Teaching in Florida

K12 Teaching in Florida

Finding a Position

Florida's 67 school districts each have their own websites for job listings and applications. See our Jobs page for recent vacancies. Typically, individual school administrators handle interviews for their vacancies. A school's Principal is a good person to email your CV. If you have an idea of a school or district you're interested in, drop us a line at AAPTFlorida@gmail.com and we'll try to connect you with a teacher in that area. The UCF PhysTEC also has some pointers for finding and choosing the right position.

Certification

Teacher certification is handled by the Florida Department of Education and school district staff can walk you through each step. Certification is awarded for specific subjects, though a subject certification may allow for teaching several different courses. Temporary certification is awarded to applicants with a bachelor's degree in any subject and demonstrating subject area mastery (either with a degree in your subject area OR a passing score on a Florida teacher subject exam). A temporary certificate allows teachers three years to complete the requirements for a professional certificate. Details can be found on the FLDOE site here.

Course Content

High school graduates in Florida must take three years of science, one of which must be Biology. Required content (i.e., course standards) can be found on CPALMS.org. Other great physics teaching resources include Physics Classroom, PhETs, AMTA, Flipping Physics, Learn AP Physics, and Khan Academy. New to teaching physics? Drop us a line at AAPTFlorida@gmail.com and we can help connect you with veteran teachers and great mentors.

Post-Secondary Teaching in Florida

Each college and university handles their own advertising and hiring of faculty. See our Jobs page for recent vacancies. Typically, teaching an undergraduate course requires a Master's degree in any field and at least 18 graduate credit hours in the field. A growing number of faculty are adopting no-cost curricula, such as the peer-reviewed OpenStax textbooks, to help reduce the financial demands on students. New to Florida or looking for a position? Drop us a line at AAPTFlorida@gmail.com and we'll put you in contact with a faculty member to help guide you.

Science Media from Florida

Walkabout the Galaxy may be your new favorite podcast. This trio of UCF Planetary scientists compare their show to Car Talk. It’s a humorous discussion of the latest scientific and geek happenings ... and you may end up learning something.

If you aren't reading FSU Physicist Paul Cottle's blog A Bridge To Tomorrow, you're missing out on legislative updates, education policy analysis, and witty commentary.

Florida Citizens for Science with Volusia teacher Brandon Haught informs & advocates for evidence-based science teaching.