How to become a teacher: the route into each kind of teacher.
“Teacher” is a family of jobs, and each has its own route in. Here is the education, experience and training BLS lists for every one, what employers report about licenses, and the order to tackle them.
Associate's degree to Bachelor's degree
Across the 14 BLS occupations on this page. Typical, not a legal requirement.
It depends on which kind of teacher: BLS lists typical entry-level education from an associate's degree (“preschool teachers, except special education”) to a bachelor's degree (“elementary school teachers, except special education”, “secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education” and “middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education” and 10 more) across the 14 BLS teacher occupations on this page (Employment Projections, 2025–35). “Elementary school teachers, except special education”, the largest of them (1,388,390 employed in May 2025), typically need a bachelor's degree. Many of these jobs also need a state license or certification; rules vary by state.
Becoming a teacher at a glance
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for 1 of the 14 teacher occupations on this page: “preschool teachers, except special education”.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for 13 of the 14 teacher occupations on this page: “elementary school teachers, except special education”, “secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education”, “middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education”, “substitute teachers, short-term” and “special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school” and 8 more.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists work experience in a related occupation as typical at entry for “career/technical education teachers, secondary school” and “career/technical education teachers, middle school”.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
For “elementary school teachers, except special education”, BLS's Occupational Requirements Survey found that employers required a license or certification for 98% of workers (2025, preliminary).
Source: BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025, preliminary
Education BLS lists for each kind of teacher
Data One row per BLS occupation, ordered by typical entry-level education. Links open that occupation's own page.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | Associate's degree | None | None | 3 | 59% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | 98% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | more than 95% |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | more than 90% |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | 52% |
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School | Bachelor's degree | None | None | n/a | not published |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | more than 99.5% |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | Bachelor's degree | Less than 5 years | None | 4 | not published |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | more than 90% |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | more than 99.5% |
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | not published |
| Special Education Teachers, All Other | Bachelor's degree | None | None | n/a | not published |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | not published |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | Bachelor's degree | Less than 5 years | None | 4 | not published |
What each education level means
Data BLS Employment Projections education categories, 2025–35.
- Associate's degreePreschool Teachers, Except Special Education
An associate's degree, which usually takes 2 years of full-time study.
- Bachelor's degreeElementary School Teachers, Except Special Education; Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education; Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education; Substitute Teachers, Short-Term; Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School; Special Education Teachers, Secondary School; Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School; Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education; Special Education Teachers, Middle School; Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors; Special Education Teachers, All Other; Special Education Teachers, Preschool; Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
A bachelor's degree, which usually takes 4 years of full-time study.
Five steps to becoming a teacher
Advice Steps 1, 2 and 4 apply the BLS data above; steps 3 and 5 are advice.
- Step 1Choose the occupation
“Teacher” covers 14 BLS occupations with different entry routes. Use the table above to pick the one you mean, then read its own page.
- Step 2Match the education
Plan for the education BLS lists for that occupation (an associate's degree at the shortest end on this page, a bachelor's degree at the longest).
- Step 3Check licensing where you will work
Many of these jobs need a state license or certification, and rules vary by state; confirm the current requirements with your state's licensing board before you enrol.
- Step 4Plan the training after hiring
BLS lists the typical on-the-job training in the table; an internship or residency, where listed, comes after the degree.
- Step 5Apply with proof
When you apply, show the credential, clinical or field hours and results that the posting asks for; a resume check helps you see what an applicant tracking system reads.
Data Once qualified, median annual pay in May 2025 ranged from $38,140 (“preschool teachers, except special education”) to $76,580 (“special education teachers, all other”) across these occupations (BLS OEWS). Full pay table: Teachers salary and education.
Becoming a teacher: common questions
What is the shortest route to becoming a teacher?
What degree do you need to be a teacher?
Do you need a license to be a teacher?
How this page is built
Education, related work experience and on-the-job training are the BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 typical-entry categories for each BLS detailed occupation listed, which describe what is typical, not legal requirements. Job Zones are O*NET 31.0. The license or certification share is BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2025 (preliminary), as reported by employers; state licensing rules are separate. Which occupations count is the same editorial list as the Teachers page.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Admission requirements of a specific school or program.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary; public domain): share of workers whose employer requires a license or certification.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license (Job Zones and related occupations). TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).