Become a Step Up Job Coach in Florida
At a Glance
A job coach provides school-to-work transition support for students with disabilities, helping a student move from school into work. Families across Florida hold Unique Abilities (FES-UA) scholarship accounts they can spend on this service, but they can only pay providers Step Up has approved in EMA, its online system. Approval is what puts you in front of those families: once Step Up approves you, families can find you in the provider directory inside EMA.
This page covers what approval involves for a job coach: the one scholarship that pays for transition services, the eight credential pathways Step Up recognizes, the student age range for this work, how payment reaches you, and the mistakes that slow applications down. Step Up reviews every application and makes every approval decision. This guide shows you the shape of the process before you start.
What Families Can Pay You For
FES-UA covers job coaching as transition services: school-to-work transition support for students with disabilities. In this category, students must be ages 14 through 22.
Payment works differently here than in most categories. Families pay you directly, then get reimbursed by Step Up. There is no Direct Pay through EMA for this category, so planning for direct family payment from the start avoids confusion later.
What It Takes
Step Up recognizes eight credential pathways for job coaches. One of the following is the route:
- Hired by a private school as a job coach, or
- Hired by a school district as a job coach, or
- Hired through Vocational Rehabilitation (Vendor), Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), CareerSource, or Florida Centers for Independent Living, or
- Meet the criteria or training of the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, or
- ARCE (Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators) certification, or
- APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First) certification, or
- Institution for Community Inclusion certification, or
- Employment Specialist Vendor for Vocational Rehabilitation.
At a headline level, the Business account asks for tax ID information (an EIN, or an SSN or ITIN for solo practitioners), the legal name as registered with the IRS, and bank details. The Personal account asks for proof of one of the qualifications above.
Mistakes That Slow Job Coaching Applications Down
- No qualifying credential from the eight pathways. This category has no general experience route; the application needs proof of one of the eight pathways listed above.
- Expecting Direct Pay. Direct Pay is not available for job coaches. Families pay directly and then get reimbursed by Step Up.
Questions Providers Ask
Which scholarship pays for job coaching?
Unique Abilities (FES-UA) only. Job coaching sits under FES-UA as transition services for students with disabilities.
Which students can a job coach work with in this category?
Students ages 14 through 22. The service is school-to-work transition support for students with disabilities.
What credential does Step Up recognize?
One of eight pathways: employment as a job coach by a private school or a school district; hiring through Vocational Rehabilitation, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, CareerSource, or Florida Centers for Independent Living; the criteria or training of the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities; ARCE certification; APSE certification; Institution for Community Inclusion certification; or serving as an Employment Specialist Vendor for Vocational Rehabilitation.
How do families pay me?
Families pay you directly, then get reimbursed by Step Up. There is no Direct Pay through EMA for this category.
What does the application ask for, at a headline level?
The Business account asks for tax ID information (an EIN, or an SSN or ITIN for solo practitioners), the legal name as registered with the IRS, and bank details. The Personal account asks for proof of one of the eight qualifications.
See Your Job Coaching Pathway
The free assessment asks five straightforward questions and shows you a personalized preview of your provider pathway: your credential route, the scholarship programs that fit, and your first steps. The assessment is free. Start with a free personalized assessment. Full personalized plan for one provider pathway: $147 one-time. Additional pathways are $97 each.
Step Up Provider Guide is operated by Pair of Deuces LLC and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students. Step Up reviews every provider application and makes all approval decisions.
More Provider Categories
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What Families Read About This Service
Parents research this service on the parent side of this site before they look for a provider: