Post job

What is a chemistry teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Diana Jones,
Anita Corbett Ph.D.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a chemistry teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.31 an hour? That's $52,651 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 48,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a chemistry teacher?

Dr. Diana JonesDr. Diana Jones LinkedIn profile

Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University

General advice: I would encourage graduates to find a mentor who can guide them in their careers, stay on top of the latest technology, not be too hard on themselves, be flexible, be team players, be present, and care about their students.
ScoreChemistry TeacherUS Average
Salary
4.1

Avg. Salary $52,651

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 3.57%

Black or African American 7.94%

Hispanic or Latino 11.58%

Unknown 3.96%

White 72.49%

Gender

female 51.66%

male 48.34%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Chemistry teacher career paths

Key steps to become a chemistry teacher

  1. Explore chemistry teacher education requirements

    Most common chemistry teacher degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.7 %

    Master's

    21.5 %

    Doctorate

    4.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific chemistry teacher skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Classroom Management12.71%
    Lab Experiments10.83%
    Learning Environment8.96%
    Professional Development8.18%
    Student Learning5.17%
  3. Complete relevant chemistry teacher training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chemistry 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 chemistry teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chemistry teacher resumes.
  4. Research chemistry teacher duties and responsibilities

    • Create all classroom guidelines, syllabus, course work, and laboratories.
    • Participate in district curriculum alignment and help to write the current course syllabus.
    • Review and present each student's IEP to parents, administrators, and classroom teachers.
    • Increase technology, math and science skills through direct lab experience and weekly presentations of students work.
  5. Prepare your chemistry teacher resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chemistry 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 chemistry 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 chemistry teacher resume templates

    Build a professional chemistry 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 chemistry teacher resume.
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
    Chemistry Teacher Resume
  6. Apply for chemistry teacher jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a chemistry teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first chemistry teacher job

Zippi

Are you a chemistry teacher?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average chemistry teacher salary

The average chemistry teacher salary in the United States is $52,651 per year or $25 per hour. Chemistry teacher salaries range between $34,000 and $80,000 per year.

Average chemistry teacher salary
$52,651 Yearly
$25.31 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do chemistry teachers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Chemistry teacher reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

Kids, teaching lessons, co-teachers, hours, weekends off, salary, holidays off, summers off, paid sick and personal days

Cons

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


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Ability to share knowledge and guide students in learning new things.

Cons

Some students' non-challant attitude towards learning.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Cons

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.

Pros

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.


Working as a chemistry teacher? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse education, training, and library jobs