You must hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed a teacher education course. For those who are able to fill Montana’s urgent teacher shortage, teaching certification may be simplified in Montana.
Montana Teacher Certification Requirements
You must have a bachelor’s degree to become a Montana teacher. A professional educator preparation course must be completed by you from an accredited state-accredited higher education institution. You must also have your area of concentrated study approved by Montana for endorsement. You must then successfully complete a course in supervised teaching. This requirement may be fulfilled as part of an educator preparation program or as a one year course of teaching experience at a state-accredited elementary and secondary school.
You may be eligible for teaching certification in Montana if you have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. If you meet certain requirements, you may be eligible to receive an alternative teaching certificate.
Additional requirements to be certified as a teacher in Montana include submitting fingerprinting and agreeing to the Professional Educators of Montana Code of Ethics. Candidates will need to complete a form detailing their teaching experience and citing academic or personal references. Your license will remain valid for five year after you have earned it, except for Class Five alternative licenses. These licenses are only valid for three year. You will need to submit to a background check and fingerprinting at the Montana Department of Justice if your license is revoked.
Montana job openings for teachers licensed
There are several levels of teaching certification in Montana. Most common is either the Class Two or Standard license. This license is for teachers who want to teach at the elementary and secondary levels. It also applies to teachers who plan to teach technical and career education. Teachers who have a Master’s degree and have at least three years teaching experience under a Class 2 license will be granted a Class One, or Pro license. Others certificates are for career and technical educators and Native American language and cultural educators. They also provide certifications for college instructors who offer dual-credit classes to high school students.
You may be eligible to defer or cancel student loans if you intend to teach in a subject that is designated as a Teacher Shortage Area by the U.S. Department of Education. For the 2015-2016 schoolyear, these TSAs were approved in Montana:
- Art
- Career and Technical Education
- English
- Library
- Mathematics
- Music
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologist
- World Languages
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education has a complete and up-to-date list of TSAs per state.
Montana teaching license reciprocity
The Montana Office of Public Instruction states that Montana has no reciprocity with any other state regarding teacher licensure. All teachers must apply to Montana.
Montana is however a member of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. If you apply for a teaching license in a state by using an existing license from another state, the “destination” state will recognize your credentials to verify that you are qualified to teach. Before you can teach in that state, you must meet all requirements.
The NASDTEC Interstate Agreement for Educator Licensure often expedites your goal to teach in your new state.