Evidence of a minimum of four years (8,000 hours) of full-time employment or equivalent part-time employment in the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) job descriptions listed by endorsement on Step 1: Establishing Eligibility.

Verification of Employment

• The eligible employment must be verified by each employer using the Statement of Practical Experience form. This form will be emailed to the employer when the candidate enters the contact information for each employer through the NJEdCert portal.
• Employers completing a Statement of Practical Experience form should comment on the candidate’s work performance and safety practices using general occupational competencies for eligible employment experience as detailed in the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) job descriptions listed by endorsement on Step 1-Establishing Eligibility.

Approved Substitutes for 8,000 hours

• Industry credentials may be considered equivalent to the employment experience requirement. Candidates may submit industry credentials which are subject to review by the New Jersey Department of Education.
• Teaching – Up to three years of substantive teaching experience in the occupation may be used as a substitute for three of the required four years of occupational experience.

Candidates must submit evidence of a minimum of four years of employment experience, which will be equivalent to 8,000 hours of eligible full-time and/or part-time employment experience.

Verification of Employment

The candidate’s accountant or attorney must submit a notarized letter verifying the dates of self-employment and that the candidate has filed for state and/or federal taxes for the self-employment. 

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) U.S. Census Bureau codes applicable to filing federal taxes for eligible self-employment experience are listed by endorsement on Step 1-Establishing Eligibility.

Candidates may submit a Military Discharge certificate (DD-214) and a Verification of Military Experience and Training (DD Form 2586) indicating military qualifications and occupational training. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) will determine the extent of credit to be applied toward satisfying the employment experience requirements.