TEACH New Mexico | Frequently Asked Questions

Only you can decide if teaching is right for you, and there is a combination of skills and values that many teachers have. 

Here are some signs that you will like teaching:

• You want a career with autonomy, mastery and purpose.
• You have drive and curiosity to challenge yourself and grow.
• You've worked with children before and enjoy it.
• You want a job that's both creative and analytical, and that makes a real difference in your community.

Here are a few places to start your research:

• Visit our Explore Teaching page.

Check out our articles, pages and videos to explore the ins and outs of teaching.

If you’re a first-year teacher, the average starting salary for New Mexico teachers is $55,000. If you have more experience or more education, New Mexico’s average teacher salary is $68,440. 

• In most cases, school districts set their own salary schedules for teachers, which are often based on years of experience and credentials. 
• Some districts also look at performance or offer higher pay to teachers in shortage area subjects. 

You can learn more about New Mexico teacher salaries and benefits on our Salary and Benefits page.

You can absolutely teach in a subject other than what your degree is in. In New Mexico, you will typically need to have 24 credits in the subject you want to teach, take subject area assessments and take a teacher preparation program pathway, which fulfills the 25-45 credits of required coursework.

How to get licensed in your new subject:

• Choose a Pathway: master’s of art in teaching programs offer a master’s degree alongside your teaching license, and post-bacc programs allow you to get licensed and fulfill subject area requirements. You can also take alternative licensing programs or licensure-only programs. Learn more on our How to Earn Your NM Teaching License page.
• Pass subject area assessments: You must pass Praxis tests in your new subject area to prove you can teach that subject. Learn about what exams are required based on your subject in our Testing Guide.

Choosing the right teaching programs will depend on your experience and where you want to begin your teaching career. 

Consider these questions to help determine the program for you: 

• Do you want to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree along with your teaching license? Or do you want to jump right into teaching with a licensure-only program? 
• Do you have a budget? Does the program need to be mostly online to fit your schedule? 
• How much hands-on experience do you want, and what kind of mentorship do you hope to receive? 

Questions like these will guide you to choosing the program that fits your goals. You can learn more about choosing a teaching program in our article. 

You can use financial aid such as scholarships, grants and loan forgiveness opportunities to help make teaching programs more affordable. 

Financial aid options in New Mexico

• Scholarships: financial assistance that does not need to be repaid, and is offered based on a student’s merit, need or athletics, such as the TEACH New Mexico Scholarship. 
• Grants: a financial award that does not need to be repaid, such as the Federal TEACH Grant. (Not affiliated with TEACH New Mexico)
• Loan forgiveness: a cancellation of some or all a student’s loans after meeting specified requirements such as on-time payments, service commitments and tenure. The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is a good example. 

Financial aid opportunities can be federally, privately or institutionally funded. You can learn more about financial aid for future Colorado teachers in our financial aid guide.

To set your teaching career up for success, focus on professional growth and finding the right environment. Follow these key steps:

• Prioritize teacher effectiveness: Look for professional development opportunities, find strong mentors and challenge yourself to try new things in the classroom! These strategies can set you up for more benefits like promotions and pay raises. 
• Select the right employer: Research school districts and leadership carefully, as your school community and leadership will significantly impact your growth.
• Evaluate fit during interviews: Treat interviews as a two-way process. You're interviewing for a position, but you also want to find out if a particular school will be a good fit.

You do not need a master’s degree to start teaching in New Mexico, but if you already have a bachelor’s degree and are changing careers to start teaching, a master’s degree isn’t a bad idea. 

Benefits of getting a master’s degree to teach in New Mexico:

• A master's degree program offers extra support to learn the teaching trade, from lesson planning to classroom management. 
• A master's degree will allow you to earn a higher salary.
• If you already have a teaching license, you can take classes to earn your master’s degree during nights and weekends. 

You can use our Program Explorer to find master's degree programs in New Mexico.

Yes! While there’s no single way to be a good teacher, there are a combination of skills and values that a good teacher has. Like any profession, it takes time and dedication to develop the skills to teach effectively. 

Therefore, good teachers need to have passion, drive, and curiosity to do their job well and better themselves. Each day, you'll improve your relationship-building, critical thinking, creativity and leadership skills, to support your students the best that you can.

In most cases, yes. With proper training, preparation and practice, you'll build the skills you need to manage students in your classroom.

Your teaching program should show you how to earn your students' trust, develop strong communication skills and use effective classroom management techniques.

Once you're in the classroom, you'll continue to learn on the job and learn from your colleagues. Teachers are a supportive bunch, and experienced educators at your school will help you to continue to build your craft. You've got this!

