Admissions FAQ
For additional information regarding the admission process for the Bachelor's in Global Education Program, please review our FAQ page.
Accreditation
Yes, we are accredited through WCSUS. It means that our degrees ‘count’ anywhere in the United States.
Eligibility - Who Should Apply
To be eligible for OTC, you must meet all of the following conditions:
be a high school graduate
at least 18 years of age
hold a citizenship status that allows you to work in your local state
be fluent in English
pass a background check for the legal permission to work with children
work with children for at least 15 hours/week in an academic setting
work for one of our partner school systems (districts, parishes, or CMO’s) OR participate in one of our partner programs
be FAFSA eligible
The Global Education degree is a RESIDENCY program. Work experience is necessary for understanding teaching in real, practical, and local ways. We utilize your work in schools as credit towards your degree. All students in our program work with children from the first day of classes.
As the world responds to the situation created by COVID, wherein schools are organizing in very different ways from the past, whatever form (online, in-person, or hybrid) that your school takes, we count child-facing work towards your degree.
10 hours is the minimum requirement for participation in our program. Our partners are often willing to accommodate students who are making the commitment to teach in their community, so there may be options if you check with your school. To be in the program, all students must have at least 10-plus hours of work experience per week to start.
We are able to make connections to HR and hiring offices, but we are hands-off when it comes to district employment decisions. We can help you find the right people, from there we leave it up to our partners to make all employment decisions.
Yes, we appreciate your enthusiasm and respect your determination. Start by scheduling time with the Recruitment Office to learn more about the program and discuss the steps of establishing successful partnerships.
We rely on our partners to know the qualities and people that make high quality teachers in their communities. We take their lead on recruitment. Students interested in applying can connect with our local partners to get more information and be referred to the Global Education program.
No, we are taking time to grow, learning through our expansion, and scaling strategically.
10 hours is the minimum requirement for participation in our program. Our partners are often willing to accommodate students who are making the commitment to teach in their community, so there may be options if you check with your school. To be in the program, all students must have at least 10-plus hours of work experience per week to start.
Our current students work as paraprofessionals, special educators, secretaries/administrators, athletic coaches, and custodians. Other students are parents who work in tutoring and volunteer capacities in reading and math classes. Our program partners are often afterschool providers, where our students work in Math labs, Science camps, and afterschool tutoring. The key component of the work is to directly engage with children around significant academic content; to have hands-on access to teaching and learning.
Non-academic work—including mentoring programs that focus on soft skills, building interest in STEM, or athletics—does not meet our work requirements.
Program Questions
Applications
Financial Questions
There is no cost for the application to OTC.
Enrollment for the fall semester runs from January through May. Enrollment for the Spring runs from September through December. We do not have enrollment for summer semester.
Potential students schedule times to connect that work for them. During the call, you can ask questions and complete an application. Completing the application typically takes about 15 minutes.
We make admissions decisions in about a week of a student completing the application and submitting all materials. Each Friday, we contact the students who completed the process by EOD Wednesday that same week to let them know if they have been accepted to the program.
Potential students should start collecting proof of high school graduation, collecting all transcripts from other institutions, and completing taxes for the most recent tax year.
If you are not currently working for a school district or have not yet completed a background check, you must complete a background check to be in our program. We require background checks due to the safety concerns of schools.
Our application checklist includes the following steps:
Check that you meet all eligibility requirements
Connect with district partner to receive recommendation
Schedule meeting time with admissions
Complete application sections during admissions call
Complete final steps of application (submit proof of HS graduation, writing sample, and any college transcripts)
Receive application confirmation
Receive admission’s decision from OTC (Fridays)
Receive student email and begin steps for matriculation (Student Services Checklist)
Academic Program Questions
This video will help!
As a new school, we have not conferred degrees on students yet. Our first class will graduate in 2023.
We ask students to reserve Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursday evenings (7pm-10pm depending on time zone). Classes will be offered two days per week (ex. Tuesday and Thursday) and those days can change each semester.
We have a prescribed course sequence for students. No need to worry about choosing classes or whether a required course is offered during a particular semester. We register you in the courses you need to matriculate and guarantee to offer them on-time for graduation in 4 years.
Students receive their schedules for the semester at student orientation.
Students should expect to work on their degrees for approximately 20-25 hours per week.
During the first two years of the program, you can expect courses that focus on the background knowledge and foundational skills required of all teachers, at all levels. During the final two years of the program, you will take courses aligned with a specific certification, content area and grade-level. At this point, a STEM-Life Sciences teacher will be taking different coursework than a Generalist, preparing for different PRAXIS exams, and working with different ages of students.
Our students will take required exams during the fourth year of the program. We provide technical supports and offer test prep sessions to help students pass the PRAXIS. We do not want any of our students to trip at the finish line.
- Complete 2020 taxes - to apply for FAFSA
- Proof of HS or GED
- 2 essays (250 words, word format)
- Why do you want to teach in your community?
- Describe a situation in your life when you persevered, overcame, and/or achieved despite many challenges?
- Proof of employment
- Must work with children 10-15 hours per week
- College Transcripts (if applicable)
There is no cost to apply to OTC.
There are no fees for our program. Students a flat fee of $75/month that covers registration, Library services, and all other supports and services.
OTC does not yet participate in the federal financial aid system. However, we seek GRANT and SCHOLARSHIP dollars to make our program as affordable as possible for all students tuition. The average amount of grant and scholarship funding for our program is $7,000 per student per year. Some will receive more funding, others less, but when we put all the grant and scholarship funding together, the average is enough to cover all students.
No.
Grants are not repaid by students. Loans are money received from banks and financial institutions that must be repaid after graduation, or once a student withdraws from school. We use grants and scholarships. We do not use loans.
No, we do not use loans. There is no repayment for tuition after graduation.
No. Withdrawn students are responsible for payments through the month of their withdrawal. For instance, if you withdraw in January, you are only responsible to pay through January 31st and will not be responsible for payments starting February 1st.
Our program is designed to support local staffing needs. Ideally, students want to fill district vacancies. But we do not have a say about student’s future employment. You graduate with a BA in Teaching Degree that you can use to teach anywhere in the United States.
Signed financial contracts are due by the last day of the month of the semester that a student starts the program (August 31st for Fall semester and January 31st for Spring semester).
Students must complete FAFSA by the last day of the month of the semester that a student starts the program (August 31st for Fall semester and January 31st for Spring semester)
OTC does not charge fees to students.
If you have questions or need additional information please contact us at apply@reach.edu