NOTE: As an applicant, we understand you may not have all documentation at the time of application, however, you must hold or be eligible for a Washington State Teaching Certificate by August.

Recent College Graduate from an approved Washington State Certificated Employee Preparation Program will need to provide:

• Proof of Certification with listed endorsements
  • A six (6)-month Washington State Permit provided by your college or university.
• Unofficial Transcripts
  • Please attach your unofficial transcript(s) from your degree granting higher education institution.
• References
  • Please list reliable contact information for at least three references in the application. These references should be from people in a supervisory or advisory capacity, who can speak to your instructional abilities. The following are examples of appropriate sources:
    • Your supervising teacher or program manager.
    • Another teacher or colleague in the building who has observed your instruction or real-time skill application.
    • Your college-provided teacher/program coach
    • Your principal and/or assistant principal of your school.
  • References we will not consider: A student, parent, or community member.

Current certificated Washington State school employee with at least one year of teaching experience (either substitute or full-time) will need to provide:

• Proof of Certification with listed endorsements
  • A scanned copy of your current Washington State Teaching Certificate.
• Unofficial Transcripts
  • Please attach your unofficial transcript(s) from your degree granting higher education institution.
• References
  • Please list reliable contact information for at least three references in the application. These references should be from people in a supervisory capacity who can speak to your instructional abilities.
    • Two must be your most recent supervisors (If you are a certificated substitute staff member, then please ask the supervising administrators that have worked with you the longest this past year).
    • Someone (such as a teaching colleague) who can speak to your instructional abilities (If you are a certificated substitute, then the person whose class or position you subbed for is recommended).
  • References we will not consider: ​A student, parent, or general community member

Out-of-state applicant who has or will have a current or in-process Washington State teaching certificate by August:

• Proof of Certification with listed endorsements
  • A valid copy of your Washington State Teaching certificate OR
  • A letter from your Education Preparation Program that includes your graduation date and endorsements
• Unofficial Transcripts
  • Please attach your unofficial transcript(s) from your degree granting higher education institution.
• References (Out-of-State Teachers with one year+ experience)
  • Please list reliable contact information for at least three references in the application. These references should be from people in a supervisory capacity who can speak to your instructional abilities.
    • Two must be your most recent supervisors (If you are a certificated substitute staff member, then please ask the supervising administrators that have worked with you the longest this past year).
    • Someone (such as a teaching colleague) who can speak to your instructional abilities (If you are a certificated substitute, then the person whose class or position you subbed for is recommended).
  • References we will not consider: A student, parent, or community member.
• References (Out of State recent or soon-to-be college graduates):
  • Please list reliable contact information for at least three references in the application. These references should be from people in a supervisory or advisory capacity, who can speak to your instructional abilities. The following are examples of appropriate sources:
    • Your supervising teacher or program manager.
    • Another teacher or colleague in the building who has observed your instruction or real-time skill application.
    • Your college-provided teacher/program coach
    • Your principal and/or assistant principal of your school.
  • References we will not consider: A student, parent, or community member.

“I believe this district understands that they have underserved and miseducated generations of families in this city and the layers of generational mistrust and are putting forth genuine effort to produce change. I can say that I have come into contact with many educators in SPS who understand the urgency of the work that needs to be done to support our students of color specifically our Black students but like any large district we still have a lot of work that needs to be done. We know better so now we must do better.”
– Glenn, Teacher

“Many educators here are dedicated and like-minded in our desire to support our students and address historical and present day injustices in our education system. It is refreshing to hear consistent messaging from our district about the importance of supporting our students of color, particularly our Black students, but while we are still beginning to address some of the issues of race in our school system, there is still more work to be done.”
– Chelsea, Teacher

“Working in the Seattle Public Schools presents the unique opportunity of working with a diverse population of educators, students and families. Having students who are Native Americans, Asians, and even African migrants allow for a global perspective on how education impacts all student lives…there are unique opportunities as an educator to learn from other cultures as well as educate others and dispel untruths about Black American culture.”
– Kristie, School Counselor

“Every day students who represent countries and cultures from all around the world, walk through our doors. This district also has a very focused goal of supporting educators of color, and has initiatives to support African American male students navigate and succeed in our school system.”
– Glenn, Teacher

“We are the largest public school district and we also have the strongest educators union in the Northwest! People look to the Seattle School District to be the change to model what inventive,
creative and transformative education looks like. So there is still a lot of space for fresh ideas, new energy and collective support for these efforts.”
– Chelsea, Teacher

“SPS is willing to have difficult conversations about the inequity of education and how it impacts students of color furthest from educational justice, and to invest in teacher training about ways that we can close the educational divide.”
– Kristie, School Counselor

“I have been told by so many students that I am their first black teacher; the joy they have and relief I see in their faces on the first day of class is unexplainable… Our children do not see enough teachers that look like them in front of them in the classroom. To produce more black educators our children need to see more black educators.”
– Glenn, Teacher

“While our student population represents an incredible diversity, our teaching population doesn’t yet match with that. I am often one of a few, if not the only, certificated black teacher in rooms or conversations where we are centering the experiences and needs of black students. We obviously need more black voices to be a part of these conversations and decisions.”
– Chelsea, Teacher

“I have been challenged with working with only a few educators of color. Though I believe diversity is embraced by Seattle Public Schools, there still seems to be a lack of representation in teachers of color. The challenge is having students experience the beauty of diversity in a school setting with teachers and administration of color.”
– Kristie, School Counselor

