The Residency

Program Details

Teach St. Louis’s Residency Program provides an innovative pathway into the classroom. Our model blends a rigorous, full-year classroom apprenticeship with a carefully aligned sequence of academic coursework, designed to successfully prepare you for a career in the classroom.  Our residents receive a stipend during the Residency year and a guaranteed teaching position in one of our partner schools or districts.

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Year 1

Induction

The Residency year begins in July. Teach St. Louis residents train as part of a cohort – a peer group that provides ongoing support and collaboration throughout the Residency year. In the summer session, you will meet the members of your cohort, learn more about our school and community partners, and spend time preparing for your Residency placement in the fall. 

Classroom Apprenticeship

As a resident, you’ll spend the full academic year in one of our partner schools, developing under the guidance of an experienced mentor teacher.  Over the course of the year, you’ll move from a co-teaching role in the first semester to full-time student teaching in the spring.  You’ll receive ongoing instructional coaching from your mentor teacher and Teach St. Louis staff and a stipend from your school to support your training in the classroom.  The average stipend awarded to residents in the 2024-25 school-year was $30,000, but all residents are guaranteed a minimum stipend award of $24,000.

Coursework and Practice

Throughout the apprenticeship year, you’ll attend Master’s degree coursework each Friday and one evening during the week . This coursework is designed to help you make connections between your work in the classroom and the latest in education theory and practice.  These classes focus on the skills you’ll need to build a culture of care and support in your classroom and deliver rigorous and engaging instruction. Teach St. Louis coursework also incorporates weekly, structured practice and role plays, ensuring that you’re prepared to execute effectively and engage learners.  At the end of year 1, residents are recommended for their initial certification.

Year 2

Lead Teacher

In the second year, you’ll begin to work as a full-time teacher in the partner school or district where you completed your apprenticeship. You’ll receive support and coaching from Teach STL, designed to help you become an effective first-year teacher. 


Master’s Coursework

Teach St. Louis residents will also continue coursework leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL) through our university partner, Washington University in St. Louis.  To read more about our university partnership, visit the MATL website.

Years 3 & 4

Teach St. Louis seeks candidates who are committed to working in public schools in St. Louis. As a residency graduate, you commit to teaching in your partner school or district for two additional years.  We anticipate that many of our graduates will go on to become mentor teachers and leaders in their school communities.

Who We Seek

We seek diverse candidates who believe that all students are capable of achieving ambitious goals and outcomes. We are looking for passionate learners who are ready to make a difference in high-needs schools and classrooms here in St. Louis. We look for candidates with a variety of backgrounds, including new college graduates, working professionals, and career changers.

What We Offer

At Teach St. Louis we believe that great teachers thrive in a joyful professional community that encourages critical feedback and reflection.  We offer candidates the opportunity to complete the residency with a cohort of equally committed and talented peers who provide support and collaborative learning throughout the residency year.  As an Teach St. Louis resident, you’ll receive targeted instructional coaching that will prepare you to be effective on day one in the classroom.

Program Eligibility

We certify teachers in content areas that match the greatest needs of our school partners, based on their teacher vacancies. This includes Elementary Education (Grades 1-6) and Math, Science and English Language Arts for both middle and high school (Secondary Education).

To be eligible for the residency, all candidates must demonstrate these qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree conferred prior to program start

  • Cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher (or provide additional context on your GPA to be considered)

  • Commitment to work in their partner school or district for a total of four years (this includes the one-year apprenticeship year and three years as a lead-teacher)

  • Passing score on the state content assessment requirement for licensure (Praxis)

Note that to be considered for a middle or high school content area (math, science, or ELA), candidates must meet one of our qualification pathways: 

  1. Degree in a related content area

  2. At least 15 post-secondary credit hours in a related content area

  3. Significant work or volunteer experience in the content area 

  4. Demonstrated passion or expertise in the content area

Additional information about the certification process in Missouri can be found on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

Program Finances

Teach St. Louis’s Residency Program provides an innovative pathway into the classroom. Our model blends a rigorous, full-year classroom apprenticeship with a carefully aligned sequence of academic coursework, designed to successfully prepare you for a career in the classroom.  Our residents receive a stipend during the Residency year and a guaranteed teaching position in one of our partner schools or districts.

Program Costs

The total cost of tuition for the 2025-2026 residency cohort was $15,840. Through our partnership with Washington University in St. Louis, residency tuition is currently set at $440 per credit hour for the 36-credit program. (Please note that tuition increases may occur on an annual basis, dependent upon university policies).

Teacher Salaries

During the first year of the Residency, residents receive a stipend of at least $24,000 directly from their partner school. The average stipend in the 2024-25 school-year was $30,000. School partners also provide full health insurance benefits.

In year two, following certification, residents receive a lead teacher salary. The average starting salary for certified teachers at our partner schools is approximately $45,000, but there is some variation, depending upon your school placement as well as the candidate’s educational background.

Financial Aid

For the Master’s degree, all residents are eligible to apply for the federal TEACH Grant. The TEACH Grant is offered by the U.S. Department of Education and residents may use it to cover $8,000 of their Master's degree tuition.

There are additional financial support opportunities available:

  • For eligible residents, our BEI grant provides an additional $8,000 in tuition forgiveness. More details can be found on our BEI page.

  • Residency candidates can utilize federal financial aid in the form of unsubsidized federal student loans accessed through WashU’s financial aid office.

Interview & Selection Process

Every year our application window opens in October and continues through the following spring. The residency program begins in July.

1. Online Application

To apply online, you will be asked to submit:

  • Academic history, including GPA

  • Resume

  • An unofficial transcript

  • Responses to three short-answer questions.

2. Phone Interview

Within a week of submitting your online application, Teach St. Louis will reach out to let you know if you qualify for the second stage of the selection process, the phone interview. The phone interview allows us to get-to-know you and provides an opportunity for you to find out more about the residency program.

3. Selection Day and Interview

Qualifying candidates will be invited to participate in an in-person selection day. You will teach a short sample lesson, meet the Teach St. Louis team, and participate in a panel interview and group discussion. Candidates will be notified of their acceptance within one week.

4. Spring Site Visits

Candidates who have been accepted into the residency are asked to spend one full-day in one of our partner schools during the spring semester. This experience gives you the opportunity to meet residents and mentors at one of our training sites and understand what it is like to participate in the program. You’ll observe classrooms, meet with Teach St. Louis participants or alumni, and begin your preparation for the start of summer coursework in July.

5. Mentor & Training Site Match

If you are selected to participate in the Residency, we believe that the mentor and district partner match is important to your success in the program. We offer school site visits for residents, conduct an interview process with candidates and school partners, and then consider the preferences of both our school partners and residents when making a match.

We ask our residents to work in the same school district or charter management organization for the four years of the program. Teach St. Louis partners with a diverse group of public schools in St. Louis. A current list of school and district partners is available on our Partner page.

Application

Applications for our 2025 cohort are closed. We will begin accepting applications for Cohort 2026 on October 1st.

Interested in learning more about the residency and preparing for our early application window? Complete an interest form to connect with a member of our talent team!