Teaching in Montana: 10 Reasons to Move and What Licensure Takes
Teaching in Montana means small districts, long distances, and a licensure process you apply for directly. The Office of Public Instruction doesn't automatically transfer another state's license, but it does evaluate your out-of-state credentials toward Montana licensure. Pay runs below national medians, and projected employment is flat through 2034.
Why not promote my state? In fact, why don't we all create a Top-10 list for why teachers should move to our respective states to work?
I am a little facetious here, but I understand that my Top 10 will make you want to move to Montana! If you are a Montanan reading this, you are already worrying about the upcoming flood of "out-of-staters"…BUT, we need it!
We are fighting to fill jobs across our state in both rural and urban areas. I predict it is going to get worse before it ever gets better.
To clarify, I need to challenge your thinking about the definitions of urban and rural before we start this article. These terms mean something very different in Montana! In fact, I would argue our own labels should be: rural, which is what most of the country would call even our largest communities, and frontier, which is all the rest of Montana!
We can argue that each state has unique qualities that make that area of the country special for teaching. I am sure you will find educators that love their job, their community, and their state. We all need to be promoting our states as a way to stem the exodus of educators, as well as pull some new people into our profession!
Here are my top 10 reasons why you should move to Montana to teach…all examples and rationale connected to personal experience!
1 - Scenery is Unmatched: Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Hot Springs
To each their own, Montana, the Big Sky State, has scenery that is unmatched by the Swiss Alps, the rolling hills of Ireland, or the beautiful Tuscan coast. With mountains carved by glaciers, the Western half of Montana is picturesque, while the eastern half is known for having the most beautiful big skies over wheat fields and cattle-grazed prairies.
I believe Glacier Park rivals any mountain range in the world for beauty, jaggedness, and breathtaking views. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a manmade road cut into the side of a chain of mountains that includes a tunnel. As you drive, you will notice one side drops off more than 2,000 feet to the bottom, while the other side of the road contains a Weeping Wall. In the spring, the Weeping Wall will shower you down with cold glacier fed water if your sunroof is open. Wouldn't this be a good place to meet colleagues and work on lesson plans? Maybe it's just me lesson planning here, but you may want to just enjoy this area without a school focus?
You will find me on rivers, streams, and creeks, as they can be found all over the state. They make for great visits, wedding proposals, or just a cool, soothing swim. The Missouri River, the longest river in Montana, starts at Three Forks, Montana, where three rivers, Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson, all combine. Avalanche Creek, the most hiked trail in Glacier National Park, is beautifully cut into solid bed rock and flows down from Avalanche Lake a mere couple of miles from the trailhead. Wouldn't this be a great place to hold a school retreat?
Personally, I judge how good my summer is based on the number of times I am on the water. We are lucky to have some of the most beautiful lakes in the US only a few hours away. My first teaching job in Montana was at Lakeside Elementary on Flathead Lake. My classroom overlooked the lake…which was actually not good, as I wanted to play hooky and water ski! Flathead is the largest lake in Montana and has miles of coastline that accommodate so many different types of activities.
For over a decade, I have been spending a week or more at Seeley Lake. This lake is beautifully set between two mountain ranges and offers many people with ample water activities. Wouldn't you like to bring your laptop and work while on a boat or dock? Maybe it's just me, but nothing beats this as an educator in the summer!
I love soaking in hot springs! White Sulfur Springs, Montana, holds two gems that are near to my heart: hot springs and excellent steaks! These natural hot springs are a quiet place to soak away stress, secondary trauma, and focus on what is right with education! Start with a steak at Bar 47, and you can't go wrong, and follow it up with a microbrew from 2 Bassett Brewery.
Another experience is Fairmont Hot Springs in Gregson, Montana. This Olympic-sized pool is also fed by natural hot springs. When the snow falls, this Montana jewel is a memory-making experience. For around $100, you can downhill ski at the Discovery Ski Mountain, soak in the pool at Fairmont, and then gorge yourself on a Montana prime rib at Barclays 2 in nearby Anaconda, Montana. As a teacher, how would you spend a $100 in order to rejuvenate yourself after a long week of educating youth?
