Colorado, like every other state in the country, requires teachers to have a state-issued educational license to teach in public schools. This generally involves receiving a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and completing state-approved preparation programs.

As the ensuing paragraphs will show, these things usually, but not always, happen at the same time.

 Once the educational requirements have been completed, you'll need to achieve passing scores on a standardized assessment, such as the Praxis, and be able to clear a background check. 

In this article, we take a more comprehensive look at what it takes to become a teacher in Colorado.

Overview of Typical Educational Pathways

The most common way to become a teacher is to earn a bachelor's degree in education. This is a process that will vary slightly based on your emphasis.

For example, the requirements are different for someone getting a B.S. in elementary education versus secondary education, where determining a subject area is also an important element of the process.

Regardless, the typical timeline is four years, during which time a considerable portion of your focus is geared toward general education requirements. 

During your junior and senior years, your course load will shift primarily toward education-related courses and milestones like practicum and student teaching.

The number of education-specific classes you take will vary from institute to institute, but generally comes to about 30 to 40 credit hours.

The capstone experience is student teaching, which typically takes place over 16 weeks, although some universities may require it for two semesters.

Understand that while this is the basic framework for educator credentialing, there is nuance and flexibility depending on the format that you choose.

Educational Requirements

While you will need a bachelor’s degree to become a teacher in Colorado, your degree does not necessarily need to be in education. Many people will start with one career path and then pivot into education. This is generally done with alternative licensure pathways.

Alternative licensure pathways allow you to:

• Gain your teaching license through an accelerated learning environment focused only on licensure requirements. These can generally be completed in twelve to eighteen months, depending on the program.

• Complete a certification-only program, similar to the above option, but not accelerated. This pathway essentially involves taking educationally specific classes with no need to worry about general education requirements. You can take one to two classes a semester, completing your educational requirements in two to three years, plus the time it takes to complete your student teaching requirements.

These educational options provide an element of flexibility for people who want to migrate into education but have to balance other responsibilities. 

Adjunct Teaching Authorization

In certain contexts, there is also the option of Adjunct Teaching Authorization. This is a relatively limited-scope teaching license that the state of Colorado offers. It's designed specifically for professionals with significant experience in a subject area of academic value.

For example, an engineer, an accountant, a scientist, an artist. These people are subject matter experts, but they may not have a traditional training background in education.

 Through Adjunct Teacher Authorization, an engineer can teach a high school physics class, or a professional musician can teach band or music theory.

There are a few things to understand about Adjunct Teaching Opportunities:

• They are limited in scope. You can only teach very specifically within the subject matter that you are an expert in.

• The work is part-time. Adjunct educators are usually only teaching one or two classes a week.

• A bachelor's degree is generally still required.

This option often favors people who are retired or semi-retired in their chosen field and are now simply interested in teaching as a secondary income or simply as a way of staying busy.

Do You Need a Teaching License to Work at a Private School in Colorado?

The short answer is no. Private schools in Colorado are not required to exclusively hire teachers with licenses. That said, most do.

Private schools do make hiring choices based on:

• Institutional philosophy

• Religious mission

• Staffing needs

All of that said, their students still need to learn at the highest possible level. Consequently, private school decision makers tend to follow the same hiring protocols that public schools use. 

Finding Work as a Teacher in the State of Colorado

There are hundreds of unfilled teaching positions within the state of Colorado. Once you've met all of the required qualifications, you're virtually guaranteed a position.

That said, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll find the job you're looking for right away. Many newly minted teachers are surprised to find, for example, that even though there are many job listings for educators, there are no schools within 45 minutes of their house currently looking for a high school history teacher.

Even in industries where demand is high, it can still be hard to find the job you want in a convenient location.

There are a few things you can do to make your job application more competitive. This includes:

• Writing a strong resume and cover letter. Highlighting relevant experience can go a long way toward setting your application apart. Even if you've never taught professionally before, you can still reference jobs at daycare centers, summer camps, or even church groups. Demonstrate your ability to work with children. 

• Collect good references. Don’t be afraid to ask teachers from your university, professors from your university, educators that you worked with, former teachers, or even peers for letters of recommendation. It’s the best way for teachers who have never worked in a school to stand out.

• Follow up. A respectful follow-up process can help keep you fresh in the minds of school decision makers. The search for a new teacher can sometimes last several months. Without a polite follow-up phone call, you simply won’t register as clearly in the principal’s mind when it comes time for them to make a decision.

Looking for more help? Sign up for Zen Educate to take advantage of more resources like this, and to get help finding the right placement for you.