Become a Teacher in Massachusetts

To earn your Massachusetts teaching credential you will have to complete the required amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program. Massachusetts issues an Initial license for new teachers (valid for five years and renewable once), and a Professional license (renewable every five years), issued after at least three years of teaching under an Initial License and completion of a teacher induction program.

Learn more at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education about earning your teaching credential or learn more about getting your teaching credential at Teach.com.

Aspiring teachers in Massachusetts can apply for a Preliminary license, which is valid for five years during which time an approved teacher preparation program can be completed. For more information on licensure and non-traditional certification routes visit the state’s Executive Office of Education page.

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 Massachusetts, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page. Or, for more specific questions about your situation contact the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.

To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Massachusetts, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education runs an Educator Career Center, where districts can post job opportunities and aspiring teachers can search through them.

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

In Massachusetts, teachers earned an average salary of around $71,000 per year in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Massachusetts is one of the highest paying states to teach in, and additionally offers increased pay for teachers willing to work in high-needs schools or in shortage subjects. Teacher salary is determined by the school district. For the most recent data on average salaries in each district, visit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s Teacher Salaries Report page or learn more about teacher salaries at Teach.com.

Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.

Massachusetts public school teachers are eligible to receive full retirement benefits from the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System at age 55 with at least 10 years of teaching service, or at any age with a minimum of 20 years of teaching service. Benefits are calculated using age at the time of retirement, years of service, and the average of a teacher’s highest three consecutive years’ salaries. For more information, visit the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System.

Learn more about benefits for teachers on Teach.com.

A teacher shortage occurs when there are not enough teachers in key subject areas, which has been partly caused by years of teacher layoffs during the Great Recession, a growing student population and fewer people entering teacher preparation programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute.

The following is a list of teacher shortage areas in Massachusetts for the 2020-21 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 

Massachusetts residents are eligible for the Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship as well as the TEACH Grant, a 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.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education established a system of Professional Development Points (PDP’s) for teacher license renewal. PDP’s are earned through the completion of school or district-run professional development activities. The Department publishes detailed guidelines and resources for PDP’s.

It is no longer enough to only have years of experience teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, teachers are almost solely evaluated by their success in the classroom. A master’s degree in the field of education should provide you with more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor.

After a master’s program, you may be able to achieve better results in the classroom and have more job security and potential for higher pay.

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