Business Teacher Application Instructions
"Application for a Registered Business School Teacher," BPSS-16
Business Teacher Applicants
Read all of the enclosed material to determine whether you qualify for a permit or license and to determine the appropriate instructional area(s) for which you should apply. A permit or license may be issued for one or more areas depending upon applicant qualifications. This office will only evaluate an applicant for the area(s) requested on the application. However, an applicant should not apply for licensure in areas for which (s)he does not qualify since the evaluation process may be prolonged while the Bureau awaits additional transcripts or documentation of experience. An evaluation cannot be made without an application and non-refundable fee. Once the evaluation is performed, the fee is earned regardless of whether a teaching credential is issued. Appeals of evaluations must be made in writing within thirty (30) days following the issuance of the evaluation.
All applicants must complete sections 1 through 14 of the application form, BPSS-16, and submit the application and fee in accordance with the instructions on the application. Applicants must have official transcripts of all college study listed on the application sent. An official transcript is one that bears the original college seal and the original signature of the registrar. Transcript instructions are at the bottom of the reverse side of the application.
Coursework/ Degrees
Any coursework or degrees used to satisfy teacher licensure requirements must have been taken at a regionally accredited college or university with the exception that the professional education courses required for licensure can be taken through one of the approved New York State proprietary school associations. Courses completed at registered or licensed proprietary schools, in adult education programs, or in continuing education programs are not acceptable toward satisfying licensure requirements. Life experience credit or credit based on completion of a proficiency examination will only be recognized if a regionally accredited college or university has awarded college credit for that activity.
The credit hours listed on the evaluation forms are expressed in terms of semester credit hours. Regionally accredited colleges/ universities that use units other than semester credit hours will have those units converted into semester hour credit by the Bureau prior to evaluation.
Experience Requirements
Experience requirements are listed in terms of full-time experience. Experience that is less than full-time, but at least half-time applies toward licensure requirements at a rate of two years of such experience equating to one year of full-time experience. Ordinarily, the employer determines whether the experience has been full or part-time. Part-time experience must be indicated in terms of the percentage of a full-time position in which the applicant was employed. Experience of less than half-time does not apply.
Teaching experience is experience as a head classroom instructor in an education institution recognized as such by the State Education Department. Substitute teaching, tutoring or teaching as a graduate assistant does not apply. Neither does experience obtained where the applicant does not hold the teaching license/certificate necessary to legally teach (i.e., teaching in public schools without the appropriate teaching license, teaching in a proprietary school without the appropriate teaching license, etc.)
Work experience is practical (not teaching) experience in the occupation for which the course or curriculum will prepare students. Therefore, experience routinely using word processing software applications as an administrative assistant would apply as computer applications work experience. Training co-workers in using such software would not apply as work experience. Documentation of work experience requires an originally signed and dated letter on company letterhead indicating the applicant's specific dates of employment, job title, detailed job description, percentage of a full time position in which the applicant was employed and, where different types of assignments were combined (e.g., computer networking and computer programming, etc.) the percentage of the applicant's time devoted to each. As an alternative, individuals can use the "Verification of Work Experience for Personnel Licensure (BT-2)" form found by way of the Forms Download page.
Where an employee's assignment combines work and teaching/training experience, the letter of verification must specify the percentage of the work assignment devoted to actually performing the occupation as opposed to teaching/training.
School Owners/ Presidents/ Directors
Schools applying on behalf of applicants must complete section 15 as well. This applies to schools applying for restricted teaching licenses for applicants who will be teaching trade subjects at a business school, schools applying to employ vendor-licensed instructors (e.g., Microsoft Certified Trainers, Certified Novell Instructors, etc.) and/or for schools wishing to employ teachers under the "timely" application guidelines described in the next paragraph.
Education Law allows a school to employ a teacher before the teacher has been issued a permit/license provided that the school does the following:
- File a complete application on behalf of the teacher postmarked at least four (4) days prior to the first day of the teacher's employment. All items on the application must be completed including section 15 listing the first day of the teacher's employment and verifying, by signature, that the appropriate school official is certain that the teacher will meet the licensure requirements; and
- File all supporting official transcripts, letters verifying experience, etc. required for the teaching permit/ license within twenty (20) days of the filing of the application.
In such a case, once the Bureau confirms that the teacher is qualified for the credential requested, the permit/ license will be dated effective as of the first day of the teacher's employment.
Business Teacher Licensure Qualifications
The following pages list the requirements for the various business teacher licenses offered. Use the pages to determine what subject area(s) for which you qualify and wish to apply.
Management/
Marketing
English
for Speakers of Other Languages
Office
Skills
Court
Reporting
Accounting
Paralegal
Computer
Applications
Travel
and Tourism
Computer
Programming
Hospitality
Management
General
Academic Subjects
Bank
Teller
Restricted
Business Teaching License