New York City Teaching Fellows - What Is The Fellowship

What Is The Fellowship

As an alternative route to teaching certification, the NYC Teaching Fellows program is designed for individuals with no prior experience teaching in public schools. Rather than completing a traditional teacher education program prior to entering the classroom, Fellows go through an intensive pre-service training program and pursue a partially subsidized Master's degree in education while teaching at a New York City public school.

Individuals that are already certified to teach or have extensive coursework in education are not eligible for the Fellowship and should visit, to learn about other pathways to becoming a NYC public school teacher.

While completing their Master’s degree, Fellows work under the Transitional B certificate issued by the New York State Department of Education. The Transitional B certificate is issued only to individuals who are enrolled in and remain in good standing with an alternative certification program. For Fellows, this means they must obtain a full-time teaching position at a NYC public school and must be working toward a Master’s degree in education.

After successfully completing pre-service training, Fellows are eligible to secure a full-time teaching position at a NYC public school. The NYC Teaching Fellows program supports Fellows in their job search by providing them access to job postings, school interview events, and Department of Education job fairs. However, Fellows ultimately find their own teaching positions in order to ensure a good match between the teacher and the school.

Fellows are required to continue teaching at a NYC public school for the duration of their Master’s degree, which can take between two and three years to complete. Upon completion of the Master’s degree, Fellows are eligible to apply for the Initial Certificate with the NewYork State Department of Education. The Initial Certificate allows Fellows to teach anywhere in New York State; however, the NYC Teaching Fellows program encourages Fellows to continue teaching in NYC public schools beyond the duration of the Fellowship.