Do you need a Certificate to teach cooking at a high school;?

Question

I've been cooking most of my life I am certified in vocational cooking, as a cook, but this job intails working with kids to teach them the in's and out's of vocational cooking at their school. do i need to get a teaching cert? business management course? I have about a year before this job opens and would like to be in. Any suggestions? thanks for the input.

Answer 1

yes.

you did not list the state that you live in. All teaching positions in public schools require a state issued credential. For example - here is Californias secondary subject creential rules:

http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leafle...

You'll notice that home economics is a credential area. Your state will have something similar.

Answer 2

To teach in a school, you must be certified to teach in that state.  It is also more complicated than just taking the test to get your teachers certificate.  You would also definitely need a specific four year degree, but I'm not sure what your degree would need to be in for you to teach cooking/ home ec.  I'm a music teacher, and I earned a music education degree.  

You should contact the school district's board office and have them tell you what steps to follow.  One year is probably not enough time to prepare you for this position, I'm sorry to say.  There's so much more to teaching than just knowing the subject matter.  I'm sure you're a great cook, however, to be a teacher, there's classes upon classes of pedagogy you will need.

Something else you should check out is George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" mandate and how it affects hiring teachers.  If you live in a rural area and no one better qualified wants the job, there might be some flexibility for you: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/...