Instructional FAQ

The student load for a full-time instructor is on average 150-200 students.

Full-time instructors are expected to be available for their students from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, Monday through Friday. However, this certainly doesn’t mean that our instructors work 12 hours each day. We pride ourselves on providing our instructors with the resources to maintain a great work/life balance. If hired with FLVS, you will work with your Instructional Leader to create a schedule that works for you by dedicating set time each day for grading, phone calls, emails with students and parents, and your personal time. The flexibility offered by online teaching allows our instructors to arrange their schedule during the day to accomplish both personal and job-oriented tasks as well as enjoy downtime.

Yes, all FLVS instructors are assigned a laptop. FLVS provides full-time instructors with a $62 biweekly connectivity stipend. The FLVS issued laptop must be used for all FLVS work. A personal device cannot be used. 

Yes. Students enroll and complete courses at their own pace throughout the calendar year.

FLVS instructors report to an Instructional Leader or a School Principal. They are in constant contact with the teachers they oversee and are valuable resources for concerns and questions.

FLVS will meet any applicable accommodations on an IEP or 504 Plan that is shared with the FLVS teacher. FLVS also has ESE Specialists to assist teachers with strategies and resources when needed.

At this time, FLVS is only considering out-of-state candidates for our critical need subject areas, which fluctuate throughout the year based on student demand.

FLVS can hire anyone who is eligible for reemployment under the Florida Retirement System (FRS) guidelines.

We pride ourselves on ensuring that our teachers have all the support and tools they need to thrive while working virtually. With the flexibility of working virtually and the daily support provided by the FLVS team, FLVS teachers embark on a unique, customized, and rewarding career path.

• An Instructional Leader —comparable to a principal in a brick-and-mortar school—who is supportive, knowledgeable, available, and dependable (Instructional Leaders are organized by content area)
• A Lead Teacher who serves as a daily support system for a cohort of 6-9 teachers (similar to a Department Chair)
• Teams of 2-4 teachers work together to support one another on a daily basis
• Literacy Coaches assigned to each content area to help reach struggling students and to implement new strategies
• ESE Specialists to help teachers formulate effective strategies for individual students
• Curriculum Specialists readily available to discuss course and content needs
• Guidance Counselors to help guide teachers, students, and their families
• A Practicum Partner for new instructors to shadow as they build their skills in their new position
• Ongoing enrichment through endless professional development opportunities
• FLVS laptop provided with the latest technologies and 24-hour IT support
• Regular invitations to meet-ups in their area, providing the opportunity to build personal relationships with other FLVS employees face-to-face

Click here and join us on a tour through some of our current courses.

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Career and Technical Education
• Driver Education
• Economics
• English 3
• HOPE
• Intensive Reading
• Leadership Skills Development
• Outdoor Education
• Social Media
• M/J Language Arts

FLVS is able to consider candidates with both professional and temporary Florida teaching certificates. Please see individual job postings for the specific certification requirements.

For information regarding teaching Advanced Placement (AP), please click here.

Complete Application Package

• Complete the online application via the Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification Room 201, Turlington Building, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, along with a $75 fee for each subject requested. Include an official transcript showing the conferral of an acceptable Bachelor's or higher degree. Applications will not be processed until all items are received.
• Submit copies of out-of-state certificates held, if applicable, to the Department of Education.
• Submit official score reports of any FTCE examinations already taken and passed to the Department of Education.

Official Statement of Status of Eligibility

• Will be issued by The Department of Education once the application is complete.
• Will indicate requirements (if any) to be completed in order to qualify for a professional certificate.

Note: The date on the Statement of Status of Eligibility is not the date of the certificate. Once the certificate is issued, the date of the certificate supersedes the date on the Statement of Status of Eligibility.

Certificates

• Certificates will be issued by the Department of Education upon receipt of teacher's fingerprints and an issue request. These items are sent by Florida Virtual School- Certification. This is done automatically at the time of hire. Teachers do not need to contact Florida Virtual School- Certification regarding issuance of certification.
• Teachers will be issued the highest level certificate, either professional (5 years) or temporary (3 years), for which they are eligible at the time of issuance

Florida has two reciprocity routes for certified teachers and administrators to qualify for our Professional Certificate.

• Route 1: Valid Standard Certificate Issued by a State Other than Florida
  • The certificate must be a standard or Level II certificate issued by the other state or US territory, and the certificate must be valid (not expired or revoked).
  • The subject(s) shown on your certificate must be considered comparable to a subject(s) issued in Florida
• Route 2: Certificate Issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
  • The NBPTS certificate must be valid
  • The Florida certificate will reflect the Florida subject considered comparable to the NBPTS subject.
  • NBPTS certification areas.
• Begin the Application Process
  • Apply for a Florida Professional Certificate in the same subject/s shown on your valid out-of-state or NBPTS certificate.