2 - People are Nice Here…and Dare We Say, "Nicer?"
If you live in Montana, you may not notice this next quality until you get outside of the state. We hear out-of-staters saying this all the time: "People are really nice in Montana." If you live here, it is just commonplace. We believe we live in a secret area of the world where things don't move as fast, except the wind, and people know each other. If they don't know each other, they know someone who knows them…connections abound. I believe this is why everyone is nice in Montana. Our sports and activities all connect us, making it a place where we all can work and learn to get along. It seems easier here than the hustle and bustle of other urban areas.
When you move here, you will notice this aspect right away. You will need to decide if you want to contribute to the positive nature in our communities or be ousted and labeled the "out-of-stater."
Joking aside, we hope this is one quality you will love about Montana education! Why not teach in the state with the nicest people? NO, we are not full of ourselves. We just know that being the fourth largest state with a little over a million people, when our truck breaks down on the road a mere 45 miles from the next community (or even house), it would be nice if our fellow Montanans would stop to support us! We must be nice to everyone!
3 - Cost of Living is Lower
When renting or buying a home in Montana, you will find a wide variety of prices. You are bound to find a community that fits your budget. From the lavish areas of Whitefish, Bozeman, and Big Sky to the rural communities of Rapelje, Harlowton, and Yaak, we can find a place for you that fits your lifestyle and budget. What you spend on groceries, gas, and supplies depends a lot on how far you live from a larger community.
Rents swing a long way depending on where you land, and the swing is the point. A three-bedroom on the Missouri River in Fort Benton is a different market from an apartment in Glendive, Libby, Dillon, or Livingston. Every one of those towns has schools.
What community in Montana do you want to live and teach?
4 - Outdoor Activities for Every Season
Most people who live in Montana have been here their whole lives. Many people who grew up here move away and then come back to Montana because of the lifestyle it provides. The goals of many young professionals include moving back in order to find a way to do similar work back here in Montana. They are willing to give up big salaries or other luxuries because of what Montana offers. I am one of those professionals. I did my student teaching at Pioneer Peak Elementary between Palmer and Wasilla, Alaska. I absolutely loved Alaska and may move back there someday, but my love for Alaska is nothing compared to my love for Montana.
I cannot count how many different outdoor activities and areas of Montana I continue to explore. The picture for Reason#1 shows two administrators drinking a PBR beer and smoking a cigar while discussing education in Montana. This was done after a 35+ mile bike of the Going to the Sun Road before it was fully plowed for snow and travel by motor vehicles. Accessing this area before the road opens to cars is a rare and wonderful experience that I hesitate to tell people about because I never want that to change. Bears bounced along the roadway as we biked by them, knowing our two wheels had just enough speed to bolt by them!
Though I am not a huge fisherman, I live by one of the world-famous trout streams. The stretch between Wolf Creek, MT, and Cascade, MT, holds a section of the Missouri River that is not topped by many other fishing areas in the US. People fly in from all over the world to fish this area.
Here are the activities I do outside in almost every season: swim, water ski, snow ski, run, hike, bike, snowshoe, and "Jeep-ing." The locations may change, but the activities mostly stay the same. Our water ski season roughly runs from the end of May to the beginning of October…with the correct equipment, of course. Winter weather sometimes starts early in October, requiring me to winterize the boat, and it usually runs through the last part of March and the first part of April. This seems like a long winter season, but if you mix in some 60 and 70 degree days in the "edge" seasons, you will get to sneak in some more activities! What outdoor activities do you want to explore when you teach here?
5 - Multiple Openings Around the State
You can find almost any teaching job opening in Montana for education…most certainly. In fact, we have several positions that go unfilled every year.
A scary trend lately has been school districts hiring outside of the United States to fill positions. Do not get me wrong, I am all about immigration, as that is what has made the US diverse and strong. What I am afraid of is the immigration of teachers to the US who are willing to work for less pay. I see superintendents filling positions with immigrants for two reasons: 1) to fill positions where there are no candidates, and 2) to meet budget constraints. Montana school districts have not been immune to this strategy.
