Sherry Said:

Do you need a Certificate to teach cooking at a high school;?

We Answered:

To teach in a school, you must be certified to teach in that state. It is also more complicated than just taking the test to get your teachers certificate. You would also definitely need a specific four year degree, but I'm not sure what your degree would need to be in for you to teach cooking/ home ec. I'm a music teacher, and I earned a music education degree.

You should contact the school district's board office and have them tell you what steps to follow. One year is probably not enough time to prepare you for this position, I'm sorry to say. There's so much more to teaching than just knowing the subject matter. I'm sure you're a great cook, however, to be a teacher, there's classes upon classes of pedagogy you will need.

Something else you should check out is George Bush's "No Child Left Behind" mandate and how it affects hiring teachers. If you live in a rural area and no one better qualified wants the job, there might be some flexibility for you: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/…

Ivan Said:

can you enroll in a certificate program if you owe a university?

We Answered:

I think each school varies, and it also depends on whether or not you are applying for any federal financial aid. Some vo-tech schools offer fed. aid, and they ask for your transcripts. But on the other hand, some certificate programs don't ask for former transcripts. Good luck!