Questions for possible career changer

geoguy

Re: Questions for possible career changer

Post by geoguy »

@psyguy

Just to update, re- MO (Doctoral Route) entry level teaching credential - yes you are correct I am able to obtain such a letter for my PhD from my institution. I am about to pay SpanTran to do a basic evaluation of my degrees.

The MO DESE website has a Certification Account Portal that allows me to apply/view application/assessment scores/check for receipt of transcripts/fingerprint/background status etc. However, after creating a login, in order to continue in the portal I require a personal Social Security Number. As I am not based in the US, do you know how I might proceed with this?

Thank you and stay well.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

@geoguy

You dont. MO doesnt issue credentials to non-citizens.
Well thats not entirely true, they do, but its only in a couple of very specific situations. The most common being your hired by a MO LEA/DS and they are sponsoring your credential (and a work visa for you), in which case as an employee on an appropriate visa you would have/receive a US SS#. Less common but similar to above your a tertiary faculty member at a Uni and your offering or enrolling students in tertiary courses for dual credit in K12/KS. Thats what the doctoral route is intended for, but its assumed as an employee of the Uni that you would have a SS# through that institution. The least common is in the case of an exchange program, but in all those cases either a DS/LEA or other organization is sponsoring the DT and its just a variation of the most common scenario above. It still requires sponsorship.
Actually there is no prohibition regarding it at all, its just that the MO DOE will not provide you an alternative number to use as a matter of course (such as the MA DOE) and they wont provide you a letter to use in requesting a SS# from the SSA for tracking purposes with the MO DOE.
The whole doctoral route for the MO DOE lies in a grey area. You have two options. You can contact them and see if they will make some kind of accommodation or alternative number for you. Youd have to offer some kind of spin on it that puts you in a niche and isnt too threatening. The big concern for these DOEs is someone trying to use the credential to qualify for some kind of visa or visa program and they dont want any part of that. The second option is to apply directly to the SSA for a SS# citing that you require it for tracking purposes of the MO DOE and see if they will grant the request (thats roulette odds though against)
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