Next Career Move: Teaching
Supporting Federal Employees in Shifting to New Roles in Education
Here in the DC metro area, the impact of the current changes in the federal government is felt acutely. Nearly everyone knows someone who has lost a job recently. Local governments and school districts have begun to advertise that former public servants can find job opportunities in their organizations. Some local governments plan to consider hiring preferences for displaced federal workers.
Inspired by an economist who expressed interest in teaching middle school math, here is some information about options if you are interested in pursuing teaching as a second career and live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia — or know someone who may be interested in this pathway. If you are a former public servant in another part of the country, the general tips below will also be applicable.
To Attract Talent: Make It Easy!
But first: if you are a school district — or another organization seeking to capitalize on newly available talent — make it easy to find opportunities. Some tips:
Provide specifics. Can someone easily find information about what options there are for those switching fields on your website? Develop a landing page on your website specifically for career changers that specifically indicates the time frame and cost for programs and any clear prerequisites (e.g. BA in a specific field). Review how many clicks it takes to get to information for career-changers from your main site. See if there are ways to make this information easier to find. Clean up outdated information.
Be expansive. Link to other options that may be of interest, such as substitute teaching and district-based roles in areas such as federal grants management, operations, data, and finance.
Consider interactive approaches. Offer webinars or career fairs specifically targeted at federal career changers, to help them understand the process, discuss the skills you are seeking, and address questions.
Tips for Feds Interested in Teaching and K12 Education-Focused Roles
Find career-changer programs. These typically offer options for a quicker route to the classroom. Often these programs are called alternative certification programs. Such programs offer a way to start teaching while completing requirements, as opposed to a traditional program that would offer coursework and then allow for a full-time role.
Consider substitute teaching. This role provides a way to learn more about the school environment, get connected with local opportunities, and discern if teaching could be a good fit. Plus there tends to be strong demand for substitutes.
Look beyond teaching. Other roles in schools, local education agencies (LEAs), and state education agencies might be a good fit — including policy, data, and compliance-focused roles.
Local Pathways to Teaching
DC Options
City Teaching Alliance: Earn a master’s degree at American University and earn dual certification in early elementary, secondary English, or secondary math, and special education. A one-year paid residency is followed by a full-time teaching position in the second year of the program. Partnerships with DC Public Schools and numerous other public local education agencies (LEAs). Applications for the 2025 cohort are open now.
Howard University Teacher Residency Program: Earn teacher certification in DC and a Master’s degree in special education. Receive a tuition discount and stipend for living or education expenses. Placement in a DC public school. Has a particular focus on individuals with STEM backgrounds.
Maryland Options
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery College and Montgomery Public Schools offer the Alternative Certification for Effective Teachers program. This program allows professionals with a Bachelor’s degree to become teachers in subjects such as math, science, languages, and technology. The program includes a 10-12 week cohort process, six-week teaching internship, and a one-year supervised teaching residency that includes full pay and benefits.
Prince George’s County Public Schools
The Resident Teacher Program provides an opportunity for those with a college degree to transition into teaching through pre-employment training, an internship during the first 100 days of the school year, and then a two-year residency with coaching support, culminating in a Maryland Professional License.
Virginia Options
If you have a bachelor’s degree, you can obtain a Virginia teacher license within one year while you are also working as a classroom teacher through iteach, a self-paced online teacher preparation program.
Arlington Public Schools also has a helpful graphic under “Interested in Becoming a Teacher? Sign up for our Teacher Pathways Information Session” that shows other possible pathways, including serving as a long-term substitute while the meeting provisional license eligibility requirement and becoming an instructional assistant and participating in a partially funded scholarship reimbursement program to become licensed to teach. (Note to someone at APS: the link to the sign up for the next Teaching in Arlington Pathways Session leads you to a page that indicates that the RSVP form is no longer accepting responses, so someone may wish to update this website language.)
Fairfax County Public Schools has a specific page for professionals transitioning from federal and state government roles into public education. The options offered include iteach, the Virginia Department of Education Career Switcher Program and Troops to Teachers.
Bonus: Researchers
Wouldn’t it be great if researchers positioned themselves now to be able to study the impact of public servants transitioning into teaching roles or other roles in K12 education? The broader question of what happens to talent coming from former federal roles also is an interesting one. There is a lot to research, document, and preserve at this time, but understanding the talent in the federal workforce and where it goes could be valuable.