Teacher Certification

[JayGatsby]

I'm new to this forum so I want to apologize for any unintentional faux pas. I am an English-History double major and applied for graduate programs in English last fall and was not accepted by any. I am reapplying this year. Currently I am also substitute teaching.

My question is this: Should I go through the Teacher Certification process this summer?

I would like to have this to fall back on in case grad programs fail to accept me or as a means of income while I'm going to grad school. However I am also concerned that some grad programs may see this as a sign that I am a) not truly dedicated to getting a PhD since I am investing time and money in a certificate that isn't necessary to teach at the university level or lacking confidence in the strength of my application. I want to make myself marketable but don't want to send the wrong message.

[maelia8]

I don't think that getting a teaching certification can hurt your application in any way, and it might even help it! It's a great thing to put on your resume because it shows that you have real teaching experience, and whether or not you aspire to teach at the university level as a professor, you would probably end up teaching during TAships while getting your degree, so I don't see how more teaching experience could possibly hurt. I had two years of teaching experience when I applied to my program in history, and I'm sure that it helped my application.

[JayGatsby]

Thanks maelia8! I guess I'm just a little shell shocked from the first round of rejections.