Post job

What is a correspondence school instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Diana Jones
introduction image

A correspondence school is any educational establishment that offers programs to its students through distance learning. These schools can provide regular schooling, postsecondary education, postgraduate education, and/or career training--all through electronic means.

Teachers in this type of school are called correspondence school instructors. Unlike regular teachers, they teach the class entirely online through a variety of methods, including online tests, virtual classes, and self-study activities, to help students learn in the best ways possible despite the unorthodox set-up of distance learning.

Correspondence school teachers have the same credentials as regular teachers, which includes a bachelor's or postgraduate degree in the relevant field and a teaching license. However, they may have to undergo specialized training to teach effectively through online means. In addition to that, correspondence school teachers need to have at least a basic computer unit to serve all of their teaching needs, as well as auxiliary equipment like headphones, microphones, and web cameras.

Similar to most teaching jobs, the role of a correspondence school teacher can earn around $19,000 to $49,000 a year. But unlike regular teachers, correspondence school teachers usually have fewer daily expenses, which means that most of their income may not go to things like transportation, food, and gas because they don't need to go to school physically.

What general advice would you give to a correspondence school instructor?

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.
ScoreCorrespondence School InstructorUS Average
Salary
3.3

Avg. Salary $42,601

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 3.67%

Black or African American 9.90%

Hispanic or Latino 12.72%

Unknown 3.92%

White 69.28%

Gender

female 59.25%

male 40.75%

Age - 42
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 - 42
Stress level
8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Correspondence school instructor career paths

Key steps to become a correspondence school instructor

  1. Explore correspondence school instructor education requirements

    Most common correspondence school instructor degrees

    Bachelor's

    60.2 %

    Associate

    13.1 %

    Master's

    12.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific correspondence school instructor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Classroom Management20.95%
    CPR11.86%
    Kids10.83%
    Professional Development6.88%
    Math5.46%
  3. Research correspondence school instructor duties and responsibilities

    • Utilize training in medical English to facilitate preparation of study and achieve require educational standards necessary to successfully complete course.
    • Provide kids with a safe learning environment on a regular basis (Monday through Friday )
    • Create and implement middle school lessons in the following subject areas; reading, math, science, and social studies.
    • Develop enrichment worksheets that enhance their mathematics, English, and science learning skills.
  4. Prepare your correspondence school instructor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your correspondence school instructor 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 correspondence school instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable correspondence school instructor resume templates

    Build a professional correspondence school instructor 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 correspondence school instructor resume.
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
    Correspondence School Instructor Resume
  5. Apply for correspondence school instructor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a correspondence school instructor 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 correspondence school instructor job

Zippi

Are you a correspondence school instructor?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average correspondence school instructor salary

The average correspondence school instructor salary in the United States is $42,601 per year or $20 per hour. Correspondence school instructor salaries range between $24,000 and $74,000 per year.

Average correspondence school instructor salary
$42,601 Yearly
$20.48 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do correspondence school instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Correspondence school instructor 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 correspondence school instructor? 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