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 2023-24 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 classes 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. 

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.  In your second year, you will begin paying $8,000 to Teach St Louis to cover the cost of the certification coursework provided in the first year.

Master’s Coursework

Teach St. Louis residents will also continue coursework with our university partner, Washington University in St. Louis, leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL) at the end of year two.  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 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)

Note that to be considered for a middle or high school placement (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 residency program over two years of coursework is $16,000.

This includes $8,000 in tuition for the certification coursework facilitated by Teach St. Louis in year one of the program. Residents have the option of deferring the cost of this certification tuition until the second year of the program, when they earn a lead teacher salary at their partner school.

The total cost also includes an estimated $8,000 in tuition for the Master of Arts in Teaching & Learning (MATL) from Washington University in year two of the program. The MATL tuition is offered at a significantly discounted rate to Teach STL residents, and covers 21 credit hours.

Teacher Salaries

During the first year of the Residency, residents receive a stipend of at least $24,000 directly from their partner school. 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 or take out federal or private student loans to cover the cost of tuition. The TEACH Grant is offered by the U.S. Department of Education and residents may use it to cover the $8,000 cost of their Master's degree tuition from Washington University.

There are additional financial support opportunities available:

  • For eligible residents, our Black Educators Initiative (BEI) grant provides $8,000 in tuition forgiveness to cover the first-year cost of certification tuition. More details can be found on our BEI page.

  • Summer Bridge Funds: All first-year residents are able to apply for bridge funds during the Summer Term in July and August.  These bridge funds can be used to support resident expenses prior to the start of the academic year.

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 the school leadership team, and begin your preparation for the start of summer coursework in July.

5. Mentor & Training Site Math

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

The application for our 2025-26 Residency Cohort is open! Submit an application today in order to begin your career as an educator!

Still have questions? Complete an interest form to connect with a member of our talent team and learn more!