Don't let the license you spent years earning quietly expire.

Keep your special education teaching license active — from your living room.

If you're a special education teacher on a career break — for parenting, caregiving, a stint in another field, or anything else — you can keep your license active by tutoring online with us. Five hours a week of real teaching, documented by a real employer, generating real income. It counts toward your license renewal and keeps your skills sharp while you're away from the classroom.

Founded 2014 44 special education tutors thousands of children served Built by parents of a child with autism

Why license maintenance matters.

The license you already have is valuable.

A special education teaching license takes years to earn — coursework, student teaching, exams, background checks, endorsements. If you let it lapse, getting it back requires jumping through many of the same hoops again. Some states require additional coursework. Some require you to re-pass the Praxis. Some have waiting periods.

Keeping it active while you're on a career break is dramatically easier than reactivating it after it expires.

Most states require "recency of practice."

Tennessee and Florida (and most other states) require teachers to demonstrate recent teaching experience as part of their license renewal. The specific rules vary, but the pattern is consistent: if you haven't taught in several years, your renewal application gets harder.

Online tutoring with a documented employer counts as teaching experience in most states. It's real instruction, in your endorsement area, with verifiable records.

How tutoring with us keeps your license active.

We're a real employer with real documentation

We're not a tutoring marketplace where you're a contractor. We're a W-2 employer. You're on our payroll. We have records of every session you teach, every student you work with, every hour you log. When your state licensing board asks for documentation of recent teaching experience, we can provide it.

The work is in your endorsement area

You're tutoring special education students — kids with IEPs, learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, and other exceptionalities. The content matches your license endorsement. This isn't general tutoring that a state board might question; it's special education instruction.

The hours add up

Five hours of tutoring per week across a school year is approximately 180 hours of direct instructional time. Most state recency requirements are satisfied with 60-90 hours per year. Tutoring with us generates more than enough documented hours to support your renewal.

How much teaching do you actually need? (State by state)

Tennessee

Tennessee teaching licenses are valid for 5 years. Renewal requires either employment verification from a Tennessee school district, OR documentation of teaching experience from another employer (including private tutoring companies) plus completion of required professional development.

Our employment verification letters have been accepted by the Tennessee Department of Education for license renewal. Five hours a week of tutoring across a school year provides more than sufficient documentation.

Tennessee licensing info: tn.gov/education/educators/licensing

Florida

Florida Professional Certificates are valid for 5 years. Renewal requires 20 in-service points (professional development), AND documentation of "employment in an instructional or administrative capacity" OR completion of college coursework.

Our employment verification documents your instructional work. Combined with continuing education (which we do not provide — you'll need to complete that separately), tutoring with us supports Florida certificate renewal.

Florida certification info: fldoe.org/teaching/certification

Other states

If you hold a license from a state other than Tennessee or Florida but currently live in TN or FL, your renewal requirements are governed by your licensing state, not your residence state. Contact your licensing state's department of education for specific requirements. In general, documented teaching experience from a W-2 employer is accepted by most states as evidence of continued practice.

The pay math: you get paid while keeping your license.

This isn't volunteer work. You're earning $23–$25 as a W-2 employee, paid weekly.

5 hours/week × $24/hr × 52 weeks = ~$6,000/year of supplemental income.

Tennessee and Florida have no state income tax, so your take-home is as efficient as it gets. You're maintaining your license, staying sharp, earning income, and keeping a line on your résumé that shows continued professional practice. All from your living room, on your schedule.

Who this is for.

Parents on a career break

You left the classroom to raise your kids. You plan to go back eventually. Your license is sitting there, ticking toward expiration. Tutoring five hours a week keeps it alive and gives you real teaching experience to talk about in interviews when you're ready to return.

Teachers who moved to a new state

You taught in Ohio for fifteen years, then moved to Florida for family reasons. You don't have a Florida license yet, but you're keeping your Ohio license active in case you move back or want to pursue reciprocity later. Tutoring with us documents continued practice under your Ohio license.

Teachers in other careers temporarily

You left teaching to try something else — corporate training, curriculum development, administration, a totally different field. You're not sure you want to go back, but you don't want to close the door. Tutoring a few hours a week keeps the license active without committing to a full return.

Teachers recovering from burnout

You needed a break. The caseload was too much, the admin was impossible, the paperwork was drowning you. You still love working with kids one-on-one — you just couldn't sustain the classroom role. Tutoring gives you the part you loved without everything else.

Frequently asked questions

Will five hours a week really qualify as teaching for state renewal?
In most states, yes. The key is documentation: a verifiable employer, dated session records, and a content area matching your endorsement. We provide all three. State requirements vary, so confirm your specific rules — but tutoring with us has been used successfully by teachers in multiple states for renewal documentation.
Does it matter that the students are not in my home state?
Generally no. Most state licensing boards care that you are doing teaching work in your endorsement area, not where the students live. Online tutoring, where the teacher is in-state and students are anywhere, is increasingly recognized as legitimate teaching practice.
My license expired six months ago — can I reactivate by tutoring with you?
Possibly, depending on your state. Tennessee allows expired licenses to be reactivated within a grace period (typically up to one year) with additional professional development hours. Florida similarly allows reactivation of recently lapsed certificates with documentation. Apply with us and we'll talk through your specific situation.
Can I list this experience on my résumé when I return to full-time teaching?
Absolutely. "Online Special Education Tutor at SpecialEdResource" is a real job at a real employer with documented work. Most school districts treat ongoing tutoring experience favorably when reviewing applications from teachers returning from a career break.
Do I keep my license while I'm employed by you, even if I'm not in a classroom?
Your license stays with you regardless of who employs you — it's issued to you, not to a school. What we do is provide documented teaching experience that supports your renewal. The license itself is yours.
What if I want to tutor more than five hours a week?
You can. Many of our career-paused teachers work 8-10 hours a week. The more you tutor, the more income you earn and the more documentation you accumulate. There's no maximum.
What if I need to take time off for a family trip or other commitment?
Tell us in advance and we'll pause your sessions. Most of our tutors take 4-8 weeks off per year for various reasons. As long as you give reasonable notice, it's not a problem.

Your license is an asset. Keep it alive.

Five hours a week, from your living room, on your schedule, getting paid. When you're ready to return to the classroom — or even if you never do — the license is still there, current, documented, yours.