Become a Teacher in Indiana

To earn your Indiana teaching credential you will have to complete the appropriate amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program. Indiana has two levels of licensure: Initial Practitioner and Proficient Practitioner.

Other license types are available for teachers educated and/or licensed out-of-state, and for other unusual situations. Learn more about earning your Indiana teaching credential through the Educator Testing.

Learn more about getting your teaching credential on Teach.com.

All accredited teacher preparation programs in Indiana are required to offer Transition to Teaching, a program that helps professionals with the appropriate content knowledge join the teaching profession. Indiana also offers the Indianapolis Teaching Fellows program which offers training, support, and the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching for teachers of early childhood, elementary, English, English as a Second Language, math, science, Spanish and special education. For more alternative certification options, visit the Indiana Department of Education Office of Educator Effectiveness and Licensing. Veterans may also be eligible for the Indiana Troops to Teachers program.

Interstate reciprocity is a program that allows teachers certified in one state to teach in another state. To find out which other state teaching licenses can be used in Indiana, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page. Or, for more specific questions about your situation, contact the Indiana Department of Education.

The Indiana Department of Education Job Site assists teachers in finding job opportunities. Aspiring teachers can use the new job search engine to find job openings throughout the state. Teacher shortages have made Indiana a popular state for highly qualified beginning teachers.

Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.

According to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average teacher in Indiana makes around $53,000 per year. Teacher salaries in Indiana are up to the discretion of the school district.

Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.

Teachers in Indiana are vested in the retirement system after 10 years of service. Retirement benefits are handled through the Teachers Retirement Fund, a division of the Indiana Public Retirement System. Indiana offers additional benefits for teachers, including health and dental benefits according to the county or school district.

Learn more about benefits for teachers on Teach.com.

The United States Department of Education defines a Teacher Shortage Area (TSA) as a subject matter or grade level within a state in which there is an inadequate supply of elementary or secondary teachers.  The shortage may be caused by teaching positions that are unfilled or are filled by teachers who have temporary certification or teach in in academic subject other than their area of preparation.  According to a report by the US Department of Education, Indiana has the following Teacher Shortage Areas:

Teacher Shortage information was provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listings for 2020–2021, and was determined by examining the most recent data about unfilled teaching positions; positions filled by teachers certified by irregular, provisional, temporary, or emergency certification; and teachers teaching in subject areas other than their area of preparation.

Indiana residents are eligible for the Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship, as well as the TEACH Grant, which gives financial aid to students in return for an agreement to teach in a high-need school.

Learn more about how to finance your master’s degree on Teach.com.

Indiana offers a Professional Growth Plan, through which teachers attend conferences and workshops to gain Professional Growth Points (PGPs). Teachers must gain at least 90 PGPs, 6 credit hours of coursework, or complete the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Certification program to renew their teaching license. Beginning teachers join the Indiana Mentorship and Assessment Program (IMAP), receiving 2 years of intensive mentorship to integrate them into their school.

It is no longer enough to just have years of experience for teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, the careers of teachers increasingly depend on their results in the classroom. A master’s degree in the field of education will give you more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as more hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor.

After a Master’s program, you have the ability to achieve better results in the classroom and may have more job security and potentially higher pay.

Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.