Department of Education
Dr. Tim Webb, Commissioner

The Apprentice Teacher License is a full Tennessee teacher license issued to an educator who has completed an approved teacher preparation program. It is valid for five years and is renewable. The holder of an Apprentice License has five years in which to teach three years in a Tennessee public or state-accredited non-public school. Once the Apprentice License is used for three years in an approved Tennessee school (public school or non-public school that has adopted the state evaluation model), it is no longer valid. At the end of the three years of teaching, the school system must submit evidence of a positive local evaluation for the license holder to advance to the Professional License (Teacher).

If the Apprentice License is not used for three years in an approved Tennessee school, it remains valid for the duration of the five-year validity period. It may be renewed every five years if it is not used for employment in an approved Tennessee school by meeting renewal requirements.