How to hire an exceptional children's teacher

How to hire an exceptional children's teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step exceptional children's teacher hiring guide:

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

What does an exceptional children's teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The exceptional children's teacher hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An exceptional children's teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, exceptional children's teachers 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 exceptional children's teacher salaries for various positions.

   Type of Exceptional Children's Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Exceptional Children's Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$16-29
   Teacher Internship	Teaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them... Show more	$16-32
   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:

   • Classroom Management
   • Social Work
   • Student Learning
   • Mathematics
   • Student Education
   • Learning Styles
   • Behavior Modification
   • Math
   • Curriculum Development
   • Autism
   • Education Programs
   • EC
   • IEPs
   • Language Arts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage student behavior and administer discipline, including intervening in crises and physically restraining students as necessary according to IEP.
   • Develop inclusion program in grade 4 and co-taught 4th and 6th grade math and reading in inclusion format.
   • Plan and co-taught with individual teachers as needed.
   • Self-Contain autism academy, teacher in resource setting, and teacher for kindergarten
   • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, and other common areas within the school building.
   • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or field trips.

   More exceptional children's teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your exceptional children's teacher job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An exceptional children's teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an exceptional children's teacher in Arkansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level exceptional children's teacher usually earns less than a senior-level exceptional children's teacher. Additionally, an exceptional children's teacher with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average exceptional children's teacher salary

   $46,317yearly

   $22.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level exceptional children's teacher salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average exceptional children's teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$52,484	$25
   2	California	$51,785	$25
   3	Illinois	$50,162	$24
   4	Illinois	$50,156	$24
   5	Kentucky	$47,201	$23
   6	Georgia	$44,051	$21
   7	Idaho	$43,665	$21
   8	North Carolina	$43,045	$21
   9	North Carolina	$43,024	$21
   10	North Carolina	$42,782	$21
   11	North Carolina	$42,727	$21
   12	North Carolina	$42,486	$20
   13	North Carolina	$42,417	$20
   14	North Carolina	$42,376	$20
   15	North Carolina	$42,316	$20
   16	North Carolina	$42,286	$20
   17	North Carolina	$42,283	$20
   18	North Carolina	$42,261	$20
   19	North Carolina	$42,208	$20
   20	North Carolina	$42,177	$20

   Average exceptional children's teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$56,148	$26.99	30
   2	Broward County Public Schools	$53,433	$25.69	1
   3	Chatham County Schools	$51,763	$24.89	14
   4	KIPP DC	$51,403	$24.71	90
   5	Union County Public Schools	$51,090	$24.56	141
   6	Learning Care Group	$50,975	$24.51	506
   7	KIPP Austin Public Schools	$50,406	$24.23	277
   8	Davidson Academy	$49,987	$24.03	10
   9	East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools	$49,153	$23.63	53
   10	The School District of Philadelphia	$48,645	$23.39	64
   11	Intermountain Healthcare	$48,418	$23.28
   12	Charter Schools USA	$48,304	$23.22
   13	Vance County Schools	$48,142	$23.15
   14	Tiller School	$47,843	$23.00
   15	Lauderdale County Schools	$47,804	$22.98
   16	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	$47,658	$22.91
   17	Central Park School for Children	$47,494	$22.83
   18	Alamance-Burlington School System	$46,750	$22.48
   19	AMIkids	$46,632	$22.42	32
   20	Wilkes University	$46,185	$22.20	9

4. Writing an exceptional children's teacher job description

   A good exceptional children's teacher job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an exceptional children's teacher job description:

   Exceptional children's teacher job description example

   Salary:
   
   190 Day Position
   
   This salary is prorated for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year.
   
   The Special Education Teacher (hereinafter referred to as Teacher) is directly responsible to the principal in the school (hereinafter referred to as Principal). The teacher must be able to perform tasks involving light lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling and must be able to walk and/or stand for prolonged periods of time. Vision, hearing and verbal communication are essential factors in performing required tasks, duties, and responsibilities. The teacher is assigned the following tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
   
   The Special Education Teacher shall:
   
   * Implement approved procedures for the identification of students with disabilities.
   * Enroll students in accordance with state and local procedures.
   * Maintain a case load that does not exceed the maximum case load set by the State.
   * Work cooperatively with principals and their designated staff in planning appropriate activities for enabling students to function more effectively in the regular classroom and the school.
   * Participate in parental conferences when requested.
   * Initiate joint principal-parent conferences with the approval of the principal and maintain minutes as needed of said conferences stating the date, time, place, persons involved, purpose, and outcome of the meeting.
   * Implement record-keeping procedures and maintain inventories for all materials checked out to the Teacher.
   * Submit requests for materials and equipment to the Principal for approval and processing.
   * Submit to the Director of Special Education an inventory list of classroom materials and equipment at the end of the school year either during or before post planning week.
   * Implement the program for students with disabilities in the assigned schools and in accordance with system, state, and federal policies and regulations.
   * Work cooperatively with local school staff in identifying students who meet system and state criteria for receiving behavioral disorder services.
   * Provide services such as vision/hearing screening, educations diagnostic evaluation, observations, hearing aid checks as specific to a disability area.
   * Complete in a timely manner all reports, assessments, and forms required.
   * Conduct initial-and annual-review placement meetings for students.
   * Forward to the Director a copy of the placement meeting minutes immediately following the meeting.
   * Serve as a member of the Special Education Placement Committee within the school.
   * Follow all school procedures.
   * Take all precautions to ensure confidentiality for students, student records, parents, staff, and school business.
   * The Teacher shall perform routine lifting of students and personal hygiene for certain students as needed. The CDC Universal Procedures shall be used in handling any body fluids.
   
   If additional tasks, duties, and/or responsibilities are assigned to or deleted from this role description, this document shall be revised in writing at that time to reflect said changes and shall be submitted to the Board as customary for approval.
   
   Special Education Teacher includes the following areas:
   
   * Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
   * Specific Learning Disabilities
   * Visual Impairments
   * Intellectual Disabilities
   * Orthopedic Impairments
   * Hearing Impairments

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right exceptional children's teacher 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 exceptional children's teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit exceptional children's teachers 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 exceptional children's teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit exceptional children's teacher 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

   During your first interview to recruit exceptional children's teachers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 exceptional children's teacher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the exceptional children's teacher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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