Becoming a real estate instructor in Hawaii generally requires more than holding a real estate license. The Hawaii Real Estate Commission, under the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, certifies prelicense instructors and requires applicants to demonstrate professional qualifications, teaching experience, subject-matter knowledge, and familiarity with Hawaii’s approved curriculum.

1. Decide What You Want to Teach

Hawaii has several instructional roles:

• Prelicense instructor: Teaches approved salesperson or broker prelicense courses.
• Independent-study or online-course instructor: Teaches approved distance-learning prelicense courses and may require a supplementary application.
• Guest lecturer or substitute instructor: Provides limited or occasional instruction under a separate registration process.
• Continuing-education instructor: May work through a registered continuing-education provider and must satisfy the provider and course-approval requirements applicable to that program.

The Hawaii Real Estate Commission’s prelicense-instructor application is the appropriate starting point for individuals who want to teach the standard salesperson or broker curriculum.

2. Meet a Professional Qualification Route

Hawaii’s rules provide several ways to establish the professional background required for instructor certification. The most common route is to hold a current, unencumbered Hawaii real estate broker’s license, have at least three years of full-time real estate experience in Hawaii, and meet the experience requirements applicable to a Hawaii broker’s license.

Other qualifying routes may include:

• A law degree, an active Hawaii law license, and at least two years of practice in real estate law in Hawaii.
• An appointment to the real estate faculty of an accredited college or university.
• A bachelor’s degree or higher, at least three years of full-time Hawaii real estate experience, and satisfaction of the current broker-experience requirements.
• Other professional education, certifications, or experience that the Commission accepts as demonstrating sufficient command of real estate subject matter.

The Commission may evaluate an applicant’s qualifications individually, so meeting one apparent category does not guarantee certification. Use the current application packet rather than relying on older summaries or third-party course information.

3. Obtain Recent Teaching Experience

Applicants generally must document at least one year of prior real estate teaching experience earned within the three years before applying.

The application instructions identify several ways to support the teaching qualification, including:

• Completion of a special real estate instructor institute within the year immediately preceding the application.
• Completion of a Commission-accepted professional real estate designation curriculum.
• A current teaching appointment at an accredited college or university.
• Certificates of completion from accredited salesperson and broker courses.
• Other evidence showing professional certification, subject-matter command, and relevant experience.

A resume should clearly identify teaching dates, subjects, course providers, and whether instruction was live, online, or otherwise delivered. If an applicant has little or no teaching history, a Commission-approved instructor-development program or teaching opportunity through an approved provider may help establish eligibility, but the Commission should confirm what it will accept in the individual case.

4. Pass the Instructor Examination

A prelicense-instructor applicant must submit official results showing a passing score on the required instructor examination. The application materials state that the examination score report should generally be from an examination taken within the six months before submission.

Hawaii administrative rules also describe an initial instructor examination requirement and a minimum passing score of 85 percent, unless the Commission prescribes otherwise. Because examination procedures and forms can change, confirm the current testing instructions with the Commission before scheduling the examination.

5. Complete the Instructor Development Workshop

Applicants must provide proof of completing a Real Estate Commission-approved Instructor Development Workshop, commonly called the IDW.

The workshop is separate from ordinary real estate licensing education. It is intended to prepare instructors to present the approved curriculum, follow instructional and ethical standards, and satisfy the Commission’s expectations for classroom or course delivery.

6. Assemble the Application Packet

The current certification packet generally requires:

• A completed Certification of Real Estate Prelicense Instructor application.
• Official instructor-examination results showing a passing score.
• Proof of completing the Commission-approved IDW.
• A current resume documenting professional and teaching experience.
• Documentation supporting the selected professional-qualification route.
• A signed Statement of Ethical Teaching Practices.
• A signed consent form.
• Current tuberculosis clearance if teaching in a live-classroom setting.
• The applicable application, certification, and compliance-resolution-fund fees.

The Commission may require an applicant to appear and demonstrate subject-matter expertise or the ability to communicate the prelicense material effectively. Submit complete, legible documentation and retain copies of everything provided.

7. Apply to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission

Submit the application to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission through the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The official forms page and current instructor packet provide the mailing information, required forms, fees, and any updated submission instructions.

Do not assume that completing the IDW or passing the examination alone authorizes teaching. Certification must be issued or otherwise approved by the Commission before teaching an approved prelicense course.

8. Obtain Additional Approval for Online Instruction

Teaching a prelicense independent-study or online course may require the Supplementary Application for Prelicense Independent Study/Online Course Instructor in addition to the regular instructor-certification application.

Online instruction can also involve course-format, attendance, testing, recordkeeping, and technology requirements. Confirm the current requirements with the Commission and the approved education provider before advertising or delivering an online course.

9. Understand Guest Lecturer and Substitute Rules

A person who will teach only as a guest lecturer or substitute instructor may fall under a separate registration category rather than the full prelicense-instructor certification process. Hawaii’s guest-lecturer materials require an application, a resume demonstrating expertise in the specific subject matter, ethical and consent forms, and applicable fees.

This route should not be treated as a general substitute for certification. Ask the Commission or the approved provider whether the planned teaching assignment qualifies as guest or substitute instruction.

10. Work Through an Approved Education Provider

Instructor certification does not by itself create a real estate school or authorize an individual to offer courses independently. The course provider must be approved or registered as required, and continuing-education providers have their own registration process.

For continuing education, Hawaii’s provider instructions state that an application should generally be submitted at least 45 days before the first anticipated course offering. A provider may not advertise, schedule classes, accept student applications or tuition, or hold classes before receiving written Commission approval.

In practice, instructors commonly work with an approved school or provider that handles course submissions, scheduling, student records, attendance, examinations, and compliance.

11. Renew the Certification

Hawaii prelicense-instructor certification is subject to periodic renewal. The certification expires at the end of each even-numbered year, and the stated recertification deadline is November 30 of that year.

Recertification materials generally include:

• A completed recertification application.
• Updated information and resume.
• Proof of the required instructor-development workshop, if not already on file.
• Applicable recertification and other fees.

Failure to recertify may result in forfeiture of the instructor certification. Check the current fee schedule and renewal packet because fees and forms may be revised.

Practical Path for Most Applicants

For many candidates, the typical sequence is:

1. Obtain and maintain a Hawaii real estate broker’s license.
2. Build at least three years of full-time Hawaii real estate experience.
3. Gain at least one year of recent real estate teaching experience.
4. Complete the Commission-approved Instructor Development Workshop.
5. Pass the instructor examination.
6. Gather the resume, experience records, ethical forms, consent form, TB clearance if applicable, and fees.
7. File the current certification application with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission.
8. Obtain separate approval or registration for online, guest-lecturer, substitute, or continuing-education work when applicable.
9. Track the biennial recertification deadline.

Where to Confirm Current Requirements

Requirements, fees, forms, and administrative procedures can change. Before enrolling in an instructor workshop, taking the examination, accepting a teaching assignment, or advertising a course, verify the current rules with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission and review the latest application packet.

The official forms page is especially important because newer packets may replace older PDFs. Hawaii administrative rules provide the legal framework, while the current Commission forms explain the documents and procedures used in practice.

Authoritative Sources

• Hawaii Real Estate Commission Forms — DCCA
• Hawaii Real Estate Commission Prelicense Instructor Certification Instructions
• Hawaii Real Estate Commission Prelicense Instructor Certification Application
• Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 99 — Real Estate Commission
• Hawaii Real Estate Licensing and Education — DCCA
• Registration of Real Estate Continuing Education Providers