You’ve made an important step toward fulfilling your goal by deciding to become a teacher.
The next step is put a plan into motion that helps you achieve that goal. That’s where we come in.
Enrolling in an accredited Texas alternative teacher certification program like ECAP is a convenient way to earn your teaching license. For many, one of the best parts of taking this non-traditional route toward earning your certification is that you to get a jump-start in fulfilling your goal, since Texas allows you to teach while completing the requirements.
As you prepare to apply to ECAP, you probably have a lot of questions. Making sure you are informed and prepared for a certification program saves you valuable time, money from costly mistakes, and the hassle of trying to figure it all out by yourself.
Here are some frequent questions we hear from applicants like you.
It puts you on our radar. We regularly check up on our applicants’ progress and communicate next steps. But, until you apply, you are in the wilderness. 
Once you apply, you are under our wing.
An application is free and does not commit you to any type of contract. If you decide we aren’t right for you, simply let us know and we will step aside so that you can pursue other options. Some programs will lock up your available TExES exams based on an application. ECAP only wants to work with those who are happy with our service.
Once you have applied, we will call you to make sure you’ve ordered transcripts or completed your Statement of Qualification (SOQ) for ECAP. We must have a complete application and confirm that you meet the basic requirements. You have to hold a degree or be in your final semester at an accredited program. Or, for those in trades and industry fields, we have to verify your work experience.
This process requires an SOQ form, which you can get from ECAP. Our article, How To Become A Teacher With A Texas Alternative Certification Program, further explains the qualifications required by the state of Texas.
Once we have your transcripts, ECAP will provide you with test review materials. We have tested and evaluated all of the major TExES exam review providers and developed a working relationship with those that met our standards.
This stage is the first major hurdle to clear - and it can seem like a daunting task.
Rest assured, most of the people we certify came from an industry other than education. You can prepare for and pass these exams, so give yourself a chance. All you need is a reasonable level of knowledge and the willingness to review things you may have learned decades ago.
In the past, we’ve told applicants to pass the test(s) by May 15. That used to be when schools began looking for applicants for the following school year. That has all changed. We have schools with as many as 200 open positions and no teachers to hire.
Now, we advise applicants to past your test(s) yesterday, so we can put you on our list today.
We want our interns to walk into teacher interviews excited, not afraid. So, right away, we put you in a training set that is designed to educate and 
motivate you
This allows you to have topics to discuss during interviews, as long as you complete the first two to three courses when you become enrolled. Districts commonly ask ECAP to make a list of the interns who have passed tests, and a separate list of those who have started training. It’s amazing the difference one to two weeks of our training makes in your interview experience.
It’s also important to note that it’s not until this stage when you begin training that ECAP collects its first fee.
As soon as you pass your tests, we start to market you.
ECAP has spent nearly two decades developing relationships with school district hiring personnel in Texas. While we don’t like to share our trade secrets, know that we have an 83% successful placement rate for our interns who sign up for training. This is an overall average that includes every area of certification.
If you are in a high-need area, we placed 100% of our candidates this past year. High-need areas include Math 7-12, Science 7-12 and Bilingual Core Subjects EC-6.
While finding a job is your responsibility, you should take comfort in knowing that you don’t pay any fees beyond the training fee until you see your first paycheck as a teacher. ECAP has a vested interest in seeing you succeed, and is an active player in your job search.
As mentioned above, our goal is to ensure your success during the application, training and job searching processes. Choosing the right Texas teacher certification path for you is important, and that’s why we’re here to guide and support you through the entire process.
If you don’t see your question above, don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with us. We can help you navigate your specific circumstances and help you determine the best path toward fulfilling your dream. Our goal is to ensure your success!
Topics: Becoming A Teacher
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