Teachers generally have a great deal of autonomy — more so than most jobs right out of college. From day one, you'll be entrusted with big responsibilities. 

Areas teachers will have the most autonomy

• Building classroom culture by way of room decoration, class room management techniques and classroom routines
• Instructional Strategy by choosing the activities, technology and teaching methods that best fit your students' needs
• Being creative with lesson implementation by adapting the required curriculum to be engaging for your students

That said, every school varies in terms of teacher autonomy, so it's smart to ask about this during job interviews.

No, substitute teaching or paraprofessional roles do not qualify for the 1- 3 years of full-time teaching experience requirement towards a teacher license. 

Different teacher license pathways:

• Alternative licensing programs allows you to teach in a full-time teaching position at a New Mexico school for the duration of the program to get your license, which ranges between one to two years.
• Out-of-State applicants need to have three years of valid, full-time teaching experience to be approved for an initial New Mexico teaching license.

However, working in those roles provides valuable experience for applying to teacher preparation programs. 

Yes, you can use your non-education degree or prior experience to teach in Colorado. There are two options available: 

• Elementary and Secondary education (in any subject) teacher: You will need to have at least 24 credits in the subject you want to teach, as well as a varying amount of student teaching experience through a teacher prep pathway. Pathways available to you include master’s degree programs, post-bacc programs and alternative licensing programs. Learn more in our teaching programs guide.
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher: This pathway is a non-traditional route to becoming a teacher. If you have work experience in industries like construction, hospitality, or health sciences, a CTE license lets you apply your skills to teach grades 7-12. Learn more about the Secondary Vocational Teaching license in our CTE guide. 

No, you can absolutely become a teacher in New Mexico at any point in your career. 

• If you have a bachelor’s degree, you can find many programs suited for career changers, such as master’s degree programs, alternative licensing programs and licensure-only programs. 
• If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, there are traditional teaching programs that offer a bachelor’s and license at the same time. 
• If you have work experience in an industry or technical field, you can become a Career and Technical Education teacher to teach grades 7-12. 

Each program offers a different range of coursework, hands-on experience and mentoring. Learn more about New Mexico teacher licensing. 

You can become a teacher even if you have a unique background, and there are pathways to teaching tailored specifically for situations like this. 

Pathways to a teaching license:

• Alternative licensing programs are a good option for you if you want to change careers and have a bachelor’s degree in the subject you want to teach. 
• Career and Technical Education licensing programs are a good option if you have vocational experience in a specific trade or industry.

Learn more about New Mexico teacher licensing.

The fastest pathways to become a licensed teacher is through alternative licensing programs and licensure-only programs. If you have educational or professional degrees in the subject area you want to teach, these programs allow you to learn how to teach and, in some cases, start teaching right away.

Learn more about New Mexico alternative licensing programs.

In most cases, it will take four years in a traditional teaching program. However, it ultimately depends on the type of teaching program you choose and where you are in your academic career. 

• Bachelor’s degree + licensure: About 4 years
• Master’s degree + licensure: 1– 3 years
• Alternative licensure: 1– 2 years
• Licensure-only: About 1 year

You can see different programs and their lengths in our Program Explorer.

The quickest way to become a teacher online is through alternative licensure programs or teacher residency programs. 

Key benefits to non-traditional online programs:

• Online coursework: asynchronous coursework can be completed at your own pace
• Fast-track training: shorter but enriched training courses on the fundamentals of teaching a classroom of students
• Earn while you learn: in many cases, once you finish training, you can start teaching in your classroom right away and apply what you learn as you teach. 

No matter what type of program you choose, you will have hands-on, in-person experiences during student teaching, so it can’t be done completely online. 

Alternative licensure is a type of teacher licensing that prepares teachers for an accelerated entry into teaching and lets you earn your initial teaching license while you teach in your own classroom. 

This type of teaching license is good for people who:

• Have a bachelor’s degree, but haven’t started a teacher prep program.
• Have either studied or have experience in the subject you want to teach.
• Want to start teaching right away.

Alternative licensure in New Mexico is available for career changers, like those with vocational experience or a background in Native American language & culture. You can see an overview of the alternative licensing pathway in our guide.

An alternative licensure is a teacher preparation pathway that lets you earn your initial teaching license while you teach in your own classroom. To apply, you will need to meet these requirements:

• Have a bachelor’s degree, preferably in the subject you want to teach to fulfill the 24 required credits in your subject area.
• Most alternative licensing programs require a GPA of at least 2.75.

Applications are available on university or institution websites, and you can find New Mexico alternative licensing programs in our Program Explorer.

