How to hire a doula

How to hire a doula, step by step

Here's a step-by-step doula hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your doula job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a doula for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A doula's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, doulas 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.

   This list presents doula salaries for various positions.

   Type of Doula	Description	Hourly rate
   Doula		$11-51
   Valet	A valet is responsible for parking customers' vehicles safely in secured premises. Valets' duties include greeting customers, assisting them in carrying their luggage, following special parking instructions of the guests, and promptly returning vehicles after checkout... Show more	$10-23
   House Sitter	House Sitters are individuals who manage their clients' homes while these clients are away. Clients connect or engage with house sitters days or weeks before their planned trip... Show more	$11-51

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Childbirth Education
   • Patients
   • Emotional Support
   • Doulas
   • Physical Support
   • Informational Support
   • Pregnant Women
   • Delivery Support
   • Support Services
   • Midwife
   • Infant Care
   • Dona
   • Postpartum Care
   • Birth Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Freelance henna tattoo artist; can draw free hand designs or use stencils.
   • Market and advertise services via flyers, business cards, Facebook, etc.
   • Provide in-patient counseling and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families.
   • Train in cross-contamination and CPR.
   • Update online website and Facebook.
   • Certify in blood-borne pathogens, basic first aid, and CPR.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your doula job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A doula can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, doulas' average salary in colorado is 49% less than in pennsylvania.
   • Seniority. Entry-level doulas 78% less than senior-level doulas.
   • Certifications. A doula with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a doula's salary.

   Average doula salary

   $51,691yearly

   $24.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level doula salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

4. Writing a doula job description

   A doula job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a doula job description:

   Doula job description example

   Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position(s):
   Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization
   
   Birth Doula (AmeriCorps) - Posting #21808
   
   Posting Summary:
   
   Sea Mar Community Health Centers is seeking a Birth Doula for its AmeriCorps Department based in Seattle. The Birth Doula will be working with the Maternity Support Services in Lynnwood.
   
   The member will train as a birthing doula with the Simkin Center at Bastyr University. Member serves clients by providing education and assistance throughout their pregnancy and birth experience. Member meets with clients during their pregnancy, provides support during labor, and visits during post-partum period. This position requires sensitivity, a willingness to work independently, and ability to handle a demanding on-call schedule.
   
   The AmeriCorps member will be required to complete the Member Service Agreement requirements in order to be fully compensated for their position (Stipend and Educational award).
   
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but not limited to the following:
   
   * Participate in mandatory trainings, service projects and team building activities throughout their 10-11 month full time term of service.
   * Schedule appointments and navigate patients through health system barriers
   * Initiate communication with patients making supported referrals to address the full spectrum of patient needs
   * Provide the mother with emotional, physical, moral, and educational support, especially during times with the father and other close relatives are unavailable.
   * Attend prenatal meetings to get to know each other and establish patient's birth preferences and other requirements.
   * Remain with the mother throughout labor and providing physical and emotional support during childbirth and in the immediate postpartum.
   * Visit the home of the mother once she has been discharged and assisting with the care of the baby while the mother heals.
   * Provide continuous doula services that meet the DONA International Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics to women during their births.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right doula for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with doulas they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit doulas who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your doula job on Zippia to find and recruit doula candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting doulas requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 doula

   Once you've found the doula candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new doula first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

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