How to hire an Educator

How to hire an educator, step by step

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

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

What does an Educator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the educator you need to hire. Certain educator 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 educator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, educators 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 educators and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Educator	Description	Hourly Rate
   Educator	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$13-31
   Teacher-In-Training	A teacher-in-training is a teaching professional who offers technical teaching assistance to teachers in developing effective behavior management and instructional strategies to support student learning. The teacher must collaborate with principals while employing diverse techniques to increase the effectiveness of student learning... Show More	$11-26
   First Grade Teacher	First-grade teachers are the first instructors of children after they finished the kindergarten level. They play an essential role as children aged six to seven move to more structured learning... Show More	$17-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Product Knowledge
   • Patients
   • Classroom Management
   • Curriculum Development
   • Professional Development
   • Education Programs
   • CPR
   • Math
   • PowerPoint
   • Bilingual Education
   • Language Arts
   • Strong Planning
   • Mathematics

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage classroom behavior, oversee instruction for under-performing, over-achieving and ESL students, and lead private tutoring lessons.
   • Manage revolving caseload of students with IEP team including initials, transfer placements, manifestation determinations.
   • Develop curriculum and teach PC, GED and ABE adult education classes.
   • Involve in new employee orientation to the facility as well as teaching BLS and ACLS
   • Collaborate with math professionals in reinforcing concepts acquire within the student's primary learning environment.
   • Help meet WIC program participation goals.

   More Educator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, educators' average salary in florida is 45% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level educators 55% less than senior-level educators.
   • Certifications. An educator 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 an educator's salary.

   Average educator salary

   $43,760yearly

   $21.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level educator salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2025

   Average educator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	New York	$60,965	$29
   2	District of Columbia	$60,204	$29
   3	New Jersey	$57,759	$28
   4	Massachusetts	$55,430	$27
   5	Maryland	$55,275	$27
   6	California	$51,409	$25
   7	Illinois	$50,245	$24
   8	Minnesota	$49,973	$24
   9	Ohio	$49,126	$24
   10	Michigan	$48,773	$23
   11	Washington	$48,654	$23
   12	Maine	$47,440	$23
   13	Oregon	$45,423	$22
   14	Nebraska	$45,368	$22
   15	Wisconsin	$44,243	$21
   16	Kansas	$43,762	$21
   17	North Dakota	$42,446	$20
   18	Colorado	$41,774	$20
   19	North Carolina	$41,754	$20
   20	Iowa	$40,674	$20

   Average educator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Google	$97,762	$47.00
   2	Pace University	$92,524	$44.48
   3	Cisco	$91,701	$44.09
   4	Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District	$87,209	$41.93
   5	Cottage Health	$86,808	$41.73	5
   6	Schrödinger Inc	$84,767	$40.75	1
   7	University of Maryland Medical System	$84,451	$40.60	12
   8	WakeMed	$82,972	$39.89	3
   9	Legacy Health	$82,608	$39.72	1
   10	Tenet Healthcare	$81,027	$38.96	22
   11	The Nightingale-Bamford School	$77,258	$37.14
   12	CHKD Thrift Store	$74,988	$36.05
   13	City of Mountain View	$74,606	$35.87
   14	Lenovo	$74,462	$35.80
   15	Health Alliance	$73,346	$35.26	3
   16	University of Massachusetts Boston	$72,546	$34.88	3
   17	Stanford Health Care	$72,450	$34.83	2
   18	Siemens	$72,043	$34.64	1
   19	LCMC Health	$69,613	$33.47	1
   20	Prime Healthcare	$69,215	$33.28	13

4. Writing an Educator Job Description

   A job description for an educator 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 educator job description:

   Educator job description example

   US--
   
   Type: Regular Full-Time
   Multiple Locations - Portland Metro
   
   Overview
   
   

   Relocation assistance available to nurses new to Legacy!

   
   The Legacy nursing philosophy focuses on patients and their families. Our nurses embody this philosophy in everything they do, as advocates, communicators, problem-solvers and caregivers. Their expertise is sought after and respected by our health care team. In short, they are the face of wellness at Legacy. Does this sound like an environment in which you could thrive? If so, we invite you to consider this opportunity.

   
   
   Responsibilities
   
   

   The Nursing Education and Practice Specialist supports nursing and clinical specialty programs at a system level in the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of clinical education and practice initiatives. Specific activities will be defined by nursing leadership. Activities include but are not limited to planning and provision of General Nursing Orientation; development, review, revision and management of patient care standards; competency assessment, education of nursing staff in all specialties and assessment of staff learning needs.

   
   
   Qualifications
   
   

   Education:

   An academic degree in nursing is required (BSN or MSN/MN); master's degree required, MSN/MN preferred.

   Experience:

   Four years relevant clinical experience at a proficient to expert level of practice required.

   Newborn and Resuscitation Experience Preferred

   Knowledge/Skills:

   Demonstrated knowledge of adult learning principles as evidenced by the ability to facilitate learning for patients/families, nursing staff or other members of the healthcare team.

   Effective teaching and communication skills.

   Strong meeting facilitation and group process skills.

   Ability to work effectively in teams, and independently.

   Knowledge of performance excellence Lean principles; ability to apply performance excellence Lean process.

   Demonstrated ability to collaborate with staff and leadership to implement change.

   LEGACY'S VALUES IN ACTION:

   Follows guidelines set forth in Legacy's Values in Action.

   Equal Opportunity Employer/Vet/Disabled

   
   
   

   PI193359450

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find educators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any educators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level educators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your educator job on Zippia to find and recruit educator 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

   Your first interview with educator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 educator

   Once you've selected the best educator 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new educator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire an educator?