Career switch to teaching - any advice about credentialing?

To get your teaching credentials while you’re in NY, I’d suggest you’d start here:
NYS ED Office of Teaching Initiatives

Since California is your plan A, I’d suggest you’d go here next:
CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing

Hope this helps!

Have you considered teaching in an Independent Day School? You have all the credentials to teach in one of them; they do not require state certification.

National Association of Independent Schools

Known in the trade as En Aye Eye Ess.

I switchrd careers in my 40’s and here’s how it went. I applied to a credential program at SFSU. I was going for a single subject credential and the ed prof found my coursework lacked one class which I completed in Sp 1990. In addition a prerequisite was 45 hoirs as a school volunteer to make sure you really understand what is going on in the classroom. I passed the required CBEST and started the 2 semester, 32 unit program in Fall 1990.

The first semester consisted of pedagogy classes and 10–15 hre/wk obseving possible master teachers. The second semester was student teaching 2 classes with different subjects and a 4 hr weekly seminar. Upon receiving recommendations by the seminar leader and master teachers, you apply for a credential.

Since science and math teachers are in short supply, I have seen them given paid full time jobs instead of student teachers. It may seem tempting but generally these scools are lower performing and harder to staff. The pedagogy classes still have to be completed in the evenings.

The next question is where in the state will you be. One of my colleagus left a job in SF and decided to go to LA. As a bilingual Latino with great references he thought he would have no problem. He couldn’t even get an interview, LAUSD had laid off thousands of teachers in 06/07 and they have priority in hiring. While there are budget difficulties all over the state, it seems more of us are aging out in the north.

Remember it’s about 40% knowledge of your subject and 60% how well you convey that knowledge.

Here in Texas there are a bunch of programs that are designed to credential folks with other degrees so they can teach high school math and science and special ed. However, some programs are much more demanding than others.

My SIL (PhD, Physics) recently spent the summer getting credentialed to teach, and is now teaching math in a local high school. She didn’t really have any requirement for student teaching at all, but had to “audition” by teaching something to the folks who were interviewing new teachers. In her case, the school wanted her on staff so badly that when one teacher pulled seniority, and another decided not to retire after all, the school still found a slot for her, teaching Geometry, so they can shift her to the other subjects when the come available.

Yes, the main thrust is for getting teachers into lower-performing schools, but that is what she wanted to do and she loves it.

However, a friend of mine enrolled in a different credentialing program. He completed the main part of the program but failed the student teaching portion primarily due to school politics, which can be truly wicked. He ended up quitting in disgust, which is exactly what the poo-poo heads at that school wanted.

Carefully pick your credentialing program, and research the district in which you want to teach before you embark on anything. If the district in question is willing to take you on as a sub, you might do that for a while to see if you like the way they run their schools. That also gives you a chance to make valuable contacts.

I have this rusian friend who teache at school in england and she love her job.So twiste it.Spear lot of time for your self to be just you than you can get that gol.Be focused.

@pathfinder: I am really happy to start my day with one of your answers. Where have you been? (Psst. You forgot to mispell “focused.” Remember, eternal vigilance.)