Frequently Asked Questions

SFUSD Pathway teachers participate in a year of coursework and coaching, beginning with a full-time six-week pre-service preparation experience in early summer of 2023. School year support includes a combination of online modules, classroom coaching and a series of full-day in-person Saturday sessions. At the conclusion of the program, teachers will be ready for a long and rewarding career in SFUSD, making a lifelong impact on their students along the way.

Learn more via our 1-pager! 

Upon completion of pre-service preparation and passage of all required state tests, teachers are recommended for their district intern credential, which allows them to be hired as a fulltime SFUSD educator and earn a salary while working toward their preliminary credential.

Teachers who successfully meet all credentialing and program requirements at the completion of their first year teaching will be recommended for a California preliminary teaching credential. They will then be eligible to clear their credential through the SFUSD induction program.

Pre-service preparation begins in early summer. It is an intensive six-week to seven-week program that includes practice teaching, coaching and seminar sessions. Teachers learn essential skills like managing a classroom, effective teaching strategies and practices, and supporting students’ engagement in rigorous learning activities. These fundamentals must be mastered by the end of summer preparation.

Only teachers who can demonstrate those skills will complete pre-service preparation and begin teaching full-time in the fall. Pre-service preparation is extremely demanding, consisting of sessions five days per week for approximately 10-12 hours daily. Due to the critical importance of the training, daily attendance is mandatory.

SFUSD Pathway to Teaching is designed to be one of the most affordable and accessible training options available in our region. Teachers are responsible for paying the program tuition of $5,000.00. Tuition payments do not begin until teachers have completed pre-service preparation and have secured their full-time teaching position in the fall. Monthly payments will be deducted from their SFUSD paychecks beginning October of their intern year.

Teachers are also responsible for all fees associated with certification, including fees for required examinations, fingerprinting and background check fees, as well as costs associated with state or district hiring requirements. These credentialing requirements, including testing, can cost up to $1,000.00

The selection process begins with your online application. The application includes questions about your background and experience, as well as your desire to become a San Francisco Unified School District teacher. Our selection pre-screeners review all applications carefully to determine if you will be invited to an in-person interview.

Candidates who advance will be invited to an interview. The interviews are held on Saturdays throughout the selection season and include a group component, as well as a 1:1 interview.  Candidates who advance will receive more details prior to the interview date to help them prepare.

While admission to the SFUSD Pathway to Teaching Program does not guarantee a teaching position, the need for quality teachers in critical-shortage subjects is high. Our recruitment goals for the number of teachers needed are based on district hiring data and projected vacancies for the 2023-24 school year, so we anticipate that teachers who meet all program requirements, including successful completion of summer preparation, will be hired by SFUSD.

Teachers are more successful when they work in a school that is a good fit for them. For that reason, they will be responsible for leading their job search to ensure that they and their principal feel good about the match. Our staff will help them navigate the district hiring process, providing guidance and support in their search.  We will also host job-search workshops, set up mock interviews, and review resumes.

To be considered for our program, you must:

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree (conferred by 6/2023) from a regionally accredited college or university
• Meet all legal requirements to work in the US;
• Pass a criminal background check and TB test before the start of summer training; and
• Unofficial transcripts from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
• Most recent resume - for a template of a resume, click here.

We are primarily recruiting elementary Bilingual Spanish teachers and K-12 Mild-Moderate Special Education (Education Specialist) teachers. We offer a very limited number of spots in our Multiple Subject (Elementary General Education) cohort and will only be accepting applications for candidates interested in Multiple Subject by our 10/09/22 deadline. 

• To be eligible to teach as an Intern in one of these areas, you will be required to take and pass the test(s) that correlate with your subject area assignment by the start of the 2023-24 school year.
• Bilingual Spanish applicants must be fully fluent in speaking, reading, writing, and teaching in Spanish.
• More information on all requirements is available on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website, or by emailing pathway@sfusd.edu.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so it is best to apply early to increase your chance of admission. Our next deadline is November 27, 2022. Additional application cycles will be announced at www.sfusd.edu/pathwaytoteaching

Pathway teachers work in SFUSD schools across the district and are committed to working in SFUSD schools for the long-term. The program was born of our need to find and retain educators for hard to fill vacancies within SFUSD, so our expectation is that Pathway teachers commit to teaching in our district for at least 3 years after the intern teaching year is complete. We are committed to ensuring Pathway teachers intend to build lasting careers as educators in San Francisco Unified School District.