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This post is somewhat of a sequel to my previous post, How To Get Livescan Fingerprints in NYC. Since that entry was oriented specifically towards getting Livescan fingerprints, I wanted to cover the larger issue at hand: The reason so many people are in this dilemma, and how to get out of it.

Read this article if:

• You are applying for certification through New York State’s TEACH System
• You have paid for ‘Fingerprint Processing’ but you have no idea where to get your fingerprints done

So at this point, you have probably paid $96+ dollars for ‘Fingerprint Processing’ through the NYSED TEACH system, but now they’ve left you high and dry by leaving vague instructions on how to get your fingerprints done. They mentioned that you can get Livescan prints, a seemingly speedy alternative to the traditional option, ink fingerprints.

Like me, you set out to find an ‘Approved LiveScan Service’, but had no luck.

You can get Livescan prints in two places: The NYPD headquarters in lower Manhattan and the New York Department of Education in Brooklyn.

So where should you go? It depends! Here’s the dirty truth of application process that they aren’t very clear in telling you:You cannot get your Livescan fingerprints processed unless you have a referral letter from a school or school official.

So in my girlfriend’s case — she was applying for certification, and didn’t have and schools she was applying to yet. How would she get a referral letter?! What we found out is that she isn’t eligible without that letter (or at least that’s what everyone at the NYDOE told us!).

So, if you are in this situation, you have to do everything the hard way. Just get traditional fingerprints at the New York Department of Education at 65 Court Street in Brooklyn. It’s right by a number of subway lines, including the A,C,2,3,4,5 and a couple others. I think the actual name of the stop on the A/C line is ‘Borough Hall’. Get off, walk a few hundred feet down Court Street, and you’ll see the building on your left.

You will need a $10 money order to get your prints processed. And even if they tell you they’ll take a check, they won’t. Try to get there early, because if you do, there might not be a line.

When you walk into the building, you’ll have to have your ID checked by the guards. The room you need to enter is immediately to the left of the front entrance. It looks like this:

Talk to the nice ladies at the desk, and explain that you need your fingerprints done for your certification. They’ll give you some paperwork, and a pen.

When you’re all finished, they’ll send you to the fingerprint room where someone will take your ink fingerprints. They’ll then sign off on a few things, and give you some papers back. Make a copy of everything, including your receipt, at the copier in the same room.

Finally, you can continue with the certification process. Mail in those cards, along with any yet-to-be processed transcripts, out of state certifications, etc.

When all that’s sent in and processed by the state (which they say can take a couple months), you’ll be all set. Everything will eventually be hooked up with your TEACH account.

With all the trouble one has to go through, it’s really a wonder that NYC has any teachers at all. Am I right or what?

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