The licensure and certification process begins from the moment you confirm your offer and will continue throughout your 2 year corps experience. You don't need to know it all now, but it is important to keep in mind this is an evolving process that you will engage with ongoing. To see a "birds-eye view" of each phase click <HERE> or visit the "Process and Timeline" section under the licensure tab above.

Familiarizing yourself with this section of the hub is one of the best levers to navigating licensure during onboarding successfully. Make sure you block out time to explore this site and internalize what/where all of the different resources are. Pro tip: The testing guides are key! You should be looking at those regularly so download them or bookmark that section of the hub! 

We work with Erikson, Relay and Calumet College of St. Joseph. Depending on where you are hired (and your certification area) you will attend 1 of these 3 partners. Although you won't begin to engage significantly with your University Partner until the Spring it is important to develop an understanding of who they are now. They will ultimately entitle you for your teaching license and work with you over your two years to ensure you remain eligible to teach in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Getting to know them now helps set you up for success long-term. You can find more information about each of our partners under the Licensure tab beginning in December 2016. 

Managing this process means working with State Boards of Education and large government bodies, that means things may take time and you may find yourself working through many small steps (sometimes more than once). You can expect your experience with licensure to ebb and flow, know that the Onboarding Team is here for you along the way! 

Achieving your license is empowering, yes, but also there are a lot of things to keep track of and testing can be tough. It is totally ok to ask for help! We (the Onboarding Team) know how much you are balancing and want to be present for you to help scaffold this process and provide support! Reach out to us at chicago.onboarding@teachforamerica.org if you have questions or want to set up time to talk.