I attended college in the great state of Idaho. As much as I loved it there, I knew that I didn’t want to end up living and teaching there. And since student teaching is a great way to introduce yourself to a school district and possibly get a job, I found myself asking “Can I student teach in another state?” Here is what I found:
Student Teaching Placement Process
Most colleges prefer to place teacher candidates in the same state in school districts where they have a university supervisor or placement supervisor to meet with them. You probably have a contact at your college or university who handles student teaching placements. Find out who this person is and reach out to him or her as soon as possible. If the school has a process to place you in another state, find out what you need to do.
College Transfer
If your school doesn’t have a process for out-of-state placements, talk to your university coordinator about transferring to another college for student teaching. Your school may already have a list of colleges that they can work with. If not, research universities in the state you want to teach to find out if they allow out-of-state student teachers. Together, the universities can arrange for a placement supervisor in your state of choice to meet with you and observe you on a regular basis.
Teaching Requirements
Before considering whether or not you can student teach in another state, find out what the requirements are for getting your teaching license in that state. Maybe the state that you’re studying in requires the Praxis, but the state you want to teach in may require a totally different exam. If this is the case, you need to complete the other exam before you can teach in that state. Research the requirements that you need to meet for student teaching in that state, so you can be sure that you’re well-qualified to teach in that state.
There are a lot of benefits to student teaching in the state in which you hope to teach. Also, many teacher candidates prefer to move in with friends or family while completing student teaching to save money. Whatever the reason for student teaching in another state, you need to start the process as soon as possible. Reach out to the person in charge of student teaching placements. Let them know where you would like to teach, and find out what you can do to make it happen.
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