Have you thought about a career change? Do you feel the “call” to teach?

Well, if you want to start a new career in Middle Tennessee public schools, you’ll need to go back to school first. All candidates must get a teacher’s certification, and serious future instructors should consider a master’s degree in education.

Teachers such as Danielle Norton recommend getting both.

“You can get your certification and your master’s at the same time, if you already have an undergraduate degree,” she says. “You don’t have to have an undergrad in education. Most university programs take 18 months to two years to complete and are continuous. You can also get different types of master’s degrees, such as a master’s in education or a master’s in leadership and administration.”

However, before you start researching area universities, decide what subject and grade level you’ll want to teach, advises Norton, a former marketing and sales professional who left the corporate world to teach Pre-K at Buena Vista Enhanced Option School in Nashville.

“You will have to undergo a series of testing called the Praxis Series (www.ets.org/praxis/tn) to become certified,” she says. “The number of Praxis tests you have to take will vary, depending on what grade or subjects you want to teach.”

Substitute teaching is a great way to determine your grade level or subject of interest, according to Norton. She says that Metro Nashville Public Schools carefully screens substitute teacher candidates, but once candidates pass the screening, they can get some hands-on experience in the classroom. (Learn more about teacher licensing requirements.)

“You won’t get a complete picture because substitutes are generally only in class one day,” she says. “But you can get a feel for it.”

There are several Middle Tennessee universities that offer master’s degrees and undergraduate courses for teacher’s certification, including Lipscomb University, Belmont University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, and Trevecca Nazarene University. Many offer weekend, evening, and night classes for those working their way through school.

The cost for a master’s degree is only slightly more than getting certification at most universities, which is why many teachers opt for a master’s. Fees vary widely, starting at around $350 to $370 per credit hour for state schools like MTSU and TSU, to as much as $800 to $900 per credit hour at private universities like Lipscomb and Belmont. So the total bill for a master’s in education can range from about $12,000 to $27,000 (most master’s degrees require at least 30 credit hours).

Some schools offer financial aid, such as scholarships for special educators and minority teachers, and there are federal and grant programs available for those willing to teach in the public school system or low-income districts.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program (a federal grant) provides up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. Recipients of a TEACH Grant must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing their program of study.

The Tennessee Teaching Scholars Program is intended to encourage exemplary students to enter the teaching field. Scholarship award candidates must agree to teach at a PreK-12 Tennessee public school one year, for each year an award is received. Scholarship winners can receive up to $4500 per year.

Or you can pursue your teaching license while working in the classroom fulltime – if you’re committed to educating Middle Tennessee’s “highest need” students, according to Samantha KnJoi, model staffing initiative program manager at Nashville Teaching Fellows.

“Nashville Teaching Fellows seeks outstanding professionals interested in making a difference in the lives of the students who most need them,” she says. “We’re a one-year program that’s accredited to certify teachers for the state of Tennessee. So people who come out of our program can teach in Metro or outside of Davidson County.”

Those who are accepted into the program go through six weeks of hands-on training (including practice teaching) during the summer, in addition to independent study materials and assignments they receive upon enrollment, including textbooks and guides. After training, Fellows must compete for teaching opportunities.

“We don’t guarantee jobs,” KnJoi says. “We train them, but they have to get out there and hustle. We do work with Metro to help with job placement. Our goal is a 100 percent hire rate.”

One of the benefits of the Nashville Teaching Fellows program is that participants can start working as salaried teachers after just six weeks of summer training. The Fellows continue to earn their state certification and complete their licensure coursework as they teach full-time.

Up-front costs include the one-year Licensure Program of $5000, with payment plans available for Fellow participants. There are also the Praxis testing fees that start with $50 for registration, plus another $65 to $140 per test, depending on the subject. And there are living expenses during the summer training program (participants teach and train fulltime and are not able to hold a job during the summer before they start teaching).

Fellows who successfully complete the summer training can earn a stipend for as much as $2000. But getting accepted into the program is no easy task, according to KnJoi.

“We’re a highly selective program,” she says. “I’ve had some people tell me it’s easier to get into Harvard!”

The key to acceptance is getting on-board with the program’s mission to close the education gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” according to Lisa Preston, a Fellow graduate and now sixth grade teacher at Isaiah T. Creswell Middle Arts Magnet School in Bordeaux.

“I think there were about 1,700 applicants when I applied,” she says. “They interviewed about 600 and only about 100 were accepted. Their mission appealed to me. I’m one of those people who (are) positive that (they) can save the world!”

Preston was a music industry insider for 15 years during her career in New York and in Nashville. She worked in satellite radio, was an on-air personality, and even served on Sting’s management team during her stint in artist management. After working in Nashville for about three years, she was laid off and decided it was time to reevaluate her career.

“Teaching was always something I felt a ‘calling’ to do, but I never felt like I had the confidence,” she says. “I really felt like it was something I was supposed to be doing. When I saw the opportunity to be a Teaching Fellow, where they’re hitting areas where other teachers refuse to go, I knew immediately that’s where I needed to be.”

Becky Banaszak, also a Fellow graduate, says when she decided to be a teacher, she wanted to be part of a program dedicated to serving students in low-income, high-need areas.

“I think our biggest problem as a nation and as a city is the educational inequality,” she says. “I love Nashville Teaching Fellows because you’re surrounded by like-minded people who are there for the same reasons you’re there. We all had the same mission to close the education gap.”

Banaszak, an “exceptional educator” at Park Avenue Enhanced Option Elementary School in Nashville, works with special needs students in second, third and fifth grades. Now in her third year of teaching, she feels like she’s now “part of the solution” after reporting problems in public schools during her previous career as a television reporter and producer.

“When I was working at a television station in Huntsville (AL), I started volunteering for a learning center,” she says. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I love this! I love working with children!’”

After an exhaustive online search of teaching programs, Banaszak found out about Nashville Teaching Fellows.

“Even though the program was demanding, being around those like-minded people kept the fire alive inside me, because I was with people who want to make a difference,” she says. “When I was working in television, I was surrounded by negative news and it can be sort of depressing. Now, even though I’m in an inner city school and they have tremendous challenges, I get to see my students achieve a success milestone every day.”