Are you interested in becoming a teacher and serving your local community? We have good news for you. Union County Public Schools (UCPS), Wingate University, and South Piedmont have teamed up to create Next Stop: Teach UCPS. This program offers multiple pathways for aspiring teachers to become licensed and enter the rewarding field of education.
How Next Stop: Teach UCPS Works
There are multiple ways to participate in Next Stop: Teach UCPS, and the best part is, they allow you to begin preparing for your teaching career as early as the ninth grade and give you the chance to save big $$$ on your college education.
*Note: Due to limited funding, all applicants may not receive UCPS tuition reimbursement.
This program is available to all UCPS high school students. You will complete your high school requirements while also earning an associate degree in Teacher Preparation from South Piedmont. You will graduate from high school with both your diploma and your degree. You will pay $0 in tuition at South Piedmont, and you will be eligible for the Gateway to Wingate Scholarship, which caps your tuition at Wingate at $5,000 or less per semester. After completing your bachelor’s degree at Wingate, you’ll be eligible for employment as a teacher at UCPS.
This pathway is available to all high school students enrolled at Union County Early College. You will begin this program in the ninth grade. Five years later, you will graduate with both your high school diploma AND your associate degree in Teacher Preparation from South Piedmont. You will pay $0 in tuition at South Piedmont, and you will be eligible for the Gateway to Wingate Scholarship, which caps your tuition at Wingate at $5,000 or less per semseter. After completing your bachelor’s degree at Wingate, you’ll be eligible for employment as a teacher at UCPS.
This pathway is available to CTE students. You will register as a teacher pre-apprentice and take Teaching as a Profession courses at Weddington or Porter Ridge High (you do not have to transfer to these schools, but you do have to travel for classes). Immediately following your high school graduation, you will be eligible to be hired as a teacher assistant at UCPS. While working as a teacher assistant, you’ll complete your associate degree in Teacher Preparation at South Piedmont. You will pay $0 in tuition at South Piedmont, and you will be eligible for the Gateway to Wingate Scholarship, which caps your tuition at Wingate at $5,000 or less per semester. After completing your bachelor’s degree at Wingate, you’ll be eligible for employment as a teacher at UCPS.
This pathway is also available to CTE students at Weddington High and Porter Ridge High. After your CTE program, you will be able to attend any four-year university of your choice. You may transfer up to seven credits directly to a four-year university. After earning your bachelor’s degree, you will be eligible for employment as a teacher at UCPS.
This program is available to UCPS instructional employees. You will complete your associate degree in Teacher Preparation from South Piedmont while remaining employed with UCPS. You will pay $0 in tuition at South Piedmont, and you will be eligible for the Gateway to Wingate Scholarship, which caps your tuition at Wingate at $5,000 or less per semester. This cost is eligible for coverage by UCPS. After completing your bachelor’s degree at Wingate, you’ll be eligible for employment as a teacher at UCPS as long as you commit to teaching for a minimum of three years in a Title I school or a minimum of four years in other UCPS schools.