Membership Benefits and Certification Levels
Your membership decides how much of the platform you can use; your certification decides your professional standing. The table below compares all four statuses and shows how to earn STEM Educator Level 1 and AI Teacher Level 2.
Four statuses
General member
Free registration. Try the platform and the free course videos.
AAES member
Annual fee. Unlocks member courses, more AI review credits and a public portfolio.
Certified educator
Holding a valid Level 1 (or Level 2) certification grants all member benefits with no annual fee.
Venue account
Certified schools and institutions pay no corporate fee while the venue certification is valid.
Annual membership fees are waived while a certification is valid; venue accounts pay no corporate fee while their venue certification is valid. AI lesson-review credits are monthly.
Full benefit comparison
| Full benefit comparison | General member | AAES member | Certified educator | Venue account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course videos | ||||
| Free course videos | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Member course: Foundations V.1 | Not available | Included | Included | Included |
| Certification course: Foundations V.2 | Not available | Not available | Included | Included |
| Certifications you can apply for | ||||
| STEM Educator Level 1 certification | Included | Included | Already held | Included |
| AI Teacher Level 2 AI certification | Not available | Not available | Included | Not available |
| Student certification submissions | Not available | Not available | Included | Included |
| Teaching resources | ||||
| AI lesson-plan review (per month) | 3 | 10 | 30 | 50 |
| Full AI teaching toolkit | Not available | Not available | Included | Not available |
| Messaging and reporting | ||||
| Internal messages (per month) | 3 | 10 | 30 | Unlimited |
| Reporting and appeal channel | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Public exposure | ||||
| Public portfolio with status badge | Not available | Included | Included | Included |
| Listed in the public certification directory | Not available | Not available | Included | Included |
| Teacher recruitment matching | Not available | Not available | Included | Included |
| Annual fee | ||||
| Annual fee | Free | Annual fee | Waived while valid | Corporate fee waived while valid |
- Free course videos
- Included
- Member course: Foundations V.1
- Not available
- Certification course: Foundations V.2
- Not available
- STEM Educator Level 1 certification
- Included
- AI Teacher Level 2 AI certification
- Not available
- Student certification submissions
- Not available
- AI lesson-plan review (per month)
- 3
- Full AI teaching toolkit
- Not available
- Internal messages (per month)
- 3
- Reporting and appeal channel
- Included
- Public portfolio with status badge
- Not available
- Listed in the public certification directory
- Not available
- Teacher recruitment matching
- Not available
- Annual fee
- Free
- Free course videos
- Included
- Member course: Foundations V.1
- Included
- Certification course: Foundations V.2
- Not available
- STEM Educator Level 1 certification
- Included
- AI Teacher Level 2 AI certification
- Not available
- Student certification submissions
- Not available
- AI lesson-plan review (per month)
- 10
- Full AI teaching toolkit
- Not available
- Internal messages (per month)
- 10
- Reporting and appeal channel
- Included
- Public portfolio with status badge
- Included
- Listed in the public certification directory
- Not available
- Teacher recruitment matching
- Not available
- Annual fee
- Annual fee
- Free course videos
- Included
- Member course: Foundations V.1
- Included
- Certification course: Foundations V.2
- Included
- STEM Educator Level 1 certification
- Already held
- AI Teacher Level 2 AI certification
- Included
- Student certification submissions
- Included
- AI lesson-plan review (per month)
- 30
- Full AI teaching toolkit
- Included
- Internal messages (per month)
- 30
- Reporting and appeal channel
- Included
- Public portfolio with status badge
- Included
- Listed in the public certification directory
- Included
- Teacher recruitment matching
- Included
- Annual fee
- Waived while valid
- Free course videos
- Included
- Member course: Foundations V.1
- Included
- Certification course: Foundations V.2
- Included
- STEM Educator Level 1 certification
- Included
- AI Teacher Level 2 AI certification
- Not available
- Student certification submissions
- Included
- AI lesson-plan review (per month)
- 50
- Full AI teaching toolkit
- Not available
- Internal messages (per month)
- Unlimited
- Reporting and appeal channel
- Included
- Public portfolio with status badge
- Included
- Listed in the public certification directory
- Included
- Teacher recruitment matching
- Included
- Annual fee
- Corporate fee waived while valid
How to earn STEM Educator Level 1
For teachers earning their first STEM international certification. A digital certificate valid for three years is issued on completion.
- 1Complete your profile and teaching background
- 2Enrol online and pay
- 3Finish the online course units
- 4Attend the 12-hour in-person workshop
- 5Submit for STEM.org review
- 6Digital certificate issued, valid three years
How to earn AI Teacher Level 2
An advanced AI certification that proves you actually bring AI tools into the classroom, not just that you have heard of them.
- 1Hold a valid Level 1 certification
- 2Complete and document three classroom AI implementations
- 3Earn the five required micro-credentials
- 4Pass professional review and pay the review fee
Frequently asked questions
What is the AAES AI certification?
AI Teacher Level 2 is AAES's advanced AI teaching certification. Applicants must hold a valid STEM Educator Level 1, complete three documented classroom AI implementations, earn five required micro-credentials and pass professional review.
Can I take the AI certification without Level 1?
No. Level 2 requires Level 1 so that every applicant already has a STEM teaching foundation; AI is the layer added on top of teaching.
How is membership different from certification?
Membership is platform access and community standing, paid annually. Certification is a professional qualification earned through coursework, classroom practice and review. A valid certification waives the annual membership fee.
How long is a certification valid?
The Level 1 digital certificate is valid for three years and can be renewed before expiry. Without renewal, benefits return to the general member level.
Do venue accounts pay a fee?
Certified schools and institutions pay no corporate fee while their venue certification is valid; standard fees resume once it lapses.
Where to go next
Where to go next
See the next educator certification cohortDates, seats and fees, so you can decide right away.Read moreOther places to go