Pathways to Teaching and Leading

You have the passion to grow.  We have the way. 

GCS creates opportunities for passionate and committed individuals to become educators or, if you’re already in the field, to grow your skills as educator-leaders. So, if you have the desire to teach or lead, we'll create a path to your goal.

Do you dream of impacting the lives of young people, but you didn't study education in college? GCS's Alternative Licensure pathways to classroom teaching may be for you.

Do you have professional expertise in a certain field but lack an education degree or licensure? The State of North Carolina offers a convenient and effective path to teaching through alternative licensure for those who have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree. This program offers a bridge to teaching right away while receiving training to become a fully licensed teacher. 

Since 2008, Guilford County Schools has provided an affordable, year-long teacher licensure training program called GCS-Alternative Certification Track (GCS-ACT), which is unique in the state. Many of our new-to-teaching hires enter the profession through alternative licensure. In addition to excellent preparation and a fast track to teaching, the program provides mentorship, support, hands-on experience and the opportunity to join others who come from a variety of fields but have a passion for education. 

We stand by our commitment to train professionals like you to become the outstanding educators our students need and deserve. When you pass required tests by your second year of teaching and complete teacher training coursework within three years, you’ll have the critical foundation to succeed — all while learning from our current GCS teachers and administrators.

Learn more about Alternative Licensure Pathways

Become the educator-leader our teachers and students need.

GCS has amazing teachers who make an impact every day. The challenge? Providing these great teachers with opportunities to impact even more students and share their skills with other educators without leaving the classroom. With this mission in mind, GCS launched Opportunity Culture, an initiative designed to allow excellent educators opportunities to take their talents to the next level. Opportunity Culture gives GCS’s excellent teachers the opportunity to extend their reach by leading teams and supporting teachers and students while earning additional pay.

Learn more about Teacher Leadership in GCS