Teacher certification in Georgia is often perceived as a separate, one-off examination system. That no longer reflects reality: under the Law on General Education the separate certification system was replaced by the teachers' professional development and career advancement scheme, while the qualification requirements are set out in Article 21-3. This page explains through which routes a teacher's qualification may be obtained, how the transitional norms operate and what the law counts as a certificate.
The seven routes to qualification — Article 21-3
Paragraph 1 of Article 21-3 provides that teachers holding the respective positions must satisfy the requirements established by the teacher's professional standard and one of the following requirements: a master's degree from the integrated bachelor-master teacher-preparation programme; a master's degree in education together with confirmed subject competence; a subject-appropriate degree and completion of the teacher-preparation programme or its distance course within 2 years of starting work as a teacher; a bachelor's degree together with the preparation programme completed within the bachelor's studies and subject competence; the right to teach on the basis of a higher-education document together with subject competence; a doctor's degree in the subject or in education; or the right to teach on the basis of a certificate obtained upon completion of the teacher-preparation programme.
The certificate works as follows: in that last-mentioned route it is a fully-fledged path — a certificate of the teacher-preparation educational programme grants the right to teach. The other routes (a master's degree, doctoral studies, subject competence) establish the qualification without a certificate — what matters is that the professional standard and one requirement from the list are satisfied.
Special teachers and other categories
For special teachers, paragraph 3 of Article 21-3 sets separate requirements: a master's degree together with the special teacher's examination or a preparation certificate; a special module within the integrated programme; a doctor's degree in special education or in education sciences (with a thesis on inclusive education); a bachelor's degree together with a special-education master's programme or a certificate; a bachelor's degree in psychology or the academic degree of an occupational therapist together with the examination or a certificate; or the examination together with one requirement of paragraph 1. A special teacher working with pupils with sensory, intellectual, behavioural or emotional special educational needs must additionally have completed a specialised certificate programme for teaching such pupils.
A teacher of aesthetic education, sport or technologies needs complete general education and higher or vocational education in the relevant field, the teacher-preparation programme and the examination in the subject taught; a teacher of the military subject needs complete general education, military education and the preparation programme, and the Ministry of Defence is authorised to establish additional qualification requirements for them. Teachers of certain positions must know two languages, one of which must necessarily be Georgian.
The professional development and career advancement scheme
Article 21-7 provides that the commencement and termination of a teacher's activity follow the rule approved by the Ministry, while professional development and career advancement follow the scheme approved by the Government of Georgia. The scheme places teachers in an equal position regardless of race, language, sex, religion, ethnic and social origin and other distinctions, and defines the rule of entry into the scheme and the evaluation criteria. The sources of funding are diverse — from the institution's own funds to donor financing.
Transitional norms — old certificates and deadlines
Article 61-2 answers the question of what happens to the generation of teachers who obtained qualifications under the old rules: the results of certification examinations conducted before the end of 2014 will be taken into account in the new scheme; for a teacher active before 1 January 2015 and for a person certified before that date, the requirements of Article 21-3 are deemed satisfied. Until the end of 2023 the right to start working as a teacher was also available to a holder of a bachelor's degree, on condition of completing the preparation programme within 2 years; a person working at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year but not enrolled in the scheme is regarded as a teacher-trainee, and a person employed under that route as of 1 January 2024 may register as a trainee.
Frequently asked questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently asked about the legal status of teachers.
Does a separate teacher certification system exist today?
No — it was replaced by the professional development and career advancement scheme. The certificate today is one qualification route among several: a certificate of the teacher-preparation educational programme grants the right to teach.
May one work without a certificate?
Yes, if another requirement of the list in Article 21-3 is satisfied — for instance, an appropriate master's or doctor's degree with subject competence. Transitional norms also recognise old certificates.
Within what period must a degreed teacher complete the preparation programme?
A teacher holding a subject-appropriate bachelor's or master's degree must complete the teacher-preparation educational programme or its distance course within 2 years of starting work.
What requirements apply to special teachers?
The list of paragraph 3 of Article 21-3 — a master's degree with examination or certificate, a special module, a doctorate in special education, or a bachelor's degree with a special-education master's programme — plus, for the respective pupil groups, a specialised certificate programme.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team will determine which qualification route corresponds to your education and experience, establish your status under the transitional norms, and assist both in employment and in qualification-related disputes. Contact us — we will begin the legal assessment of your situation at the very first consultation.