Become a Teacher

Your journey to becoming a teacher in Washington includes choosing a pathway, picking a program, and earning a residency certificate. Learn more about these steps below.

Choose your pathway

One of the first steps on your journey to becoming a teacher is to decide what pathway you want to take towards earning your certificate. Whether you’re a high school student, a college graduate, a certified teacher from out-of-state, returning to the classroom, or somewhere in between, there is a pathway for you.

Explore pathways.

Find your preparation program

Once you determine what pathway will best support your unique learning needs, you can identify which Washington educator preparation program might be the best fit. You’ll want to consider and compare programs for cost, location, and routes offered.

Explore programs.

Learn about certification

The process to becoming certified involves several steps. On this journey, you can expect to encounter specific program requirements, various assessments, student teaching, applications to fill out, background checks and more. But don’t worry, there are a variety of resources and supports to help every step of the way – including us!

Explore certification.

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Washington offers a variety of diverse and desirable regions. Where will you teach?

Explore Washington’s regions