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Teaching Internationally with American Board

Interested in teaching anywhere in the world? With a Bachelor’s degree and a desire to make a difference, American Board can help you achieve your dream. International schools frequently seek individuals certified through an American based education program such as ours.  Our program offers candidate services, exams, online coursework, practice exams, and more!

How to Earn Teacher Certification with American Board

To use a teaching certificate from American Board in a school outside of the United States, candidates will need to complete the following steps:

1. Contact the school you wish to teach at. Confirm that they accept American Board teacher certification in the subject area in which you would like to teach.

2. Inquire if the school of your choice will have an opening for you. It’s much better to have this information before you spend 10 months working on your American Board teacher certification, especially if the school does not have openings.

3. Complete the American Board program.

4. Secure a job in the school of your choice and begin teaching.

What Makes American Board Different?

American Board, also known as The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), offers a flexible, affordable path to earn your teaching certificate. You can complete our self-paced program online without quitting your job or taking additional college courses.

American Board is also extremely cost-efficient. Compare the cost of our program (less than $3000 in most cases) to the cost of taking 25-30 credit hours at a state university and it’s no competition.

Candidates complete the American Board program at their own pace. On average, candidates take 8-10 months to complete the program.

International Teacher Certifications Offered in These Subjects

Choose a subject below to learn more about the requirements to teach that subject:

Living Internationally?

If you live internationally but are planning to relocate to the United States and want to become a teacher using an American Board certification, we strongly recommend that you contact the Department of Education in the state you will be moving to BEFORE beginning the American Board’s program. Each state has different requirements for teaching, especially if your Bachelor’s degree was completed outside of the United States.

Also, please note: Candidates that live abroad will need to pay the shipping cost to have their American Board Teaching Certificate mailed to them after completion of the program. The program costs do not include international shipping.

Testing Locations

In order to complete your American Board certification, you will need to take and pass a subject area exam and a Professional Knowledge Teaching exam (PTK exam). Both exams must be completed at a Pearson VUE testing center with exams taken on separate dates.

While Pearson VUE does have testing centers abroad, there are not centers in every country or major city outside of the United States. Visit Pearson VUE’s website to find the closest testing center near you.

Teaching Stateside After Teaching Abroad

It is possible to teach in one of the 16 states where American Board’s teacher certification program is accepted after teaching abroad with an American Board teacher certification.

HOWEVER, each state has its own requirements on how to earn your temporary teaching license after completing American Board program. Many states have time limits on how long after completing American Board’s teacher certification program a candidate has to secure their temporary teaching license and begin teaching. Also, keep in mind that not all subject area certifications are accepted in each state.

We highly recommend you contact your state’s department of education for more information on how to teach on an American Board teacher certification after teaching abroad.

Teaching on Military Bases

In order to teach on a U.S. Military base abroad, you will need to be state certified to teach and have experience teaching in an American classroom.

For more information, visit the Department of Defense’s Education Activity website.

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Contact Us

We are available to answer your questions via email, chat, or phone. Reach out to us with questions and we’ll be happy to help you figure out if our program is the right fit for your needs.

Call 1-877-669-2228 to speak with our Enrollment Team or click the button below to email us.

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