Maybe it started when you mentored an intern and watched them grow. Maybe you explained a concept to a niece and saw it click. Or maybe you just keep wondering what it would be like to bring your work into a classroom.
For a lot of STEM professionals, that curiosity comes with a long list of questions. Would I be good at it? Do I need a credential first? What would it mean for my career? It’s easy to set the idea aside until you have every answer.
Here’s the thing: you don’t need every answer to take a first step. You just need a way to try it out.
Curiosity is a good place to start
The EnCorps STEM Teachers Program is built for people who are curious about teaching and want to see what it’s really like. It’s free to join. Fellows spend about 2 hours a week for 10 weeks in a middle or high school STEM classroom, alongside an experienced host teacher, at one of more than 100 partner schools across California.
You don’t have to quit your job, enroll in a program, or decide your future before you begin. You get real time with students, a Program Manager who knows your goals, and a community of other STEM professionals asking the same questions you are.
Last year, 169 STEM professionals joined the Fellowship. Some came in certain they wanted to teach. Many came in simply curious. Both are welcome.
Three starting points, one fellowship
Every Fellow arrives from a different place. That’s why EnCorps offers three pathways within the same Fellowship. Each one is a different starting point on the same road toward the classroom, and you can begin wherever feels right today.
Exploring: “I’m curious about teaching but not sure where to start.”
Minh Nguyen spent more than 20 years as a software engineer. At Google, he trained an intern who later founded a startup, and that experience showed him how much he valued helping young people grow. EnCorps placed him in a classroom as a guest teacher and connected him with a credential program. Today he’s preparing to teach high school math.
On this pathway, you guest teach 2 hours a week for 10 weeks alongside a host teacher. You finish with a Takeover Day, where you plan and lead a lesson with your host teacher’s support. Your Program Manager also walks you through credential options, so if you decide teaching is for you, you’ll know what comes next.
Volunteering: “I love my STEM career and want to share it with students.”
Dr. Disha Sardana is a research data scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where she uses AI to make scientific data easier for researchers to use. Through EnCorps, she volunteered in a computer science classroom at Estancia High School, giving students a close look at what a STEM career involves day to day.
On this pathway, no credential is required. You spend 2 hours a week for 10 weeks in a classroom and prepare a short 10 to 15 minute presentation on how your work connects to what students are learning. For many Fellows, it’s also a chance to test their own teaching instincts.
Credential program: “I’m already enrolled and want support along the way.”
Nelly Hope-Bell spent more than two decades in institutional finance before moving into math education. While she completed her credential program, her EnCorps Program Manager offered steady mentorship, practical feedback, and help navigating a process that can feel complicated. She now teaches middle school math.
On this pathway, you get 1:1 support as you move through your program. Your classroom time may count toward your program’s field experience or observation hours, and you’ll get help preparing for your teaching job search.
How the Program works
No matter which pathway you choose, the experience follows the same four steps.
- Apply. Submit a short application. EnCorps interviews for mission alignment and welcomes new Fellows into the next cohort.
- Make a plan. Your Program Manager builds a plan around your experience, interests, and goals.
- Train and guest teach. Complete volunteer guest teacher training, then spend 2 hours a week for 10 weeks in a partner classroom.
- Choose what’s next. Pursue a credential, keep volunteering, or bring what you learned back to your STEM career.
That last step matters. The Fellowship is designed to help you decide, and every one of those outcomes is a good one.
When you can start: Join between July and December, and you’ll train in early January, with guest teaching starting in January or early February. Join between January and June, and you’ll train in August, with guest teaching starting in September.
Questions STEM professionals often ask
Do I have to decide I want to be a teacher before I apply?
No. Many Fellows join to find out whether teaching is a good fit. At the end of your 10 weeks, you choose what’s next: a credential, more volunteering, or your STEM career with a new perspective.
Do I need a teaching credential?
No. The Fellowship is for people who don’t already hold a California math or science teaching credential. If you decide to pursue one, your Program Manager can help you understand options like Single Subject and CTE credentials.
What does it cost?
The Fellowship is free. Fellows receive a $150 travel stipend after completing volunteer guest teaching and $100 toward fingerprinting fees. EnCorps does not provide or fund credential programs, so tuition is the Fellow’s responsibility, but your Program Manager can point you to state support like the Golden State Teacher Grant and loan forgiveness programs.
Can I keep my job?
Yes. Many Fellows keep working while they volunteer guest teach.The classroom commitment is about 2 hours a week for 10 weeks. Because you’ll be in a classroom during the school day, plan on a regular weekly time that works for your job.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, you’ll need to:
- Have STEM industry or education experience to share with students
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or above
- Live in one of the regions EnCorps serves: the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, Greater Los Angeles and North Orange County, Greater Riverside, or Greater San Diego
- Be eligible to work in the United States
Why your curiosity matters to students
Many students in under-resourced schools have never met an engineer, a data scientist, or a researcher. When a STEM professional walks into their classroom, a career that once felt abstract becomes something real. Whether you go on to teach full time or spend 10 weeks sharing your work, students remember who showed up.
California also needs more STEM teachers. Every Fellow who explores the classroom, even one who isn’t sure yet, helps open a door for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Take the next step
If you join the Program before the end of December, you’ll train in early January and could be in a classroom by February. There are three easy ways to start:
- Watch an info session to hear how Fellows explore teaching middle and high school STEM in California.
- Schedule a short call with the EnCorps team to talk through your questions.
- Start your application and find the pathway that fits where you are today.
You don’t need to know where this leads. You just need to be curious enough to find out. Explore the EnCorps STEM Teachers Program