As you grow closer to finding a position, please make sure that the following paperwork is in order to ensure a smooth on-boarding process.
Certification
In order to work in New York City public schools, all teachers must have valid certification from the New York State Education Department. This certification requirement may be met in multiple ways, including through alternative certification routes and reciprocity for certified teachers from out-of-state. With the exception of day-to-day substitute teachers, we cannot employ teachers who are not certified.
Fingerprinting
All applicants for employment with the New York City Department of Education must be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. Only those who have been offered employment may be fingerprinted by the New York City Department of Education. (Both the state and federal government must clear your fingerprints before you are eligible to work.) The fee is $115.00 and can be deducted from your first paycheck. In order to complete this portion of your employment, you must be fingerprinted and processed by New York State or New York City.
If you have been fingerprinted in New York State after July 1, 2001, by a New York college, a Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) center, a local police station, or by a New York State school district other than NYC, you can use those fingerprint results to satisfy the NYC Department of Education fingerprint requirement. In this case, be sure to complete the OSPRA 103 (including the Referral Form and the I-9), which can be downloaded here. The OSPRA 103 authorizes the New York State Education Department to release your fingerprint results to New York City.
NOTE: If you have not been fingerprinted by one of the above methods, you must be fingerprinted at 65 Court Street, Room 102, Brooklyn, NY 11201 or at one of our career and networking fairs. In order to be fingerprinted, you must prove both identity and eligibility to work. You will need to show the following for verification:
- A United States passport (current or expired).
If you do not have a passport, bring:
- A photo ID, such as a driver’s license or ID card issued by a state or a college ID, provided it contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, sex, height, eye color, and address;
AND
- Either a US Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration, OR an original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a US state, county, or municipal authority bearing an official seal.
Salary Steps / Differentials
Information used to calculate salary steps/differentials is taken from the "Work Experience" section of your application. This information must be updated before you receive a commitment from a school in order to receive any salary increases at the beginning of the school year.
Incentives
Visit the Incentive and Scholarship Programs section of TeachNYC to learn about any special incentives for which you may be eligible. Follow the instructions on the website to apply.
Orientation
If you've received and accepted an offer from a principal, congratulations! New teachers (excluding Teaching Fellows and Teach for America participants) who will begin working at the start of the 2008-09 school year will be expected to attend both a city-wide orientation and their school-specific orientation.
The 2008 city-wide orientation consists of two and a half instructional days and a half-day official welcome event. The instructional days will be held on August 19, 20, and 21st at Martin Luther King Jr. & LaGuardia High Schools. The welcome event will be held on August 25 at Avery Fisher Hall. Please contact your principal for the date of your school-specific orientation.