Why NYC Teaching Residency

The NYC Teaching Residency program is designed to provide aspiring teachers with the training and support necessary to become effective teachers who can drive change and turn around the performance of New York City’s lowest-performing schools. Unlike traditional teacher certification programs and most other alternative certification programs where participants may only spend a few weeks in a classroom before they become a full-time teacher, Residents spend a full school year immersed in a NYC public school as an apprentice teacher. During the Residency year, Residents are supported by an experienced Resident Teacher Mentor and an additional program staff member at their school. Upon successful completion of the residency year, Residents will be eligible to begin teaching full-time and will receive support in securing a position in one of New York City’s lowest-performing public schools.

As a Resident, you will:

• Gain Hands-on Teaching Experience:

  Residents will be fully immersed in a high-need public school in New York City, working as an apprentice teacher during their Residency year. Through this experience, Residents will have the opportunity to develop, practice and refine instructional and behavior management skills needed to become an effective educator.

• Receive Guidance from a Resident Teacher Mentor:

   Each Resident will be paired with a Resident Teacher Mentor (RTM) and will work as an apprentice teacher in their RTM’s classroom throughout the Residency year. All RTMs are skilled educators who have demonstrated effectiveness in raising the academic achievement of students in high-need schools in New York City. Through this working relationship, Residents will learn best practices in raising the academic achievement of students with diverse needs and gain insight into the dynamics of a high-need classroom and the larger school community. As the school year progresses, Residents will take on an increasing number of classroom responsibilities from their RTM in the planning and delivery of instruction to students, eventually taking on the role of “Lead Teacher.” 

• Receive Key Training and Support from Program Staff:

  In addition to the support received from their Resident Teacher Mentors, a staff member from the NYC Teaching Residency program will also work with Residents at their training school site. This staff member will supplement the training that Residents receive in their university coursework with Residency Practicum Sessions, focusing on instruction on key strategies proven to be successful in raising student achievement in low-performing schools.  The Training and Support staff member will help ensure that the relationship between the RTM and the Resident is a productive one, and will also provide additional feedback, coaching, and support.

• Earn a Subsidized Master’s Degree:

  A key element of the NYC Teaching Residency program is the Master of Science in Education program.  Coursework is tailored specifically to teaching in high-need schools in New York City and will complement the school-based residency experience.

• Develop Professionally Through Ongoing Feedback:

  Throughout the school year, Residents will receive regular and ongoing feedback on their teaching practice from their Resident Teacher Mentor and the program’s Training and Support staff.  Because all students deserve excellent teachers, Residents are held to high standards throughout their residency year and are expected to be reflective practitioners in order to demonstrate their growth as teachers. Following the residency year during Residents' first year as full-time teachers, a university representative called a Field Consultant will provide support to Residents by visiting Residents in their classrooms and helping the new teachers continue to make connections between their master’s degree coursework and their teaching experience.

• Receive Financial Support During the Residency Year:

   During the residency year, Residents will work as apprentice teachers and earn a salary in accordance with applicable agreements between the NYC Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the local teachers’ union.The current salary for teacher apprentices is $22,500. Note that salary is contingent on negotiations with the UFT. NYC Teaching Residents will also be eligible to receive health care benefits during the residency year.  Following successful completion of the residency year, Residents will be eligible to be hired with one year of teacher seniority and at one salary step above other first-year teachers.  A resident with only a bachelor’s degree and no additional coursework can expect to earn a starting salary of $48,434 when hired as a full-time teacher.  Upon completion of the master’s degree, Residents can expect their salary to increase to $54,731. Residents will not pay any tuition costs towards the master’s degree program during the residency year; however, residents will contribute towards their degree over approximately two years through paycheck deductions once they secure a full-time teaching position. While the amount has not yet been finalized, we expect that Residents will contribute $6,600 towards their degree. 

Learn more about the Residency experience and the subject areas that Residents will be certified to teach.