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Acceptable-Mountain t1_ja985qd wrote

I changed careers several years ago and got my teaching cert through BCTR. I chose them because it was the quickest, least expensive option. Structurally it's similar to TFA: you have intensive summer training, you teach a summer school class, and then you're in the classroom in September. BCTR charges tuition for their classes your first year but the city will reimburse you a portion. When I went through the program, the summer was unpaid but that has changed now and they will pay you a stipend. With your advanced degree you'll start on step 3 of the BCPSS scale, I think. Tuition was about $6,000 when I was in the program.

Urban Teachers is more like a traditional master's program and charges $45,000 in tuition. There is financial aid, and you're getting a Hopkins MAT. Year one, you're earning a $28,000 salary, year 2 you're on the BCPSS payscale. So if you can afford a year not making a living wage, UT does prepare you for a career. https://support.urbanteachers.org/hc/en-us/articles/360050518012-An-Investment-in-Your-Future

The benefit to TFA, BCTR, or UT is that they also help with things like delivering documents to central office, making sure you're getting the correct credits, and taking the correct PRAXIS exams. If you go the route of para->teacher your only support is the certification office at North Ave and they're less responsive (I know more than a few teachers lingering on a conditional certificate because they don't know what classes they have to take and when).

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