How to become a teacher in North Carolina

Becoming a teacher in North Carolina typically requires you to earn a bachelor's degree and complete a teacher preparation program to secure state licensure. Continue reading to learn how to become a teacher and the steps you can take to build your teaching career in North Carolina.

What does a teacher do?

As a teacher in North Carolina, your role is to educate students in a specific subject area. Depending on your expertise, you can work with different age groups, such as early childhood or elementary education, and teach a variety of subjects, such as English or science.

A teacher leverages strong communication and leadership skills to manage a classroom and utilizes excellent organization and time management abilities to develop lesson plans.

Steps to become a teacher in North Carolina

If you're interested in being a licensed teacher in North Carolina, you typically begin by earning a bachelor's degree. You also have to fulfill the requirements of an approved educator preparation program and pass exams to qualify for your license. Keep reading for additional information.

Step 1: Earn a college degree to qualify for teaching licensure

If you want to be a professional educator in North Carolina, you need to start by earning a bachelor's degree in education, or a related field, from an accredited university. You'll need a GPA of at least 2.70 to qualify for teacher licensure in North Carolina.

Your bachelor's degree can focus on various areas, including:

• Early childhood education
• Elementary education
• Middle school education
• High school education

You typically need a master's degree in education for postsecondary or higher teaching positions.

Step 2: Enroll in an approved teacher preparation program

Teaching in North Carolina also requires you to complete an approved educator preparation program. Many schools integrate teacher preparation into a bachelor's in teaching program. In this program, you'll develop your teaching skills and gain hands-on experience and knowledge in your subject area and grade level.

You'll also need to develop a portfolio that shows your teaching skills and abilities. This is often something you can do as part of your educator preparation program.

Step 3: Take the required Praxis certification exams

Next, you must pass the Praxis certification exams in your grade level and subject area, such as the Praxis II tests for middle, secondary, and kindergarten through 12th grades.

The scores required to pass your specific licensure exam and become a teacher in North Carolina vary, so be sure to research what you need for your teaching program.

Step 4: Obtain your teaching license from the state of North Carolina

Upon meeting the above requirements, you can apply for your state teaching license in North Carolina. Your school and educator preparation program will likely have to verify your eligibility and confirm that you meet all the necessary criteria.

You must submit various materials to the state of North Carolina to obtain your licensure, including:

• A complete application form
• A teaching license application fee
• Your official transcripts
• Your official test scores

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