Education Dual Certifications
- Elementary Education Plus Special Education
- Spanish Language Plus Teaching English as a Second Language
- Any Language Plus Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- Elementary Education Plus Early Childhood Education Certification
- Mathematics and Physics
If you’re interested in expanding your teaching opportunities, obtaining dual certificates in education is an excellent way to accomplish that goal. While earning dual certifications will certainly require more work, it also has the potential to open up significantly more job possibilities for you.
Recruiting and hiring teachers is an expensive endeavor for school districts. In situations where a school administrator can hire one teacher to teach two different classes instead of hiring two separate teachers, hiring just one teacher is usually the more attractive option. So it can be advantageous to obtain dual certifications in subjects that will give you the versatility to teach more than one subject in the same school system. It can also be beneficial to leverage your aptitude for a single subject such as a language to expand your options for teaching students in more than one demographic group. Let’s take a look at some of the most logical choices for dual certifications in education.
1. Elementary Education Plus Special Education
The trend towards inclusion classrooms is creating demand for talented teachers who can effectively teach children at all levels. Acquiring dual certification in both elementary education and special education is a great way to maximize your opportunities, because it gives you the credentials necessary for teaching in either inclusion classrooms or special needs classrooms.
2. Spanish Language Plus Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)
If you live in any of the states in the southwestern USA, you’ll encounter numerous Spanish speakers who want help increasing their English literacy; you’ll also encounter numerous English speakers who want to learn Spanish or improve their Spanish language skills. Your mastery of the Spanish language plus the acquisition of relevant teaching skills and credentials will allow you to get paid for helping both of these groups reach their language goals.
3. Any Language Plus Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
If you think you might like to spend an extended amount of time traveling outside the USA, it’s possible to fund your travels by teaching English. For example, you may wish to get dual certifications in Japanese and TESOL and then spend time after graduation traveling in Japan as part of the JET Program or a similar cultural exchange program. After you return to the USA, you’d be well qualified to work as a Japanese teacher, translator and interpreter.
4. Elementary Education Plus Early Childhood Education Certification
If you want to maximize your opportunities for teaching young children, you can obtain dual certifications in elementary education plus early childhood education. This will allow you to teach children of both preschool and elementary school age.
5. Mathematics and Physics – Dual Certification
Mathematics and physics are two subjects that it’s often challenging for school administrators to find qualified teachers for. If you have an aptitude for teaching these subjects to others, you’re likely to find ready employment once you obtain the necessary teaching credentials.
Related Resource: 50 Most Affordable Online Masters in Special Education Degree Programs
Dual teaching certifications are an excellent way to increase your marketability as a teacher. In many cases, dual certifications are also likely to increase your earning potential significantly. If you’re willing to make some upfront investments in your education in hopes of reaping substantial future rewards over the lifetime of your career, you’ll definitely want to consider obtaining any of these five great dual certifications in education.