If you’re like many new teachers, you’re working under an Initial, Internship or Transitional B teaching certificate that will eventually expire. With the school year half over, now is a good time to take stock of the progress you’re making toward your Professional state certification.

If you haven’t already done so, register on the New York State Education Department website for a TEACH online account. This will enable you to check which certificate you hold, when it expires, which certification requirements you have already met and which you still need to meet.

If you are a first-year teacher, consult the email you received from the city Department of Education that identifies your individual appointment and licensing details, including codes and dates. Otherwise, ask your school secretary to confirm the license under which you were appointed.

If you’re working under an Initial certificate, you have five years from the issue date to complete the following requirements for a Professional certificate:

• A master’s degree.
• 12 graduate credits in the certificate area’s content core or a related field (if your master’s degree is pedagogical, you have met this 12-credit requirement).
• Three years of full-time teaching experience.
• One year of mentored experience.
• U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Your teaching experience can be in any public or approved nonpublic school and in any grade or subject within the developmental level of your certificate. Substitute teaching counts as long as it was done in the same developmental level as your certificate. Any teaching you did under an alternative certificate also counts.

The human resources director for your current school can verify all your New York City public school experience. However, the three years don’t all have to be in New York City schools. For experience in New York State or beyond, contact the district you previously worked in to get your employment verified. Get this verification done as soon as possible, while people who know you are still reachable.

In your first year of teaching, you should receive mentoring by an experienced teacher. It’s your mentor’s responsibility to log 40 hours into the DOE mentoring system, and you should see this mentoring reflected in your TEACH account.

Since it takes time to process your application, it’s a good idea to apply for your Professional certificate as soon as you finish all the requirements, or at least six months before your certificate expires. You must apply and pay the fee online at the State Education Department website.

If your Initial certificate expires within the next six months and you need more time to fulfill the requirements, you should apply immediately for a first reissuance of your Initial certificate on the State Education Department website. There is a $50 fee. In your application, you must identify one of the listed reasons for needing an extension and submit the appropriate supporting documentation.

For help with certification issues, call the UFT at 212-331-6311 and ask to speak to a certification specialist or email your borough's educational liaison.