Fall 2025 Teaching Opportunities in New York City Public Schools

Are you interested in learning more about teaching in the NYC public schools with your GC degree? Please read the information below (you can use the pdf reader to view the multipage document) and fill out the interest survey.

The Transitional G certificate is a temporary teaching certificate for individuals with at least two years of post-secondary teaching experience (in the area of the certificate) who want to become classroom teachers in NYC Public Schools where there is a shortage of qualified educators.

We held an information session about the Transitional G teaching certificate with Erika Abelon and Ashleigh Thompson from CUNY’s Central Office on April 28, 2025. You can find a recording of the info session linked here. We’ve pasted some FAQs from the session below.

Questions regarding starting salary:

There were several questions about starting salary, salary differentials, and how to use the salary calculator, including:

  • The salary schedule has lots of letters and numbers but no guide to what they mean.
  • For salary and master’s, do we apply for increases for each degree (so two master’s and a PhD) or is the increase a one-time increase for all higher degree?
  • Can you tell us what step people come in on salary schedule with a PhD and 4 semesters of full-time college teaching experience?
  • Also for navigating the salary calculator, would we all be 1As?

Here are the articles on the NYCPS Online Support Center about the teacher salary – you’ll find articles there breaking down the salary steps and differentials that are part of the salary schedule:

Here are links to the salary resources from the United Federation of Teachers:

While these resources are helpful for getting an idea of what your starting salary might be in the NYC Public Schools, your own starting salary will be determined by your individual professional qualifications.

Questions regarding specific subject areas:

Students had a few questions about whether their particular educational background qualified them for a transitional G.

Here is the NYSED website that allows you to search for certification requirements for any given subject area (select Transitional G in the “type of certificate” dropdown): https://eservices.nysed.gov/teach/certhelp/search-cert-reqs

Questions regarding how to handle additional semesters of teaching experience:

Many GC students have over four semesters of teaching experience. One wondered, “If you have more than 4 semesters of teaching experience, is it helpful to produce letters from all the chairs you’ve worked for to demonstrate all the experience?”

The Trans G certificate requires only four semesters of teaching experience.

You can put the additional experience on your resume, but the state does not require it to issue your Trans G. It may be worthwhile to include this in your resume and application materials for possible salary increases.

Question regarding international student job candidates:

Are F-1/OPT folks eligible? International student candidates would need to undergo two separate processes: 1. Trans G certification and 2. Work visa sponsorship. Work visa sponsorship would be handled by the individual public school looking to hire. While an international student can begin the Trans G process, whether that person is able to find a school to sponsor a work authorization would vary on a case-by-case basis. For more information about OPT, please consult the GC’s Office of International Students.

In addition, international students should read through the link to the NYSED info about foreign credentials.  Anyone submitting foreign credentials (that is, proof of a degree from an institution outside the U.S.) as part of their certification will need to have them evaluated by a NYSED-approved organization.

Questions regarding seeking a faculty position:

Is entering the middle/high school system a detriment to the college job market for those still trying for tenure positions at colleges/universities?

Teaching middle or high school is not a typical path to becoming a tenure-track faculty member, so doing so can be a risk if the tenure-track is your primary goal. But public school teaching may be a fit for those who are passionate about teaching and who want to stay in the NYC area. And you can certainly still apply for tenure-track positions, particularly if you are able to move your own research forward.

One student had a question about adjuncting at CUNY while teaching in the NYC Public Schools. This might be very challenging from a time-management perspective for someone who’s a new full-time teacher in middle school or high school.

Will you be reaching out to people who have completed the survey?

Yes. Email us at [email protected] if you need more info/assistance along the way!

 

Trans G Guidance CUNY 4.8.25
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