Doing a deeper dive into this problem, we find that education across the nation is taking a hit in many of our communities. Teaching is not one of the most treasured and trusted professions, as it once was. Public education, especially, is taking attacks that are causing families to pull their children and put them in private schools. I understand that is a parent's choice, but we must look from a broader perspective. Public education, specifically Free and Appropriate Public Education for all, is what this country was built upon. As we see this movement of the "haves" and the "have-nots" in education, these problems are going to persist. We must come up with creative solutions…like promoting our states! What makes your state, your district, your school the best place to teach?
6 - College Credit is Cheaper than in Most States
I tease some students who pay top dollar for their education degree. Yes, the college or university may be elite and prestigious, but to get a teaching degree…I question their financial decisions and the abundant loans they amass. Many of these graduates will be paying off their degree for a greater portion of their teaching careers. Yet, we need educators!
The salary schedule for a new teacher is such an enticing grid of numbers. We know we are guaranteed more money the longer we teach and the more education we get. In fact, I consider it "lost money" the longer it takes a teacher to get their master's degree. But it's easier to do when the tuition is manageable.
Earning graduate credits in Montana has been economical for me, and the instruction has been strong. In-state tuition here has cost me less than the out-of-state credits I have looked at. I personally have credit from the following universities in Montana, much cheaper than many out-of-state credits: Montana State University - Bozeman, University of Montana - Missoula, MSU-Northern, MSU-Great Falls College, and MSU-Billings.
Here are the Montana schools I would price out first for graduate credit toward a master's, using in-state tuition:
- Montana State University-Northern - Havre, Montana
- Montana State University-Billings - Billings, Montana
- University of Montana - Missoula, Montana
- Montana State University - Bozeman, Montana
Come for the teaching job, but advance your education while you are here!
7 - Sports, Arts, and Music Thriving in Areas Across the State
We have a lot of activities we can do in Montana, especially when we get off our horses! Yes, I have had out of state colleagues sarcastically asking me the following questions: 1) "Y'all ride horses there?," and 2, "Isn't that part of Canada?" I sometimes lie and tell them they need a passport and they better wear boots and chaps when they cross the province (state) so they don't stick out like a sore thumb!
There are no professional sports teams in Montana, though we have minor league baseball in several communities. Our two largest universities provide much excitement, as the Cat-Griz football game between Montana State University and the University of Montana is one of the oldest rivalries in the US. These games are packed and usually sold out each weekend. As a future Montana teacher, you will need to come up with a connection to one of them immediately, as you will be required to have an allegiance to one of them.
Knowing there are no professional sports, high school and club sports dictate family schedules as well as school schedules here. In fact, a number of schools have moved to a 4-day school week…due in part to the travel for sporting events on Fridays.
In our rural schools, and some of our larger schools, you will find teachers with multiple degrees, certificates, or minors teaching a multitude of courses to several grade levels. In addition, you will find teachers and administrators who coach sports; many are even the athletic director. For three years in Power Public Schools (in Power, Montana), I was K-12 principal, athletic director, and junior high basketball coach….I often filled in for the janitor, clock operator, concessions manager, and more! Whatever sport you would like to watch or coach, we have most of them here in Montana!
Our communities are steeped in local artists from the Wild West to newer artists that explore what Montana has to offer. The Russell, one of the largest Western art auctions in the US, held every spring in Great Falls, Montana, provides some of the greatest opportunities to purchase art from all over the West, including Charles M. Russell. The arts in our communities are an area of pride for our schools and families. The Missoula and Bozeman art communities are prominent not only in the state, but around the Northwest.
Even though we may not get all the top musicians coming through Montana, we usually can fill our stadiums and venues with like-minded music followers. We combine several artists to create events such as Rocking the Rivers, Red Ants Pants Festival, and Montana Folk Festival, to name a few, which draw thousands of music lovers each year. In addition, you can find live local music in a number of establishments across Montana. My favorite local music artists are the duo called El Wencho…the venues are packed every time they come to Great Falls. If you are an art or music teacher, we need you. We have several openings every year across the great state…and a bonus: if you want to play music yourself, you can find a venue!
8 - Beverage and Food (not so) hidden by Locals
For a state with barely a million people, Montana has a remarkable number of micro-breweries!