“Seattle is segregated; you can move throughout communities that were redlined for years…most of the black communities have been significantly gentrified. We have one of the most diverse zip codes in the United States a mixed population of immigrants from across the world that includes speakers of 59 languages just in the Rainier Valley.”
– Glenn, Teacher

“…When we look at the diversity that exists in the city, we can see cultures from around the world heavily concentrated in a relatively small section of the city. Different parts of the world all come together in Seattle.”
– Chelsea, Teacher

“People might be surprised about the amount of diversity in the student population. There are students who have migrated…from a myriad of countries of various cultures, traditions, and languages.”
– Kristie, School Counselor

“Community can seem hard to find for Black people in Seattle because we are so scattered around the city but if you make contact with some of the organizations, (ex: The Academy for Creating Excellence, BiMonthly Black Educators Café, or Black in the City events), you can find your way and your group of people you like connecting with.”
– Glenn, Teacher

“Finding the black community in Seattle can be tough for someone who is new to the city, but make no mistake, we are still here. The Pacific Northwest has a reputation of being really passive aggressive, but I don’t think that’s true of the Black community here.”
– Chelsea, Teacher

“…Sororities, fraternities, social organizations are very prevalent and visible in the Seattle community. The NAACP, The Links, Jack and Jill, and the Northwest African American Museum are some of the organizations where you will connect… Many corporate organizations, (Amazon, Microsoft) have a Black networking connection where employees volunteer, socialize and build connections.”
– Kristie, School Counselor

• Jerk Shack
• Soulfiend Seafood Kitchen
• Drae’s Lake Route
• The Comfort Zone
• Lil Red Takeout & Catering
• Island Soul
• Pam’s Kitchen
• Africatown Community Land Trust
• The Umoja Festival in the summer

All teachers in Seattle Public Schools must have a teaching certificate. Washington state issues the Residency Teacher Certificate to most first-time applicants for a regular teaching certificate.

The candidate must have:

• Earned a bachelor’s or higher degree from any regionally accredited college/university.
• Completed any state’s approved teacher preparation program. This would be either an approved program through a regionally accredited college or university, or an approved alternative-route program.

OR

If you have not completed a state approved program, individuals may verify at least 3 years of K-12 teaching experience outside Washington and hold a regular certificate in another state.

• In Washington there are 21 colleges/universities approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board to offer educator preparation programs.
• Out-of-state applicants must pass a basic skills test (WEST-B) within 12 months of receiving a temporary permit. See teacher assessments.
• Out-of-state applicants must pass an endorsement content knowledge test (WEST-E) within 12 months of receiving a temporary permit. See teacher assessments.

The first certificate issued is the Residency Certificate (First Issue), which is valid until the holder is reported as employed by a Washington school district as a teacher with 1.5 or more years of full-time teaching experience. This certificate must then be reissued with a three-year expiration date.

Yes. A current Washington State Teaching Certificate with appropriate endorsements is required to teach in Seattle Public Schools. A current Educational Staff Associate Certificate (ESA) is required for school nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers, audiologists and therapists.

Washington requires that all teachers new to the state complete an application packet for their certificates. Information about this process can be found at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction website or by calling 360-725-6000 or TTY 360-664-3631.

Yes. Every teacher, including substitutes, must register his/her Washington certificate with Human Resources before beginning a teaching assignment. Additionally, every teacher is responsible for registering all subsequent certificates with the district. You may email hr@seattleschools.org with a PDF of your certificate from the OSPI website to have it registered in our system.

A teaching certificate requires fulfilling educational requirements, whereas some vocational education certificates can be obtained through industry experience.

Endorsements are designated subject areas in which a teacher is qualified to teach. These endorsements are determined and granted by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) when a teacher applied for certification.

Categories are subject areas or grade levels identified by Seattle Public Schools within these endorsements. Categories provide a greater level of specificity within endorsements. For example, you can have a K-8 endorsement, but only select to have a category for grades 1-3 (E5 is the category), which will limit the grade levels in which you can be assigned. You can have an unlimited number of categories as long as you hold the proper endorsement for the category.

Non-continuing, leave replacement contracts are offered to teachers filling in for another teacher who is on a medical leave. Mid-year, principals are required to evaluate leave replacement teachers and make recommendations for their conversion to provisional status.

Provisional contracts are issued to teachers with fewer than two years of satisfactory performance in Washington Public Schools. A leave replacement contract lasting one year can be converted to a provisional contract and fulfill the first year of provisional employment for new teachers. After a second successful provisional contract year, teachers receive a continuing contract. One-year contracts are converted to second year provisional contracts if the teacher new to Seattle has had one-year of teaching experience in another Washington Public School. One-year teachers with additional Washington Public School experience are converted to a continuing contract.

Conversions are based upon recommendations from the principal and capacity to staff at the school.

In late-fall, SPS posts “Teacher Pools” by subject area to which all interested external candidates should apply. Applicants in the Teacher Pool will receive regular updates on the hiring process, hiring timelines and anticipated needs, information sessions, career fairs and more.

Later in the spring, available positions are listed on the SPS Job Opportunities Page. One application serves to apply for all positions including substitutes. When you apply to individual positions, you will be asked to answer supplemental questions. Please review each job announcement to determine if additional materials are required.

Certificated vacancies must be advertised for at least one week (7 consecutive days). However, positions may be left open until filled.