Many Maryland federal employees are without jobs after mass firings by President Donald Trump’s administration. The good news is that there are plenty of job openings in education and that the state education department is ready to welcome them with open arms.

Gov. Wes Moore directed education leaders to help displaced federal workers fill open teaching positions. Answering that call, the Maryland Department of Labor, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Governor’s Office for Children and the Maryland State Department of Education are in partnership to make that happen.

The group has three initiatives to tackle that goal: a communication campaign to spread awareness about job opportunities, higher education support that will include adapting teacher preparation programs, and exploration of alternate ways to get a teaching license.

For now, the state has a webpage explaining how those seeking a new career can get into the classroom.

Here are the options federal workers should know if they’re looking to become an educator.

College preparation programs

All teachers need a teaching license or should be working to get one. The traditional path starts in college at a four-year education preparation program. Maryland has 22 colleges and universities that offer them.

Or they could enroll in an alternative preparation program instead. Many Maryland school districts offer them in partnership with a community college or four-year college, and it’s cheaper than the traditional route. It leads to a teacher license “but not necessarily to a degree,” according to the webpage. And it allows participants to start teaching and earning a salary much earlier.

“Because of the modified timeframe, alternative preparation programs are considered intensive and very challenging,” the state’s webpage says.

Conditional license

Want to bypass all the prep and go straight to the classroom? It’s possible with a temporary credential called a conditional license. Any aspiring teacher with a bachelor’s degree can get one, as long as they are working toward a full teacher license at the same time they’re teaching in a classroom. It’s not an easy balance, but educators are given three to five years to finish, depending on the subject they teach.

Scholarship money

Those who are currently in undergraduate or graduate school can receive scholarship money if they make a pledge to work in a high-needs public school or at a grade level where there’s a teacher shortage. It’s through the Teaching Fellows for Maryland Scholarship, and eligible applicants are college students, or incoming college students, who are majoring in a program that leads to a teaching license.

The application window is now open for the 2025-2026 school year and closes April 1, 2026.

If teaching isn’t your thing, but you’re interested in working at a school, the state’s education department suggests reaching out to your local school system to learn about other positions they offer.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.