Career Field - Education

At present, there is no education major in the state of California. This means that you must obtain an academic bachelor's degree and then go to a graduate teacher training program to earn your teaching credential. If you wish to teach in an independent, or private, school you may be able to do so without a credential. See Is it possible to teach without a credential? below.

There are two basic credentials: the multiple subject credential and the single subject credential. For the multiple subject credential you can major in any subject. For the single subject credential you should major in the subject area you wish to teach. There are, of course, exceptions (e.g., if you want to teach math, you might be able to do so with a science major). For more information about these credentials, please see Where can I find information on credentials and teacher training programs? below.

There are several exams you will need to take in order to be admitted to a teacher training program, to a district or college internship program, or to teach in any capacity in a California public classroom. The first and foremost is the CBEST, or California Basic Educational Skills Test. Test bulletins are available at the Career Center, at 1600 Tolman Hall, and at the CBEST website. This exam is required for employment as a teacher, substitute teacher or intern in a California public school, and should be taken as early as possible in the junior or senior year.

There are also subject exams that must be passed as a prerequisite for teacher preparation and internship programs. These include the Praxis and the MSAT (Multiple Subjects Assessment for Teachers) for elementary-bound teachers, or the Praxis and the SSAT (Single Subject Assessments for Teaching) for those wishing to teach in a particular subject area. Check the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) website for examination information and links to the test bulletins.

In California, the appropriate credential to teach in an elementary school setting is the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. This credential authorizes public school teaching in a self-contained classroom in preschool, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, and classes organized primarily for adults. A self-contained classroom is most often found at the elementary school level.

In California, the appropriate credential to teach a special subject in a departmentalized classroom, such as Math or English at the middle school or high school level, is the Single Subject Teaching Credential. This credential authorizes public school teaching in a departmentalized classroom in preschool, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, and classes organized primarily for adults.

The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education offers Credential Information Seminars throughout the year, covering the credentialing process in California, examination requirements, the teacher job market/salaries, and other useful information. The seminars are free of charge and open to the public. To sign up, please call (510) 642-5345.

You will also find information on credentials and on teacher preparation programs in the Career Center Information Lab, Room 212, 2111 Bancroft Way, in the Education section of our collection. There is also good information on these subjects on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) website and on the CalTeach website.

N.B. The California legislature recently passed a Senate Bill that will radically change the way teachers are prepared in this state. Check the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) website frequently for updates on this legislation. Two other good websites for this kind of information are the California Center for Teaching Careers, or CalTeach, and the Resources for Job Seekers and Employers page of The National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education.

You need subject authorization for each subject you want to teach, and you can qualify for that authorization either through course work or passage of the SSAT in each subject. A credential can have several subject authorizations. See the CTC website for details.

If you are in a teacher preparation program, you don't need to take additional education courses or extend your studies beyond what is required for a single subject. Many people graduate from these programs with additional credential authorizations by qualifying through either exams or coursework, and by student teaching in each of the subject areas they wish to teach. Check with the credential analyst at your college or university to see what you must do to qualify for additional subject authorizations.

Substitute teaching is a good way to learn the differences between elementary and secondary teaching, to find out about school districts and the individual schools within a district, and to determine if teaching is really what you want to do. You might be called to substitute in a kindergarten class one day, a 7th grade math class the next day, and a 12th grade English class the next. If you work in a large district you will probably be offered work just about every day during the academic year.

To substitute teach in a public school in California, you must have completed 90 semester undergraduate college units and be enrolled full-time in a college/university-or have a bachelor's degree--and have taken and passed the CBEST exam. These are the state's minimum qualifications-individual school districts may impose stricter requirements (e.g., bachelors + CBEST, or even a credential).

Once you have passed the CBEST and have met the coursework requirement, you can approach a school district where you would like to substitute teach. Bring proof of passing CBEST and completion of at least 90 units to the district office and tell them you would like to be a substitute teacher in their district. They will initiate the process to get you an emergency substitute credential. Expect to be fingerprinted, as everyone who works in a public school in California - even the custodian - must have fingerprint clearance. You will need to repeat this process for each school district in which you would like to work.

There are two basic types of jobs teaching English abroad-teaching in an academic school and teaching in a conversation school. To teach in an academic setting you generally need a credential, an advanced degree, or connections. To teach in a conversation school you need none of these, but such schools might require a Cambridge ESL Certificate. Generally speaking, a Cambridge Certificate is better than no certificate. You will find information about schools in the Bay Area offering the Cambridge Certificate in the "Teaching Abroad" binder in the Education collection at the Career Center. However, there are many opportunities-especially in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China-to teach in a conversation school with only a bachelor's degree and a strong desire to live in that country.

Several agencies place ESL teachers abroad, and there is information about them in the Career Center Information Lab in the "Teaching Abroad" binder in the Education section. You will also find a binder of past teaching abroad job listings and information about recruitment fairs in the Career Center collection, as well as directories of schools overseas and ESL training programs. Our website also contains information about teaching abroad in the International Careers section, and links to international job listing sites recommended by our staff.

Many people find jobs teaching English abroad simply by knowing the school cycle in a particular country, getting on a plane, and going there. They are then "in the right place at the right time" to take advantage of any positions that might occur just before school begins. Remember - a school official must think to send a listing to us or to one of the agencies in order for it to appear in our jobs data base. Many schools would simply never think to do this, and you could only learn about the school or its needs if you were there.

The field of education is a broad one and encompasses many different types of jobs and organizations. Public and private schools employ lawyers, psychologists, counselors, principals/directors, administrators and curriculum specialists, among others. Many non-profit organizations have education departments and do educational outreach into the community (the San Francisco Opera (choose "Education Programs"), Oakland Museum of California, and the Lawrence Hall of Science, for example), and some fund education projects and research. There are educational research organizations like WestEd or Education Resource Organizations Directory, the Rand Corporation, or the Carnegie Foundation. The State of California and the federal government hire education analysts. There are education technology and media specialists. Colleges and universities hire student services personnel, administrators, and program directors. Public television stations provide educational opportunities. You can even write about education for a newspaper, magazine or journal, or work for a textbook publisher.

Several of these opportunities require an advanced degree in Education--an MA, PhD, or EdD-or a special credential (Pupil Personnel Services, Librarian, School Psychologist), but many do not. Examples of these, and other, education jobs can be found in the "Education Related/Higher Ed/Beyond Teaching" binder in the Career Center Information Lab.