How to hire an adapted physical education teacher

How to hire an adapted physical education teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adapted physical education teacher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an adapted physical education teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new adapted physical education teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an adapted physical education teacher do?

Post an adapted physical education teacher job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the adapted physical education teacher you need to hire. Certain adapted physical education teacher roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An adapted physical education teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, adapted physical education teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of adapted physical education teachers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Adapted Physical Education Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Adapted Physical Education Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$16-35
   Practicum Student	Practicum students are responsible for applying their classroom learning to practical application, depending on their chosen field. A practicum student shadows an experienced staff of an organization and learns everything on how a certain profession works... Show more	$16-32
   Long Term Substitute Teacher	A long term substitute teacher is responsible for covering the duties of a teacher who is away for a long time. Long term substitute teachers proceed with the lesson plan outlines and the regular teacher's curriculum depending on their expertise... Show more	$14-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Adaptive
   • APE
   • IEP
   • Autism
   • Physical Education
   • K-12
   • Public Schools
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Physical Disabilities
   • Physical Education Curriculum
   • K-8
   • Behavior Analysis
   • Instructional Techniques
   • ABA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the girls' volleyball team to a district championship and coach the state winner in high jump.
   • Develop organize syllabus to direct students in achieving subject knowledge require for course completion.
   • Attend IEP meetings and create adaptive PE goals for students.
   • Work with special needs students with physical disabilities as well as students with autism.
   • Coach select football, soccer, basketball, softball, track and field and swim teams.
   • Create skills training platform for the softball program.

   More adapted physical education teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your adapted physical education teacher job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An adapted physical education teacher salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, adapted physical education teachers' average salary in idaho is 50% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level adapted physical education teachers earn 52% less than senior-level adapted physical education teachers.
   • Certifications. An adapted physical education teacher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an adapted physical education teacher's salary.

   Average adapted physical education teacher salary

   $50,864yearly

   $24.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adapted physical education teacher salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average adapted physical education teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$67,885	$33
   2	New York	$65,027	$31
   3	California	$59,031	$28
   4	Maryland	$56,022	$27
   5	Rhode Island	$54,975	$26
   6	Minnesota	$52,013	$25
   7	New Jersey	$51,266	$25
   8	Ohio	$47,718	$23
   9	Washington	$47,634	$23
   10	Texas	$47,082	$23
   11	Virginia	$47,023	$23
   12	Michigan	$45,035	$22
   13	Nevada	$41,398	$20

   Average adapted physical education teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$68,420	$32.89	27
   2	Madera High School	$61,297	$29.47	9
   3	Alameda Unified	$60,378	$29.03
   4	Berkeley High School	$59,987	$28.84	27
   5	Pasadena Unified School District	$58,341	$28.05	9
   6	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$57,557	$27.67	8
   7	Buena Vista University	$57,205	$27.50	7
   8	Irving Isd	$55,754	$26.80	19
   9	Perkins School for the Blind	$55,740	$26.80	7
   10	KIPP SoCal Public Schools	$55,596	$26.73	18
   11	San Mateo County Office Of Education	$55,518	$26.69
   12	Suffolk Transportation Svc Inc	$55,300	$26.59
   13	ProCare Therapy	$54,308	$26.11
   14	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	$54,048	$25.98	9
   15	Montgomery County Public Schools	$53,614	$25.78	29
   16	Patterson Joint Unified School District	$52,782	$25.38	2
   17	Trudeau Memorial Center	$52,717	$25.34
   18	Bancroft	$51,555	$24.79	9
   19	The School District of Philadelphia	$51,306	$24.67	56
   20	Total Education Solutions Inc.	$51,158	$24.60	14

4. Writing an adapted physical education teacher job description

   A job description for an adapted physical education teacher role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an adapted physical education teacher job description:

   Adapted physical education teacher job description example

   If you are a current YAI employee, please click this link to apply through your Workday account.
   
   MSA Adaptive Physical Education Teacher
   Manhattan Star Academy, a member of the YAI Network, provides Elementary Education for children 5-12 years of age with intellectual developmental disabilities and learning delays, including children on the autism spectrum and grades 7-12.
   Our mission is to provide high-quality services to children and their families in a comprehensive, developmentally based program which focuses on the whole child. Instructional activities integrate all the domains of child development, including physical development and health, and social/emotional development; communication, language, and literacy; cognition and knowledge of the world (math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology). Our program strives to foster growth and development through a broad range of services within the program while utilizing community resources as appropriate.
   Join us in working in a friendly environment that facilitates open communication and participatory management, where you are valued as a professional and where your opinion truly matters. Receive on-going state-of-the-art training, supportive supervision and a commitment to developing your education and career to help you reach your greatest potential as a professional!
   
   Responsibilities:
   Oversee a classroom of school aged children
   Provide adapted physical education services to students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairments, or other conditions.
   Adapt instructional techniques to the age, skill levels, and physical abilities of students.
   Instruct students, using adapted physical education techniques, to improve physical fitness, gross motor skills, perceptual motor skills, or sports and game achievement.
   Maintain thorough student records to document attendance, participation, or progress, ensuring confidentiality of all records.
   Provide individual or small groups of students with adapted physical education instruction that meets desired physical needs or goals.
   Establish and maintain standards of behavior to create safe, orderly, and effective environments for learning and participation in APE.
   Prepare lesson plans in accordance with individualization based on the functional abilities or needs of students.Write reports to summarize student performance, social growth, and/or physical development.
   Advise education professionals of students' physical abilities and the accommodations required to enhance their school performance.
   Meet with parents as necessary and involve them in their child's activities and progress
   Provide direction to teacher assistants, 1:1's, or substitutes in your classroom
   
   Qualifications:
   Physical Education Degree- Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree strongly preferred, Certification in APE preferred. NYS PE Teaching Certification
   Seeking candidates with experience working with elementary school aged children with special needs
   Exceptional interpersonal, problem solving, communication skills, along with the ability to take initiative.
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam or disabled veteran. YAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
   
   ** MSA has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for its staff. If hired, you will be required to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine pursuant to this policy from a provider of your choice, unless you are granted a reasonable accommodation based upon disability or religion pursuant to federal, state, or local law
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam or disabled veteran. YAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find adapted physical education teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your adapted physical education teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit adapted physical education teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit adapted physical education teachers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new adapted physical education teacher

   Once you've selected the best adapted physical education teacher candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new adapted physical education teacher. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an adapted physical education teacher?