your Florida Teacher Certification

Application Requirements

When applying for certification in the state of Florida, the Department of Education will require applicants to submit the following:

Complete application form
Non-refundable processing fee
Documentation to support the application, including college transcript(s) that show completion of a bachelor's degree as well as the completion of a teacher education program
Passing examination scores
If applicable, a complete photocopy of your valid certificate/s from other state/s, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), and/or the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

Make sure that your social security number or Florida DOE# is printed legibly on all accompanying documents. Keep in mind that your application package will not be evaluated until all components are received.

Contact Information

Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines, Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Phone: (850) 245-0505

Find a Teaching Job in Florida

After completing the above steps, you will be fully prepared to find the classroom of your dreams! You will be ready to positively influence and impact Florida's future in a very significant way.

Public School Teaching Jobs

Florida's Bureau of Educator Recruitment maintains the website in order to provide assistance to educators, potential educators, and school district staff. Teaching jobs in Florida are experiencing some growth on par with national trends, especially in the areas of STEM, Special Education, and bilingual instruction.

Florida Education Association (FEA) and Florida Association of Teacher Educators (FATE)

Once hired, teachers become part of the Florida Education Association (FEA) and if interested, the Florida Association of Teacher Educators (FATE). Both of these organizations provide strong support for teachers at every level of their career and professional development.

Private School Teaching Jobs

Alternatively, teachers can pursue employment in one of Florida's 2,600 private schools, which served over 415,000 students as of 2021. Significantly more than half the schools in the state have religious affiliations; some are single-gender, and many pursue superior academic standards. Teachers in private schools may find that pension, career opportunities, and salary are much different than in the public system.

Florida Retirement System (FRS)

Finally, upon retirement, public school teachers are eligible for a monthly pension through the Florida Retirement System (FRS), as well as investment advice.

Teacher Shortage in Florida by Subjects or Discipline (2021-2022)

The following list of teacher shortage areas in Florida has been obtained from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, Teacher Shortage Area (TSA) list for the 2021-2022 school year:

General Science PreK-12
English PreK-12
Special Education, Exceptional Children PreK-12
Physical Science PreK-12
Reading PreK-12
Career and Technical Education PreK-12
Earth and Space Science PreK-12
ESOL PreK-12
Mathematics PreK-12

Number of Public and Private School Teachers By Grade

The following Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) table highlights the number of teachers in Florida in both private and public schools, by grade level, as of May 2021:

Grade Level	Number of Teachers
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	25,900
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	63,520
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	32,700
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	50,920
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	1,530
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	3,720
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	1,840
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	8,400

Continue Your Education and Professional Development

Teachers are required to engage in professional development on a regular basis throughout their career. The purpose of these activities is several fold. Professional development increases student learning, gives teachers the tools to enhance classroom instruction with subject-relevant materials, prepares students to advance academically, and to enhances a teacher's professional contributions to their school, district, and community.

Professional Development in Florida

In the state of Florida, there are standards for PD at the educator, school, and district level. Professional development offers opportunities for individual and collaborative growth. Recently, the Florida has merged the two main sources of professional learning resources - Florida School Leaders (FSL) and Start with Success (SWS) into one repository found on the redeveloped FSL site. Teachers that require access to the FSL site can access through their district portal with their individual credentials in order to inquire about further professional development opportunities.

The Benefits of Earning a Master's Degree For Certification Renewal and a Salary Increase

Becoming a Florida Certified Professional Teacher means getting into a career-long program of continuing college education. Every five years, you'll have to accumulate at least six semester hours of college credit in order to renew your certificate.

At least one of those semester hours must cover teaching students with disabilities, and the rest should be drawn from a specific list of subject areas (as noted in the link above) including, but not limited to:

Content specific to your license certificate subject coverage areas
Methods of teaching strategies specific to those subject areas
Computer literacy, applications, or educational topics
Exceptional student education
Training relating to Florida's K-20 System

Up to three of the credits can cover other subjects, unless you are renewing multiple subject coverage areas. All credits, however, must be awarded by an institution either accredited or approved by FLDOE or by ACE (the American Council on Education).

Although you are not required to use graduate-level college credits for renewals (and it is possible to find equivalencies in in-service hours, subject matter exams, or NBTS certification) there are other good reasons to do so as part of an overall plan to earn a master's degree.

A Master's in Education Earns You an Advanced Degree Supplement

The biggest benefit of using a master's to meet continuing education requirements is the potential to earn a higher salary.

In many Florida school districts, a master's in education degree results in a pay bump. For example, in the Orange County Public Schools, teachers with a master's degree earned an additional $3,405 as of the 2022-2023 school year.