Yes, there are many earn while you learn (teacher residency) programs in New Mexico for teachers to get licensed while teaching in a classroom. These programs are built for you to earn your teacher license in one to two years, all while applying what you learn in your coursework into the classroom. You can learn more in our guide about what to expect as a New Mexico Resident Teacher. 

In New Mexico, the primary difference is that a teaching degree is an academic qualification from a college, while a teaching license is the legal authorization from the state to teach in a classroom.

To qualify for these credentials, you must meet different requirements:

• Teaching Degree: Obtained by completing a college-level teacher preparation program, including specialized coursework in a specific subject area.
• Teaching License: Issued by the New Mexico Public Education Department after you complete the degree, pass the required exams, and finish student teaching assessments. 

A teaching residency program is a type of alternative licensing program that allows you to earn your teaching license in 1-2 years while getting paid to teach in a classroom alongside a mentor teacher.

Key benefits to a teacher residency program:

• Get paid to teach: you are paid a salary (with benefits!). The minimum stipend for teacher residents is $35,000. So you’ll be making at least that much, but some programs offer more!
• More experience: you will commit to teaching in your school for the full school year. You will also get support from your mentor teacher.
• Job opportunities: start a full-time teaching role, usually in the district where you trained. After you graduate, you’ll often commit to teaching in your district for a certain amount of time.

You can learn more about New Mexico teacher residency programs. 

Yes, you can earn your master’s degree and New Mexico teaching license in one program in as little as one to three years. 

The benefits of a master’s degree program:

• Integrated licensing: Master’s of arts in teaching programs build in teacher license requirements into your coursework to get you licensed faster.
• Higher salary: You can start teaching with a higher salary with a master’s degree.

You can find a master’s degree program for you in our Program Explorer.

New Mexico offers a variety of teacher licensure programs, ranging from programs for people who have never been to college to programs for people who want a master’s degree. You can expect to find these types of programs available at different colleges and universities:

• Bachelor’s degree + licensure
• Master’s degree + licensure
• Alternative licensure
• Licensure-only

Each program offers a different range of coursework, hands-on experience and mentoring. Learn more about New Mexico teacher licensing. 

You can get your out-of-state teaching license evaluated by the New Mexico Public Education Department to determine if you meet all the requirements to teach in New Mexico. 

Evaluation of your out-of-state teacher license:

• Comparable license: If you hold a valid, out-of-state license that is comparable to the New Mexico teacher license and have a bachelor’s degree or higher, you can submit your credentials for review.
• Provide teaching experience: You will need to provide proof of 1-3 years of full-time teaching experience to get a New Mexico Initial teaching license.

Yes, in New Mexico, you can renew your teaching license even if it has expired. You will need to submit a renewal application with a notarized document outlining your teaching experience. You can get an extension three times before needing to advance to a level 2 license by acquiring micro-credentials. Learn more in the New Mexico Public Education Department FAQ. 
For out-of-state licenses, you can not utilize license reciprocity to get a New Mexico teaching license if your out-of-state license is expired.

To start teaching immediately in New Mexico you can start an alternative licensing program. This pathway allows you to start teaching while fulfilling initial teacher licensing requirements. You can learn more about alternative licenses in our guide.

To become a substitute teacher in New Mexico, you will need to apply for a Substitute teaching license. You will need to have a high school diploma or an equivalent, as well as be at least 18 years old. If you don’t have teaching experience, you may need to take an online course.

If you already have a teacher license, you don’t need to license to subsitute teach. You can learn more about the application process on the New Mexico Public Education Department website.

To have your international teaching license or degree recognized by the U.S. and to begin teaching in New Mexico, you will need to submit your transcripts to an approved foreign credentialing agency.

How to start your teaching credential recognition:

1. Foreign Credential Evaluation: You must have your transcripts evaluated by an approved foreign credentialing agency in a course-by-course evaluation.  
2. Submitting report: Your evaluated transcript must be sealed and mailed to the following address to be accepted: 300 Don Gaspar, Room 103, Santa Fe, NM 87501

You can apply for a New Mexico teaching license even with an international degree or license. To begin the process, you will need to gather some documents as well as have your degree and credentials evaluated:

International teaching license application requirements:

• You must have a bachelor’s degree.
• Submit passing scores for teaching exams.
• Submit valid teaching licenses and work experience.

You will also need to submit official transcripts to an approved foreign credentialing agency for a course-by-course evaluation. Once you submit the report, New Mexico will determine if you need to fulfill subject area requirements or take an approved teacher preparation program. 

New Mexico offers expedited licensing to active duty members, veterans and their families. The process makes it possible for those who qualify to receive their teaching license within 30 days of applying. 