I will leave that tidbit there by itself for you!
As a teacher, you may not be able to drink excessively and do a great job instructing students every day. In fact, I recommend never teaching with a hangover…ever! Not that I am talking from experience, but a friend told me it is not fun teaching kindergarten students with a hangover.
A decade ago, when I put visiting all of Montana's breweries on my bucket list, we figured it could be done in a week of strategic driving…not drinking and driving…but getting across Montana's 680-plus miles in width makes it difficult to visit all of them. With the addition of 40+ more breweries since then, this is now on my bucket list for my first free "month" after retirement!
As an educator, you are always in the limelight, and knowing that, I do not like to ever drink excessively. In fact, I like getting out of town and spending time in other Montana communities. Here are my top ten favorite breweries across Montana…I apologize; I have not been to all of them…
- Mighty Mo, Motorboat Apricot Wheat Ale - Great Falls, MT
- Jeremiah Johnson, Mountain Man Scotch Ale - Great Falls, MT
- Black Eagle Brewery, Tangerine Cream Ale - Great Falls, MT
- The Galley, Blood Orange Wheat Ale - Harlowton, MT
- Harvest Moon, Pigs Ass Porter - Belt, MT
- Philipsburg Brewing Company, Razzu Raspberry Wheat Ale - Philipsburg, MT
- Big Sky Brewing, Moose Drool Brown Ale - Missoula, MT
- Kettle House Brewing Company, Cold Smoke - Missoula, MT
- Bridger Brewing Company, Bobcat Brown Ale - Bozeman, MT
- Copper Furrow Brewing, Mexican Lager - Helena, MT
Montana is well known for its beef…especially our steaks! I am proud to say I am also a steak connoisseur. Yes, I have spent time in some of the best steak joints in Montana. I am going to rank my top ten…Again, I apologize, as I have not been to them all, and I would love more recommendations…!
- Buffalo Joe's Eatery and Saloon - Dupuyer, Montana
- Elmo's Highwood Bar - Highwood, Montana
- Sir Scott's Oasis - Manhattan, Montana
- Barclays 2 - Anaconda, Montana
- Lindey's Prime Steak House - Seeley Lake, Montana
- Lolo Creek Steak House - Lolo, Montana
- Beef and Bone Steak House - Ulm, Montana
- The Frontier Bar and Supper Club - Dunkirk, Montana
- Carter Bar and Grill - Carter, Montana
- Cattleman's Cut Steakhouse - Great Falls, Montana
As a teacher and principal, I love to get out into small communities and connect with the locals that I have once met…and many that are new to me! Nothing is more adventurous than making a list and trying to get to those locations to enjoy with friends. I would put any of these food and beverage locations on my list. In Montana, we celebrate and support our local eateries and breweries. As a teacher in Montana, you will understand the significance of supporting your local businesses as you become a member of one of our great communities.
9 - History Abounds in the Wild West
Growing up in the small town of Fort Benton, I loved the visitor signage on the riverfront that read, "Bloodiest Street in the West." I loved this history and couldn't believe I was on the same street where the likes of Jesse James once stood. This small town of roughly 1,400 residents is home to the heart and history of Montana. The rest of Montana grew from Fort Benton. It was the furthest the steamboats would come up the Missouri River, as the waterfalls of Great Falls, Montana, would not allow further passage. You can imagine all the people coming west to start a new life, or maybe to run from something, or even to run to something…like gold! You will find some of the notorious villains, as well as famous industrial moguls who helped build our nation. Many of these people traveled through Montana or even ended up living here.
There are infamous stories all over Montana, from Custer's Last Stand to the world's richest hill, the Butte Copper Mine. In fact, most people don't know that Butte was home to over 100,000 people at the turn of the 20th century, which made it one of the biggest cities in the West at the time. Helena, the state capital, at one time had the most millionaires per capita in the US, largely due to the discovery of gold. The history of the state has been made into several movies, and there are more to come.
