Certified teacher

A certified teacher is an educator who has earned credentials from an authoritative source, such as a government's regulatory authority, an education department/ministry, a higher education institution, or a private body. This teacher qualification gives a teacher authorization to teach and grade in pre-schools, primary or secondary education in countries, schools, content areas or curricula where authorization is required. While many authorizing entities require student teaching experience before earning teacher certification, routes vary from country to country.
A teaching qualification is one of a number of academic and professional degrees that enables a person to become a registered teacher. Examples of teaching qualifications in different jurisdictions include a Diploma in Education and Training, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education, Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Professional Graduate Diploma in Education, and Professional Graduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning. These qualifications are still reviewed by the jurisdiction's regulatory authority and teachers may still be required to take a test to see if they know the right competencies in pedagogy and their subject specialisation. If they meet the necessary requirements and competencies, they are issued a certificate or licence to practise teaching. Though teacher certifications are most commonly provided by governments and higher education institutions, there are a few private bodies providing teacher certifications; for example, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in the United States and the Centre for Teacher Accreditation in India.

Australia

Each state and territory in Australia maintains its own regulatory body for teachers:

In the Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory Teacher Quality Institute
In the Northern Territory, the Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory
In New South Wales, the NSW Education Standards Authority
In Queensland, the Queensland College of Teachers
In South Australia, the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia
In Tasmania, the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania
In Victoria, the Victorian Institute of Teaching
In Western Australia, the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia.

Each of these bodies is responsible for overseeing teacher registration in its respective jurisdiction.
Registration in one Australian jurisdiction may be carried over to one of the others under the provisions of the Mutual Recognition Act, an act that was passed in 1992 by the federal Parliament and each of the Parliaments of the other jurisdictions. New Zealand teaching registration is also recognised in Australia, under the provisions of the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act of 1997. The process for application for recognition of registration in another jurisdiction varies according to the relevant jurisdiction.
Teaching in Australian jurisdictions generally requires a four-year qualification. Teacher education programs are provided by universities, which must have their programs certified with the relevant state or territory regulatory body.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership is a not-for-profit corporation established under federal legislation and reporting to the federal Minister for Education. It does not directly regulate the teaching profession, which is the responsibility of the state and territory regulatory authorities. However, it does maintain the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which every Australian jurisdiction maintains as part of its teacher registration system. The APSTs have four stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead. The Graduate standard is the level assessed for entry-level teachers, while Proficient standard generally equates to the standard expected of a teacher with one or more years of full-time teaching experience, or equivalent. The Lead and Highly Accomplished stages exist to recognise the highest level of professional experience and expertise. AITSL also accredits the national standards for teacher training programs, which are overseen by the state and territory regulatory bodies.
The seven Australian bodies are joined with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand in a collective organisation called the Australasian Teacher Regulation Authorities.

Canada

In Canada provinces have jurisdiction over education. In some provinces certification is handled through a provincial government department while in others a provincial College of Teachers has responsibility. Generally the requirements are for an undergraduate university degree plus a one- or two-year Bachelor of Education or equivalent.
For general overviews, the governing departments or Colleges usually have dedicated websites, accessible here: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/profcert/province.html
In Manitoba, for example, the responsibility for teacher certification lies with the . Teachers need a Bachelor's degree in Education, often on top of another recognized bachelor's degree. This adds one or two more years to a university education.
To earn a degree in secondary education, teachers must have a certain number of university credits in their subject field. This number varies from province to province, and in some provinces it varies from school to school. Most employers of teachers require that successful applicants complete criminal record checks, as well as verification that an employee is not listed in the Child Abuse Registry. These same requirements are, in addition to being a sound part of the hiring practice, a requirement of most provincial education legislation. Other requirements such as a tuberculosis test, and level of experience criteria may also be required. Many provinces require prospective teachers to obtain a criminal record check prior to hire.
In extreme circumstances, such as a lack of any suitable certifiable candidates for a specific teaching position, an employer may apply for temporary certification of a non-certified person. This temporary certification is usually valid for one calendar year after ministry approval, but must be requested by the school, not by a non-certified applicant for a teaching position.

Finland

Education system in Finland is globally exceptional as teachers need a master's degree in education to be qualified for teaching on primary or secondary education. The success in Finland's high OECD PISA scores is strongly influenced by the high education level of teachers.

France

In France, teachers are mainly civil servants, recruited by competitive examination. They must have previously gained college education and receive professional education in IUFMs. They were replaced by the Ecoles Supérieures du Professorat et de l'Education in 2013. MAs in Education were also created in 2013. Since 2010, one has to hold a master's degree to become a teacher. There are six corps of teachers in France's public service:

Professeurs des écoles: Primary education teachers. They pass the CRPE competitive exam.
Professeurs certifiés: high school, mainly junior high, teachers. They hold the CAPES or the CAPET.
Professeurs de l'enseignement privé: private schools teachers. They hold the CAFEP.
Professeurs de lycées professionnels: vocational high schools teachers. They hold the CAPLP.
Professeurs de l'enseignement physique et sportif: sport teachers. They hold the CAPEPS.
Professeurs agrégés: high school teachers who may also teach in post-high school programs. They pass the Agrégation very competitive exam. A very prestigious title, often required for applying at academic positions. They represent a minority in high schools.

In addition, every holder of a licentiate may teach on a non-permanent basis.

Hong Kong

There are two types of recognised teacher statuses in Hong Kong: Registered teacher and permitted teacher. Private schools may be exempted from having teachers of either statuses.
Registered teachers' qualified status is the highest form available for a professional qualification in the field in Hong Kong, and it is theoretically permanent for its holder with the possibility of the status being stripped off by the government in the case of a violation of the law or the professional code. Permitted teachers are not considered qualified teachers, and their statuses are only temporary and subject to annual renewal and review.
Registered teachers are not discipline or level bounded, whilst permitted teachers may be, with the school intending to hire having to first consult the government on the suitability of said applicant.
Usually, graduates fulfilling the requirements below can apply to be registered as a teacher:

A holder of a valid and locally recognised teaching qualification from a recognised university, i.e. a five-year Bachelor of Education degree or a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. Postgraduate Certificates in Education are no longer considered, and neither a Master of Education nor a Doctor of Education degree from anywhere is considered a teaching qualification. The Education University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Baptist University are currently the only recognised institutions.
A holder of a recognised, usually local, associate degree or its equivalent. Even though a bachelor's degree is not stated as an explicit requirement, it is very rare for any applicant to not have one, and all new registered teachers have been graduates. This requirement is indeed an obsolete one as it is now not possible to obtain a teaching qualification without first, or together, obtaining an undergraduate degree.
Hong Kong citizenship or employment with an approved valid work visa from the government.
Availability of two referees.
A clean criminal record.
The submission of an application and declaration form.
Satisfactory performance in the subsequent interview.
Usually, but not always, full-time employment from a registered school and their endorsement.

The below requirements are for applicants going for permitted teachership: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 above; and employment and endorsement from a registered school for a full-time position, as well as the commitment to obtain a proper teaching qualification in the future.
All successful applicants are given a certificate with a unique license number. Holders are to use post-nominal letters RT and PT.
The government holds the right not to register or permit anyone to teach with no clear reasons.