So, I am finding it hard to land a job in HS/MS Social Studies. Surprise, surprise, right? I started out in the science program at my school but switched over to social studies because I enjoy it more -- but, I had a 4.0 in my science program. I have 18 science hours in undergrad, to go with 32 graduate hours in curriculum & instruction. Does anyone know how to add/what it takes to get an alternative certification in science in Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana or Tennessee? I am willing to teach in any of those five states so whichever one offers the easiest route, I will likely take it. I want to teach more than anything. Hindsight being 20/20, I never should have left my science program. I just really did not enjoy my student teaching experience in undergrad science and ended up switching. Probably the worst decision I have made. Despite having publications and a credited part in a book publication under my belt, it has proven almost impossible to find a Social Studies job and I am willing to relocate anywhere! So, any help on alternative science routes?
Hm. Do you in fact already have a teaching license, or are you going to be eligible for one on the strength of your program ? If so, chances are that the easiest route would be adding a science endorsement to the existing license. If not, lack of license could help explain why you're not finding jobs: there's an oversupply of candidates who already do possess the paperwork. In either case, to find out what's required either where you are or where you'd like to be, try Googling "___ teacher alternative certification", where the blank is filled by the state. You want the official state Web site, because most of them should spell out what's required for alternative certification. If that doesn't work, Google for the state department of education Web site, and then comb it for information about alternative certification. It might make sense first, of course, to ensure that your cover letter represents you well.
Start with those states, then, if you're interested in teaching in them. You might even start with those states if you're NOT interested in teaching with them, because (a) adding an endorsement to an existing license is USUALLY easier than getting alternative certification from scratch and (b) transferring a certification to another state is likely to involve somewhat fewer hoops, or at least less time-intensive ones, than launching one from scratch.
From what I've been able to glean from the Ohio Department of Education, getting licensed for another subject for grades 7-12 requires an additional degree. The only non-degree program endorsements you can add are Reading K-12, Intervention Specialist, or ESL/ELL and those take about a years worth of coursework to get. In Virginia, all I had to do was take the Praxis II test and *poof* I had another endorsement. When my license is up for renewal in 2016, I may go to Virginia to take the VCLA and get licensed in social studies, language arts, and maybe biology and transfer my license to Ohio.
When I went to school in Ohio, one of my advisors said I would have to get my master's in a different subject area if I wanted to get an additional 7-12 license in something different.
It appears I spoke too soon. I got a job offer this morning at one of my top five schools! I had just about given up hope. I had been on 20+ interviews and consistently saw jobs soaked up by veteran teachers. Which, hey, I get that. They have experience and a track record of results and I do not as a new teacher. However, I accepted my first job today! Phew. What a load off my shoulders. I still want to look into a Virginia license and adding a science endorsement though. That way in the future job searches will be a little easier.