Living in a community with rich history allows teachers to create strong instructional connections for students. Then visiting these places with your students puts them right in the middle of the action, like Lewis and Clark Interpretive Centers in both Fort Benton and Great Falls. Come visit and learn about the vast history that makes Montana unique, and definitely a frontier!
10 - Population Challenged!
Most of us Montanans are proud of the population size of our state and communities. There are a few communities that are growing much faster than the rest of Montana, like the Gallatin Valley, Flathead Valley, Missoula Valley, and Helena Valley. Yet, we have several communities that have actually had no growth, or even population reductions. We have seen several schools in our state combine, or consolidate. In fact, a football game on Friday night might include six communities (Judith Gap-Moore-Hobson vs. Denton-Stanford-Geyser). The migration of families from rural settings to more urban areas has been evident across much of north central and eastern Montana. How do we keep these schools open?
There is a piece of local lore that Circle, Montana, sits farther from a Starbucks than any other community in the country. Another aspect of being "frontier": you can drive between Lewistown, Montana, and Glendive, Montana, a whopping 244 miles, and see less than a couple hundred people! At 70-80 miles per hour, as long as you can dodge deer and the highway patrol, this can be done in a little over three hours. My parents took me to see the sink in a bathroom in Lewistown that lands exactly at the geographic center of Montana. You can drive 6-7 hours each way, and you may not hit North Dakota or Idaho. *A side note: you must visit this sink in Lewistown!
The population center of Montana is much further west, in White Sulfur Springs, to be exact. Many of the communities of western Montana have more people. There are only seven communities with over 23,000: Butte, Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Helena, and Missoula.
What is different about Montana schools compared to most states is that we believe in local control and have a plethora of school districts. In fact, we run an unusual number of districts for our population. The Office of Public Instruction counted 148,585 public school students statewide in 2023-24. An additional fact: out of the top 1,000 school districts in the United States, Billings Public Schools is the only one with a little over 16,000 students to make it on the list.
Yes, our salaries are relatively low as compared to other states, but I hope my top 10 reasons to move here motivate you to research and relocate to our state!
What Teaching in Montana Requires If You're Moving From Out of State
Everything above is one principal's case for the state. The paperwork side is less romantic, and it matters more if you already hold a license somewhere else.
The Montana Office of Public Instruction issues educator licenses, and Montana does not automatically transfer a license issued somewhere else. What OPI does instead is evaluate your out-of-state credentials against Montana's own licensing tiers, and a current license can satisfy part of what those tiers ask for. Either way, you apply directly through the TeachMT licensing system and submit official transcripts, a fingerprint background check, a copy of your current license, and a university or alternative-program recommendation verifying that you completed a preparation program including student teaching.
What you already hold determines which path applies. The Class 2 standard teacher's license (ARM 10.57.410) asks for a bachelor's or master's degree plus a completed educator preparation program with supervised teaching, and then one of several ways to show content competency. This is where an out-of-state license carries real weight: one of those routes is a completed preparation program, a current standard unrestricted out-of-state license, and two years of successful teaching verified by your previous employer. The Class 1 professional license (ARM 10.57.411) builds on Class 2 eligibility and adds a master's degree in education or an endorsable teaching area, or National Board certification.
Candidates who don't yet meet those requirements may qualify for a Class 5 provisional license, which comes in three forms: 5A for applicants who meet everything except the required Praxis test, 5B for degree holders who haven't completed a preparation program, and 5C tied to professional development units for renewal. None of the three is renewable, and under ARM 10.57.424, an educator may hold only one Class 5 per license type. Treat it as a bridge you get once, not a standing fallback.
Montana also requires the course "An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana" as part of licensure. It's free and self-paced through OPI's Teacher Learning Hub, and it's named directly in the Class 1 rule, so confirm what your specific license class requires. The roots go deeper than the application checklist. Montana's Constitution commits the state to preserving the cultural integrity of American Indians in its educational goals, and the Indian Education for All Act, passed in 1999, is the law that put that commitment into classroom practice. Expect the subject in your curriculum, not just your paperwork.
