Are Alternative Licenses of limited value in the long term?

I have an Alternative License to teach. It expires in 10 years, but is renewable. I was inquiring with a WGU recruiter about some of their teacher programs, and they tried to talk me into doing their license program, so that I have a "legitimate" license. They said the job market can change, and they have a lot of people applying to their program who were working as a teacher on an Alternative License and were forced to get a license from WGU to keep their jobs. They also warned that Alternative Licenses cannot transfer to other states. Is there any truth to any of this? I have never heard of any of this before. The principal at my school even has an Alternative License, so I am skeptical of what they were saying.

 

I don't know if this helps:

https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/reciprocity/

I would contact some education authorities in your state about this, and the state you plan to go if you ever want to make a move.

 

I think if I move to a state, my 4 years of experience will mean reciprocity in almost every state. They told me some employers changed the requirements while people worked there. Have you heard of that?

 

This one is tough because it's likely state specific. Best you can do is contact the state ED/licensing department of the state you're planning to move to.

 

I'm unsure what you mean. I know that there are alternative routes to teaching licensure but I was under the impression that the actual license is the same. It's just the route that is "non-traditional." Is that what you mean or are you referring to something else completely?

https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/alternative/

 

Which state are you in? My state doesn't have alternative licenses. Those who complete an alternative teacher certification program earn a temporary license. After teaching for one year on the temporary license, they receive a full license that's the same as the license earned through the traditional route.

 

+1

 

No matter what you have or where you live, the last person you should ever get state licensing and career information from is a sales rep from a college (aka admissions).

 

In my state, in the area of teacher certification, there is no such thing as an alternative license.
You must earn a teaching credential that is required for teaching jobs in all public schools.
You can have an emergency teaching credential for long term or short term substitute teacher or a substitute teacher permit.

Private schools don't require licensure, certification, credential but they pay much less and still, a priority can be given to candidates with teaching credentials.
In such schools, teachers that are not certified may hold advanced degrees from respected universities, etc.

Basically, for your job security, it will make you more employable teacher if you get certified in your state. Some universities offer combined
Teacher certification and a master's degree in education. Be ready todo unpaid student teaching for 4 to 6 months.
Some schools offer paid internships with some conditions.

 

Late to the party here, but I teach an Intro to Teaching course in Virginia. Licensure is set by the state, as Education is primarily a domain of the state government rather than federal. That being said, each state can set up its own rules about what is needed for licensure. For example, in Virginia there are various routes to licensure, but the candidate must complete the same type of coursework (Education Foundations, Human Growth & Development, Curriculum & Instruction, Content Area Reading, and Classroom Management). If completing a teacher education program through a school, the program will include student teaching. Alternatively, if one is hired by a school under a provisional license, he or she will have about three years to complete the licensure coursework, and his time teaching counts as student teaching. I began under a provisional license and completed everything my first year.

I hold a postgraduate professional teaching license in Virginia. That basically means I have a graduate degree. We also have a collegiate professional license which is for those with only undergrad degrees. Those licenses are for traditional academic subjects. There are also vocational licenses for folks who teach things like Home Economics or Career & Technical Education. These licenses do not require the same level of coursework as a collegiate professional or postgraduate professional license. In addition, those licenses can be earned by individuals with less than a bachelor's degree. That being said, each of these licenses is a licenses in its own right. There's not an "alternative" license in Virginia, just alternative paths to licensure.

As Jenn said, don't go by what WGU is telling you. You school division should have someone responsible for licenses, and that person should be your go to source of information. It seems like the WGU folks may be thinking of Provisional Licensure, which does put people at risk for losing their jobs if they cannot fulfill the full licensure requirements.