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What is a biology teacher and how to become one
If you have sound knowledge of how living organisms work, then you have your biology teacher to thank for that. Although often seen as the "nerdy" teachers at school, biology teachers are definitely some of the most important sources of knowledge in any academic setting.
As you would expect, a biology teacher spends most of their time in the classroom, delivering lectures and assessing students' knowledge in biology through tests, quizzes, and recitation. Usually, they also conduct laboratory sessions and may even hold classes in nature for certain topics. Outside of teaching hours, biology teachers plan lessons, grade papers, and collaborate with other co-teachers.
The role of a biology teacher requires a bachelor's or master's degree in biology or education, as well as a teaching license. More importantly, the job entails patience to interact with children on a daily basis, creativity to engage students effectively, and a great amount of enthusiasm to create an excellent learning environment in the classroom.
Similar to other teaching jobs, a biology teacher makes around $23.92 an hour or $49,752 a year. Teachers with master's degrees may earn a higher salary.
What general advice would you give to a biology teacher?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
Avg. Salary $51,721
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 5%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%
Asian 3.59%
Black or African American 8.03%
Hispanic or Latino 11.69%
Unknown 3.97%
White 72.27%
Genderfemale 61.58%
male 38.42%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Biology teacher career paths
Key steps to become a biology teacher
Explore biology teacher education requirements
Start to develop specific biology teacher skills
Skills Percentages Classroom Management 13.24% Science Curriculum 7.32% Student Learning 6.68% Public Schools 5.99% Lab Experiments 5.03% Complete relevant biology teacher training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New biology teachers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a biology teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real biology teacher resumes.Research biology teacher duties and responsibilities
- Plan and instruct human anatomy & physiology, genetics, and biology courses
- Design and instruct the following courses: biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology lab.
- Revise plans for ESL and students with learning disabilities.
- Help ESL students with their English and writing papers.
Prepare your biology teacher resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your biology teacher resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a biology teacher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable biology teacher resume templates
Build a professional biology teacher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your biology teacher resume.
Apply for biology teacher jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a biology teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first biology teacher job
Are you a biology teacher?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average biology teacher salary
The average biology teacher salary in the United States is $51,721 per year or $25 per hour. Biology teacher salaries range between $36,000 and $73,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do biology teachers rate their job?
Biology teacher reviews
Kids, teaching lessons, co-teachers, hours, weekends off, salary, holidays off, summers off, paid sick and personal days
Administration, observations, being told what to teach and HOW to teach it, expecting us to participate in things we might not want to or have the time for, staff meetings with no substance
Ability to share knowledge and guide students in learning new things.
Some students' non-challant attitude towards learning.
The pedagogical autonomy. Teaching is an art and every year is (and should be) different. I recreate goals, programs and targets according to the needs of the students each year. Maine is an incredible place to teach as it doesn't require 3 page (or more lesson plans for each day. The admins are supportive and teachers are encouraged to improve and change their craft as needed.
The stress and absence of financial support are hard. I spend far too much of my own money buying notebooks because the families think I should. The lack of community support wears you down. The inflexible expectations of upper admin. The endless testing and the unrealistic demands and canned programs that do NOTHING to help students from financial and socio-economically challenged areas succeed.
Updated January 8, 2025