What Montana Teachers Earn
Montana's median wages sit below the national figures in every K-12 band the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, which is the specific claim behind the essay's closing line. State figures below come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025.
| Occupation | Montana annual median | National annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten teachers | $47,590 | $62,680 |
| Elementary school teachers | $57,530 | $63,970 |
| Middle school teachers | $61,550 | $64,370 |
| Secondary school teachers | $60,990 | $72,040 |
The openings picture needs the same honesty. Projections Central estimates a -0.6% change for elementary school teachers in Montana between 2024 and 2034, with an average of 270 openings per year, and a -0.1% change for secondary school teachers with about 200 openings per year. Read that carefully. Total employment is projected to hold roughly flat, while the annual openings figure counts workers who leave the occupation entirely or transfer into different work, alongside any growth. The openings are real; they are just not evidence of an expanding number of positions. That squares with what the essay describes: unfilled jobs in districts that have a hard time recruiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a teaching license from another state transfer to Montana?
Not automatically. You submit a Montana application through TeachMT, and your existing license is one of the documents you provide rather than a substitute for applying. It does count for something: OPI evaluates your credentials against Montana's own licensing tiers, and a current standard unrestricted out-of-state license paired with two years of verified teaching is one of the accepted routes to the Class 2 standard license.
Do I have to take the Indian Education for All course?
Montana requires "An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana" as part of educator licensure, and it's named directly in the Class 1 professional license rule. The course is free and self-paced through OPI's Teacher Learning Hub. Confirm the requirement for your license class when you apply, and treat it as preparation rather than paperwork, because Indian Education for All is part of how Montana schools teach.
What do teachers get paid in Montana?
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 report a $57,530 annual median for elementary school teachers in Montana and $60,990 for secondary school teachers, both below the national medians of $63,970 and $72,040. Actual pay depends on your district's salary schedule, your degree level, and your years of service.
Is it realistic to find a teaching job in Montana?
Positions do go unfilled every year, particularly in small and remote districts, and Projections Central puts average annual openings at about 270 for elementary and 200 for secondary teachers. Projected employment is close to flat, so those openings reflect people exiting or transferring out of the occupation rather than a rising number of positions.
What counts as rural in Montana?
Not what it means elsewhere. As the essay argues, a town of 100,000 reads as urban in most states and as one of Montana's largest communities here. Only seven communities top 23,000 people, so a job described as rural may sit hours from the nearest city of any size.
- No automatic transfer - an out-of-state license doesn't convert on its own, but OPI evaluates it toward Montana licensure, and paired with two years of verified teaching, it's one route to a Class 2 license.
- One provisional shot - no Class 5 provisional license is renewable, and ARM 10.57.424 allows only one per license type, so it's a bridge rather than a repeatable fallback.
- IEFA is required - the free Introduction to Indian Education for All course is part of licensure, and the subject carries into classroom practice under a 1999 state law.
- Pay runs below national - Montana's medians trail the national figures in every K-12 band BLS reports, which is the trade-off the essay is asking you to weigh.
- Flat projections, real openings - Projections Central shows Montana K-12 roles essentially flat through 2034, with a few hundred annual openings a year, counting exits and transfers.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School Teachers. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.
If Montana is the plan, the licensure route you pick decides how fast you can be in front of a class. The programs listed on this page include online and hybrid options built for people who are already working, and some lead to initial licensure for candidates who hold a degree in another field.
As a 5th grade teacher, in 2010 Jon won the Presidential Award for Elementary Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). As a principal, his school won the 2012 Blue Ribbon Award. In 2018, he won the National Distinguished Principal Award (NDP). In 2019 he won the National No Kid Hungry Breakfast Hero Award.
Jon is the author of three guides published on teacher.org: An Educator's Guide to Combat Bullying & Bully Prevention; Teacher Evaluation: A Transition Guide to Exemplary Performance; and You are the Wild Card: Infusing Fun Back into Curriculum. He has authored a children's picture book that was released January 2019 titled Benjamin’s Visit to Principal Reads Office…again! (available at www.archwaypublishing.com)
- Learning How to Say No and Set Boundaries with Parents - November 21, 2022
- How to Implement a Check-In, Check-Out (CICO) Behavior System - September 26, 2022
- Teacher Core Values: 7 Strategies for Living Your Code - August 15, 2022
