Driver's Ed Teacher Certification in Alabama

<table border="1"><tr><td> Education/Experience Required </td><td> Need to already have an Alabama Professional Educator Certificate or Professional Leadership Certificate</td></tr> <tr><td> Certification Required </td><td> Driver and Traffic Safety Education endorsement as an addition to teaching certification</td></tr> <tr><td> Certification Validity Period </td><td> Five years</td></tr> <tr><td> CEU Credits Required for Renewal</td><td> Varies for Professional Educator Certificate; options include six semester hours of courses or 100 hours of professional development</td></tr> <tr><td> Average Salary (2018) </td><td> $16/hour (driving instructors nationwide)*</td></tr> <tr><td>Estimated Job Growth (2016-2026) </td><td> 15% (self-enrichment teachers nationwide)**</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *Glassdoor.com, **U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p><h3 id="section---DriverSEdTeacherJobDescription">Driver's Ed Teacher Job Description</h3><p>According to the Alabama State Department of Education, about 91 percent of Alabama school districts offer driver's education courses. Certified driver's education teachers in Alabama teach students how to drive both in the classroom and with real practice behind the wheel. The classroom portion involves teaching traffic laws, signal use, how to control vehicles in certain situations, safe driving and more. The behind-the-wheel portion lets students actually practice driving. </p><h3 id="section---TeacherCertificationRequirements">Teacher Certification Requirements</h3><p>To get certified to teach driver's education, you must already hold a Professional Educator Certificate in Alabama. The initial certification process involves getting a bachelor's degree, completing a teacher preparation program and then meeting a series of testing requirements, including a basic skills assessment in reading, writing and math and a Praxis II exam related to the level and subject a person wants to teach. Those with a Professional Leadership Certificate (for school administration officials and principals) can also qualify to become driver's ed teachers. </p><p>Once you're a certified teacher, you need to take specific courses to receive the driver's education teacher certification. </p><h3 id="section---DriverEducationInstructorCourses">Driver' Education Instructor Courses</h3><p>To become a certified driver's education instructor, you must take two courses in person. One is basic and one is advanced, and they are both 40 hours. The course is offered through Jacksonville State University, which also gives attendees six college credit hours. </p><p>The Alabama State Department of Education website provides information about specific courses and times. For reference, in 2019, the courses were being offered for two consecutive weeks in July (each one is a week long). In 2019, the total cost (which covers both courses) was $1,000, plus a $35 processing fee for Jacksonville State University if the attendee has never enrolled in a course there before. </p><h3 id="section---AddTheEndorsementToYourTeachingCertificate">Add the Endorsement to Your Teaching Certificate</h3><p>Once you complete the course, you need to apply to add the driver's ed endorsement to your teaching certificate. You need to send your course transcript along with two specific forms to the state department of education (the address is specified on the forms, which can also be found on the state department of education website). The application fee was $30 as of 2018. </p><h3 id="section---OtherOpportunitiesForCertifiedDriverSEducationInstructors">Other Opportunities for Certified Driver's Education Instructors</h3><p>For certified driver's education instructors who want to do even more, they can become certified to give the driving part of the driver's license test in Alabama and become what the state refers to as a third-party testing agent. The state department of education offers 8-hour classes at different locations throughout the state for this certification.</p>