If you are a teacher moving to Texas from Indiana, you might be wondering whether you can continue to teach in Texas. The short answer is yes. You can teach in Texas with an Indiana certification.

Moving from one state to another state does not hamper your ability to find employment as a teacher. Qualified teachers are always in huge demand everywhere, and Texas is no different. However, as an out-of-state teacher, you have to complete certain formalities before you can start teaching in Texas. Even if you have a standard certificate that makes you eligible to teach in another territory or state, you still have to apply for a review of your credentials if you want to teach in Texas.

How to apply

If you are looking for a teaching job in Texas after moving from Indiana, the first thing you need to do is to apply for a review of your credentials.

The first step is to create your TEAL account online. TEA recommends that educators use Google Chrome to access their website. For those applicants who might need additional help, they have instructions on their web page. You have to complete the application process and pay the non-refundable fee of $164.

Submit copies of your certificates. You will also need to submit official transcripts from the colleges where you studied.

If English is not your mother tongue or if your degree was obtained from outside the United States, you will have to submit proof demonstrating your English-speaking skills. TOEFL iBT is the standardized test for this purpose. The minimum scores required for proving that you are eligible to teach in Texas are given below.

The minimum scores required for qualifying in each module are:

• 24 on speaking
• 22 on listening
• 22 on reading
• 21 on writing

What if you don’t have a classroom teaching certificate?

Some applicants may have an administration or student services certificate. These certificates do not qualify them to be a teacher. To teach in Texas, an out-of-state teacher requires a classroom teaching certificate. You can obtain this by submitting proof of 2 years of school experience in the subject of your certification. On the Out-of-State test Exemptions Page, there is an official verification of experience form. You must submit your documents there.

Official transcripts should be directly emailed by your college or service provider to OSC75@tea.texas.gov. Transcripts emailed by the applicant will not be accepted. Transcripts can also be mailed. Make sure that they are either emailed or mailed. Don’t mail them if you are requesting your institution to email them. Duplicates will unnecessarily delay the review of your application.

Out of state certificates can also be submitted online. Note that if you obtained your credentials from outside the United States, you cannot submit them electronically.

To submit your documents, click the My Documents tab. It is on the left side of the ECOS menu. Choose the option OSC (Out-of-State Certificate) under Select Document Type and upload your certificates.

Do not upload your transcripts yourself. Transcripts uploaded by the applicant will be treated as spam and deleted.

Your out-of-state certificate too should not be uploaded if you are mailing them. It may take up to 2 weeks for them to confirm receipt of your documents uploaded online. During peak periods, it may take even longer to receive a response. Once they have reviewed your credentials, they will notify you by email. Note that educators need not contact TEA for information regarding the status of their review. Customer service representatives are unlikely to know, and hence there is no real point in calling them. A better option is to wait until you receive an email from TEA.

After you have received the completion notification email, you can find the details of your review in your educator account. Click My Documents in the Educator Main Menu.

Out-of-State Tests

Submitting additional documentation might eliminate the need for you to take tests to obtain the certificates. This is helpful if you have already taken similar tests in Indiana. Keep in mind that without reviewing your credentials, they will not accept your Out-of-state test scores. If you are successfully reviewed for anyone of the following areas, you will have to take the Science of Teaching the Reading (STR)

• Early Childhood: EC – Grade 3
• Core Subjects along with Science of Teaching the Reading: Grades 4 to 8
• Core Subjects along with Science of Teaching the Reading: Early Childhood – Grade 6
• English Language with Arts and Reading accompanied by Social Studies with Science of Teaching the Reading: Grades 4 to 8​
• English Language with Arts and Reading with Science of Teaching the Reading: Grades 4 to 8​

If you already took this test in Indiana, you might be able to get exempted from taking this test in Texas by submitting additional documentation.

One-Year Certificate

After they review your credentials, they may issue a One-Year Certificate. This is an optional certificate for employment purposes. There is no guarantee that you will secure employment after you have been issued the one-year certificate. Additionally, you can apply for this certificate while submitting your credentials for review. Furthermore, you also have the option to apply after your credentials have been reviewed. Before your one-year certificate expires, you have to submit all the documents required to determine whether you can be exempted from out-of-state tests to obtain your standard certificate. If you cannot be exempted, you will have to take the appropriate tests to obtain your standard certificate.

Standard Certificate

Once you have fulfilled all the requirements for a Texas Educator Certificate, you will be issued the Standard Certificate. You can apply for the standard certificate only after you have completed all the requirements.

Why teach in Texas

If you are passionate about sharing your knowledge and shaping the future of young people, teaching may be the right career option for you. Plenty of teaching jobs are available in Texas for qualified candidates. Salaries are good too. So, if you are keen on building a career that offers plenty of room for personal improvement, apply for a review of your credentials today.