Understand the approval structure

The Georgia Real Estate Commission regulates real estate education and approves real estate instructors. Only instructors approved by name—or qualifying guest instructors—may teach Georgia community association manager, salesperson, and broker prelicense courses.

Instructor approval is separate from approval of a real estate school. A school must also be approved by GREC, and the school is responsible for offering courses that satisfy Commission standards.

Build the expected background

Georgia’s instructor rules do not appear to establish one universal minimum number of years as a real estate licensee or one mandatory degree. Instead, GREC evaluates the applicant’s overall qualifications, including:

• Current or prior Georgia real estate license status.
• Teaching experience.
• Formal education and degrees.
• Real estate education, including prelicense, continuing-education, and college coursework.
• Practical real estate experience.
• Professional-association involvement and experience in related fields.
• The number and types of brokerage transactions in which the applicant has participated.

The application materials indicate that teaching recommendations or evaluations are important. The current rule materials call for recommendations and/or evaluations from students, supervisors, and colleagues. Applicants should therefore maintain records of courses taught, instructional evaluations, professional training, brokerage activity, and relevant academic credentials.

A real estate license is not necessarily the only factor GREC considers, but applicants should expect the Commission to examine their connection to real estate practice and their ability to teach accurately and effectively.

Complete the required courses

Before applying, the applicant must complete both of the following within the one-year period preceding the application:

1. A Commission-approved instructor development workshop.
2. A Georgia salesperson prelicense course, including the course examination.

The salesperson prelicense course generally must be completed through an appropriate approved provider and in the manner required by GREC. Keep certificates, course dates, school information, and examination records because the application requires evidence of completion.

The rules and application materials should be checked before enrolling. GREC may specify which instructor-development workshops qualify, and course requirements or acceptable documentation can change.

Obtain the criminal-history report

The application requires a recent certified criminal-history report. For Georgia applicants, the report must be issued by the Georgia Crime Information Center of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and obtained no more than 60 days before the application is filed.

Applicants who have not lived in Georgia may need an equivalent certified report from their state, province, or territory of residence. If the report identifies a record in another jurisdiction, GREC may require additional documentation.

Because the report has a limited validity period, obtain it close to the date the completed application will be submitted.

Prepare the application package

The instructor application should generally include:

• The signed GREC instructor-approval application.
• The required application fee.
• A resume or detailed professional background.
• Information about any real estate license held.
• Teaching history and recommendations or evaluations.
• Formal-education information and degree documentation.
• A list of real estate education completed.
• A description of real estate experience and transaction history.
• The qualifying instructor-development workshop and salesperson-course documentation.
• The recent certified criminal-history report.
• Any additional information requested by GREC.

GREC’s prelicense-instructor application identifies a specific filing fee, but applicants should verify the current amount and acceptable payment method on the latest form before sending the application.

Incomplete applications may be returned without processing and may be subject to an additional administrative charge under the application instructions.

Submit the application to GREC

File the completed application and fee with the Georgia Real Estate Commission using the mailing or submission instructions on the current form. The application should be complete, signed, and supported by clearly labeled documentation.

GREC evaluates the applicant’s qualifications across the required categories rather than relying only on a single credential. Approval is discretionary, and the Commission is the final determinant of whether an applicant may serve as an approved instructor.

Do not advertise or teach a Commission-approved prelicense course as the instructor of record until approval has been granted. A school may use a guest instructor in limited circumstances, but the guest-instructor exception does not replace the normal approval process for someone seeking to teach regularly.

Work with an approved real estate school

After approval, instructors typically teach through a GREC-approved school. The school must use Commission-approved courses, follow delivery and attendance rules, maintain required records, and comply with other education standards.

If the goal is to open a school rather than teach for an existing one, a separate school-approval application and fee are required. The school application includes identifying information such as the school, director, and coordinator.

Maintain approval

Instructor approval is not necessarily permanent. Georgia’s renewal materials state that an approved instructor must complete at least 36 hours of approved instructor continuing education—including two annual school meetings—during the four-year renewal period and must provide at least 60 hours of instructional contact with students in a Commission-approved course during that period.

Confirm renewal deadlines, fees, continuing-education categories, and instructional-contact requirements directly from the current GREC rules and renewal form. A lapse in approval can affect eligibility to teach Commission-approved courses.

A practical preparation checklist

Before applying, an aspiring Georgia instructor should:

• Hold or document relevant Georgia real estate licensing and practice experience.
• Complete a Commission-approved instructor development workshop.
• Complete the salesperson prelicense course and pass its examination.
• Collect teaching evaluations and recommendations.
• Assemble education transcripts, certificates, and professional records.
• Obtain the required criminal-history report within 60 days of filing.
• Download the current GREC instructor application.
• Verify the current fee and filing instructions.
• Confirm that the intended school and courses are Commission-approved.
• Contact GREC if the applicant’s licensing history, out-of-state experience, criminal record, or proposed teaching role creates uncertainty.

Requirements and forms can be amended. The current Georgia rules, application form, and instructions—not an older school webpage or third-party summary—should control the application.

Authoritative Sources

• Georgia Real Estate Commission instructor standards, Rule 520-2-.03
• Georgia Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate Pre-License Instructor
• Georgia Real Estate Commission, Real Estate Education Manual
• Georgia Real Estate Commission instructor-reinstatement application
• Georgia Secretary of State, Georgia Real Estate Commission rules