Teacher Licesning for Active duty members, Veterans and their families:

• Expedited licensing: 30-day processing for a teaching license gets military members, veterans, and their families working in New Mexico schools as quickly as possible.
• Waiver of fees: Licensing fees are waived for the first three years of being licensed.
• Temporary licenses: If necessary, a temporary license will be issued while requirements are met and mentor teaching is completed.

Financial Aid for veterans and current active-duty members:

• The New Mexico Department of Veteran Services offers educational scholarships.

You can find more financial aid opportunities for future teachers in our Financial Aid Explorer.

Programs in New Mexico will have a variety of deadlines that vary depending on the program start, but generally, spring semester applications are due by late October, summer by February, and fall by August. 

Typical application deadlines:

• Alternative licensure programs have deadlines for cohorts that are usually early in the year, with applications opening in the winter for a summer start.
• Traditional teacher preparation programs through colleges and universities often have spring deadlines for the following fall semester.

Be sure to carefully review the programs you are interested in and account for deadlines when planning your application. You can view upcoming deadlines on our Application Deadline Explorer.

To balance working full-time while earning your teacher license, leverage programs that allow for you to complete coursework online or fast-track programs such as alternative licensing programs. 

Carefully review program overviews to fully understand the requirements throughout the program. Take note that all teacher preparation programs will require you to student teach, so being able to work in a classroom will be a requirement at some point. Learn more about alternative licensure programs in New Mexico.

In most cases, it will take four years in a traditional teaching program. However, it ultimately depends on the type of teaching program you choose and where you are in your academic career. 

• Bachelor’s degree + licensure: About 4 years
• Master’s degree + licensure: 1– 3 years
• Alternative licensure: 1– 2 years
• Licensure-only: About 1 year

You can see different programs and their lengths in our Program Explorer.

You can apply for financial aid such as scholarships and grant opportunities to help make teaching programs more affordable. 

Types of program-specific financial aid

• Institutional grants or scholarships: these are unique to your program’s institution, and help cover some or all of the cost of tuition.
• Teacher or education specific grants or scholarships: these are aid opportunities aimed to support future teachers
• Stipends or tuition assistance: residency programs will often offer a stipend to help pay for living expenses and may even offer tuition assistance to cover the costs of your teacher preparation program, too
• Federal financial aid: You can apply for free financial aid that gets directly sent to your institution, and may make you automatically eligible for other scholarships or grants 

You can learn more about financial aid for New Mexico teachers in our financial aid guide. 

Teaching preparation programs vary in cost, but there are financial aid resources available, especially for teachers and educators. 

Financial aid options in New Mexico

• Scholarships: financial assistance that does not need to be repaid, and is offered based on a student’s merit, need or athletics, such as the TEACH New Mexico Scholarship. 
• Grants: a financial award that does not need to be repaid, such as the Federal TEACH Grant. (Not affiliated with TEACH New Mexico)
• Loan forgiveness: a cancellation of some or all a student’s loans after meeting specified requirements such as on-time payments, service commitments and tenure. The Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is a good example. 

Financial aid opportunities can be federally, privately or institutionally funded. You can learn more about financial aid for future Colorado teachers in our financial aid guide. 

To teach special education, you will need to go through a teacher preparation program and obtain the 30 required credits in special education, as well as take a few exams.

The key requirements for a Special education license:

1. Teacher preparation program: Obtain your bachelor’s degree and teaching license through a teacher preparation program or alternative licensing program.
2. Exams: There are two exams you will need to take to be licensed as a SPED teacher:
   1. Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades K-6 5622, or Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12 5624
   2. Special Education: Foundational Knowledge 5355

In New Mexico, there are three main requirements to become a licensed teacher. The requirements may become more specific with each teacher preparation program. 

The key requirements

• Bachelor’s degree: you must have a bachelor’s degree in education or a related field to the subject you want to teach. The standard GPA is 2.75 or higher.
• Teacher preparation program: you must take an approved teacher preparation program, either traditionally or in an alternative route, which leads to initial licensure.

Subject area knowledge: You must have 25-45 college credits in the subject you want to teach.

While GPA requirements may vary depending on the program and university, you can generally expect to see a cumulative GPA of 2.75 as a requirement for most teacher preparation programs in New Mexico. You can view GPA requirements for programs in our New Mexico Program Explorer. 

There are a variety of online resources available to help prepare you for the required exams to become a teacher. 

• TEACH.org free resources, like coaching and test guides
• The Praxis preparation page offers study companions and testing strategies
• Passage Preparation provides an inclusive approach to test preparation, offering a clear understanding of test content

You can learn more about test preparation and more free resources in our testing guide.