Driver's Education Teacher Certification in Illinois
Illinois offers driver's education courses for students in its high schools. Learn how to become certified to teach this subject, which includes lessons in the classroom and behind the wheel.
Illinois Certified Driver's Education Teacher: Career Overview
Driver's education courses cover the basics of driving, like learning to read road signs and how to handle emergencies, aggressive drivers and more. Students practice driving in addition to learning in a classroom. To become certified in teaching driver's education in Illinois, you need an existing state teacher's license for secondary school, and then you need to do additional coursework to get a Safety and Driver's Education endorsement.
<table border="1"><tr><td> Education/Experience Required </td><td> Illinois secondary school professional educator license (requires a bachelor's degree)</td></tr>
<tr><td> Certification Required </td><td> Safety and Driver's Education endorsement added to teaching license</td></tr>
<tr><td> Courses Required </td><td> 24 college credit hours in relevant coursework</td></tr>
<tr><td> License Validity Period </td><td> 5 years</td></tr>
<tr><td> Mean Salary (2018) </td><td>$72,370 (secondary school teachers in Illinois)*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
</i></p><h3 id="section---WhatDriverSEducationInstructorsDo">What Driver's Education Instructors Do</h3><p>Driver's education instructors teach students traffic smarts and safe driving through 30 hours of classroom time and 6 hours of driving practice. All high schools in the state must offer driver's education courses for their students. In the 2017-2018 school year, Illinois had 103,837 students in classroom driver's education classes and 94,724 students learning behind the wheel, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
</p><h3 id="section---DriverSEducationInstructorSalary">Driver's Education Instructor Salary</h3><p>Driver's education instructor salaries vary depending on the school where the instructor is employed. For example, some school systems may pay the hourly rate defined for regular teaching. Others may have a specific hourly rate paid for driving instructors. No matter the school, driver's education teachers in the state must have a secondary school teaching certification. The mean annual salary for a secondary school teacher in Illinois was $72,370 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
</p><h3 id="section---AddTheDriverSEducationCertificationToYourTeachingLicense">Add the Driver's Education Certification to Your Teaching License</h3><p>You must already be a licensed teacher in Illinois to become a certified driver's education teacher. The driver's education instruction certification appears as a Safety and Driver's Education endorsement on your existing teacher's license.
</p><p>To get a professional educator license in Illinois, you need at least a bachelor's degree. You also have to complete an approved teaching program and student teaching. Finally, you must take licensing exams for basic skills and your subject area. Instructors must renew the standard professional educator's license in Illinois every five years, and this requires 120 professional development credits.
</p><h3 id="section---CompleteTheRequiredCourses">Complete the Required Courses</h3><p>You need 24 hours of college coursework in driver's education to get your certification. At least half need to be in an upper or graduate level. The course requirements include: 3 hours about safety and preventing injuries; 9 hours about teaching driver's education; and 12 hours on additional topics. You can choose additional topics that include first aid, young adult psychology, drug and alcohol issues and more.
</p><p>There are various institutions throughout Illinois where courses can be completed. The Illinois High School & College Driver Education Association currently partners with the University of St. Francis to offer professional development courses that also lead to a driver's education endorsement. This program includes both in-person and online instruction under an experienced teacher. Each course counts for 3 credit hours and costs $1,000 as of 2019.
</p><p>Once you've completed and passed the required endorsement courses, you're ready to add this certification to your teaching license and hit the road!</p>