How To Become An Emotional Disabilities Teacher: What It Is and Career Path

What is an emotional disabilities teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Diana Jones

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an emotional disabilities teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.04 an hour? That's $41,678 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 13,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an emotional disabilities teacher?

Dr. Diana Jones

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.

ScoreEmotional Disabilities TeacherUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,678

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.62%

Black or African American 9.39%

Hispanic or Latino 11.58%

Unknown 3.96%

White 71.08%

Gender

female 69.78%

male 30.22%

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

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an emotional disabilities teacher

Explore emotional disabilities teacher education requirements

Most common emotional disabilities teacher degrees

Bachelor's

71.2 %

Master's

25.0 %

Certificate

1.5 %

Start to develop specific emotional disabilities teacher skills

Skills	Percentages
Classroom Management	18.39%
Community Agencies	12.62%
Mathematics	10.13%
Emotional Support	9.55%
Math	9.07%

Complete relevant emotional disabilities teacher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emotional disabilities 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 an emotional disabilities teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emotional disabilities teacher resumes.

Research emotional disabilities teacher duties and responsibilities

Manage student behavior and administer discipline, including intervening in crises and physically restraining students as necessary according to IEP.
Plan curriculum for students with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities, autism and emotional/behavioral disorders in age appropriate general education classrooms.
Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.

Prepare your emotional disabilities teacher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emotional disabilities 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 an emotional disabilities 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 emotional disabilities teacher resume templates

Build a professional emotional disabilities 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 emotional disabilities teacher resume.

Apply for emotional disabilities teacher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an emotional disabilities 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 do emotional disabilities teachers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Emotional disabilities teacher reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The kids light up my days.

Cons

The demand and low pay. Teachers have families, too.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

You got to work with learners who will love you unconditionally. It gives a great satisfaction to be able to help them. I love learners with Special Needs and I am a Mom of one.

Cons

I can't say, maybe because there is none.

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

What is an emotional disabilities teacher and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an emotional disabilities teacher?

Emotional disabilities teacher career paths

Key steps to become an emotional disabilities teacher

Explore emotional disabilities teacher education requirements

Most common emotional disabilities teacher degrees

Start to develop specific emotional disabilities teacher skills

Complete relevant emotional disabilities teacher training and internships

Research emotional disabilities teacher duties and responsibilities

Prepare your emotional disabilities teacher resume

Choose from 10+ customizable emotional disabilities teacher resume templates

Apply for emotional disabilities teacher jobs

How did you land your first emotional disabilities teacher job

Average emotional disabilities teacher salary

How do emotional disabilities teachers rate their job?

Emotional disabilities teacher reviews