Graduates from a Teaching Program

• Graduates of Florida state-approved teacher preparation programs who have passed the subject area exam, the professional education test, and all four parts of the general knowledge exam will qualify for a Professional Florida Educator’s Certificate. Graduates of Florida approved teacher preparation programs who have not passed all tests will qualify for a Temporary Certificate.
• Apply for your Florida Certificate

Career Changer or College Graduate of a Non-education Program:

A graduate with a degree from an accredited or approved institution who is considering the teaching profession as a first career or a career change must first be eligible for a temporary certificate.  There are three ways to achieve eligibility:

• Hold a degree in an area in which Florida offers certification.
• Hold a degree in any area and a passing score on an appropriate Subject Area Examination taken after July 1, 2002.
• Hold a bachelor's degree in any area and meet the specialization requirement through appropriate coursework.

You will apply for a Temporary Certificate, so that you may begin teaching full-time while you complete your remaining certification requirements. Your Statement of Status of Eligibility will provide you with specific and official information about your remaining requirements for the Professional Certificate.

• Certification Exams - FTCE Testing Site
• Education Credits - Educator Preparation Institute

Foreign Trained Graduate:

Applicants with academic training completed outside the United States should submit the following documentation with the completed application and fee(s):

Credential evaluation report: an original credential report that includes a statement of degree equivalency and a breakdown of coursework into descriptive course titles and semester-hour credit. Please do not submit original foreign documents to the Bureau of Educator Certification.

The credential evaluation report may be provided by one of the following:

• an accredited four-year college or university in the United States
• a current member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)
• a current member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE)
• a credential evaluation agency approved by the Bureau of Educator Certification (Approved Credential Evaluation Agencies)

You will apply for a Temporary Certificate, so that you may begin teaching full-time while you complete your remaining certification requirements. Your Statement of Status of Eligibility will provide you with specific and official information about your remaining requirements for the Professional Certificate. For more information, please click here.

FLVS District Issued Certification

In order to be considered for a FLVS District Issued Certificate you must meet the minimum requirements below:

Degreed Vocational:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in the field (vocational subject area)
• At least 2 years of full-time occupational experience or the part-time equivalent

or

Non-Degreed Vocational Teacher:

• High School Diploma or GED
• At least 6 years of full-time occupational experience or the part-time equivalent with one or more of the following:
  • Completion of a training program specific to the area, completed at a postsecondary vocational or technical institution approved by the State Board for Vocational Education in the state where the institution is located
  • A valid certificate, or license issued by a recognized state or national credentialing agency in an area specific to the assignment (RN, Cosmetology, Fire Service Instructor, etc.);
  • A certificate of completion of an apprenticeship program, established by the U.S. Department of Labor or the Florida Department of Labor (Air Conditioning, Building Maintenance, Electrical Wiring, etc.)

If you meet at least one of the areas above you can apply for the FLVS District Issued Certificate area:

• Apply online to Florida Virtual School for an open District Certification job opening
• Certification Specialist will review your application and send the District Certification application
  • The Certification Specialist will request specific documentation such as; official transcripts, official letters of employment verification, etc.
• If hired, a $75 certificate fee will be required
• The Certification Specialist will send a notification of requirements needed to be completed if necessary.

Please log in to your profile to update your certification areas. You may also send an email to [email protected].

FLVS instructors work with a variety of software and systems to support student needs. Microsoft Office Suite and Internet Explorer are just two of the most common. Computer proficiency is critical in order to be successful in the virtual environment.

The mandatory virtual interview is an opportunity for one of our Talent Management associates to become familiar with your teaching background, philosophy, and skill set. You should be prepared to answer questions about your experience and provide examples.

The interview provides us with a chance to learn more about you before a final decision is made by either party. You will have the opportunity to interview with an Instructional Leader or School Principal. You should be prepared to answer questions about your experience and provide examples. 

Within 3-5 days of completing the interview process, you will receive an update via email.  

1. You may be asked to complete an additional interview activity.
2. You may be informed that you have not been selected for an instructional position.

There are a variety of reasons why an applicant may not be selected for a position with FLVS. We appreciate the passion, dedication, and hard work of all the teachers who apply to work on our instructional team. We have specific traits and skill sets, however, that we look for in order to ensure that a teacher will be successful in our unique virtual environment. Due to the number of applicants that we work with each week, we are not able to accommodate providing individualized feedback.

If a candidate applies for an instructional position and is not selected, we advise waiting at least a year before applying again for an instructional position at FLVS.