How to hire a floater teacher

How to hire a floater teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step floater teacher hiring guide:

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

What does a floater teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the floater teacher you need to hire. Certain floater teacher 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

   Hiring the perfect floater teacher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents floater teacher salaries for various positions.

   Type of Floater Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Floater Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$10-18
   Long Term Substitute Teacher	A long term substitute teacher is responsible for covering the duties of a teacher who is away for a long time. Long term substitute teachers proceed with the lesson plan outlines and the regular teacher's curriculum depending on their expertise... Show more	$14-28
   Teacher Aide	Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • Childhood
   • Classroom Management
   • Child Care
   • Customer Service
   • Learning Environment
   • Diaper Changes
   • Classroom Environment
   • Open Communication
   • Early Childhood Development
   • Pre-K
   • Emotional Development
   • Parent-Teacher Conferences
   • First Aid Training

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Obtain certification in child care and CPR.
   • Teach them their abc's, and toddler basics.
   • Teach them there colors, abc, shapes and days of the week and much more.
   • Receive training in first aid and adult, child, and infant CPR.
   • Complete LAUSD referrals for students needing additional support, particularly in language development and participate in IEP meetings when applicable.
   • Prepare, plan, organize, and instruct interactive classes to engage children in bible and life lessons.

   More floater teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your floater teacher job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A floater 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 a floater teacher in Tennessee may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level floater teacher usually earns less than a senior-level floater teacher. Additionally, a floater 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 floater teacher salary

   $13.85hourly

   $28,813 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level floater teacher salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average floater teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$38,026	$18
   2	California	$35,930	$17
   3	Massachusetts	$35,211	$17
   4	Minnesota	$31,791	$15
   5	Pennsylvania	$30,745	$15
   6	New Jersey	$29,944	$14
   7	Colorado	$28,498	$14
   8	Illinois	$27,715	$13
   9	Virginia	$26,598	$13
   10	Texas	$25,368	$12
   11	Wisconsin	$24,955	$12
   12	Delaware	$24,608	$12
   13	Georgia	$24,540	$12
   14	Florida	$23,188	$11
   15	Indiana	$22,677	$11
   16	Arizona	$22,629	$11
   17	North Carolina	$22,044	$11

   Average floater teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$42,314	$20.34	27
   2	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$38,507	$18.51	8
   3	Connections Academy	$37,165	$17.87	134
   4	Erie Neighborhood House	$35,862	$17.24
   5	Leman Academy of Excellence, Inc.	$35,088	$16.87	27
   6	UC Health	$31,868	$15.32	1
   7	Nobel Learning	$31,708	$15.24
   8	UCHealth	$31,546	$15.17
   9	Learning Care Group	$30,624	$14.72	721
   10	Lionheart Children's Academy	$29,571	$14.22
   11	First Plymouth Congregational Church	$28,994	$13.94	37
   12	Cadence Education	$28,790	$13.84	236
   13	Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta	$28,570	$13.74	15
   14	YMCA of Metro Knoxville	$28,317	$13.61	14
   15	Mission Neighborhood Centers	$28,139	$13.53	3
   16	Action Day Primary Plus	$27,377	$13.16
   17	Little Sprouts	$27,261	$13.11	58
   18	Clayton Early Learning	$27,058	$13.01	8
   19	Discovery Point	$26,757	$12.86	19
   20	The Learning Experience	$26,752	$12.86	2,019

4. Writing a floater teacher job description

   A job description for a floater teacher 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 a floater teacher job description:

   Floater teacher job description example

   Teachers at The Learning Experience are ambassadors of happiness, creating opportunities every day that reflect our mission to make a difference in the lives of children, their families and communities. Our passionate teachers use a growth mindset to develop young minds and inspire a love of learning! Role Responsibilities:

   • Create a welcoming, engaging classroom space for young children to learn, play and grow
   • Use a growth mindset to develop young minds and inspire a love of learning.
   • Implement our proprietary L.E.A.P. Curriculum®, working with Infants, Toddlers, and/or Preschool children in a way that is consistent with the unique needs of each child.
   • Create a safe, nurturing environment where children can play and learn.
   • Communicate regularly with parents, sharing their children’s latest adventures and achievements through a variety of avenues, including mobile apps and personal discussions.
   • Support your center’s success, partnering with center staff and leadership to achieve goals around enrollment and engagement.
   • Build relationships with families and coworkers and create a dynamic environment where play and learning happen seamlessly.

   Qualifications:

   • High School Diploma/ GED required
   • Valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card
   • 1 year of professional teaching experience preferred. At least six months of professional teaching experience in a licensed childcare or school setting required
   • Valid TB test within the last 12 months preferred
   • CPR/First Aide Certification preferred
   • Must meet state specific guidelines for the role

   This franchise is independently owned and operated by a franchisee. Your application will go directly to the franchisee, and all hiring decisions will be made by the management of this franchisee. All inquiries about employment at this franchisee should be made directly to the franchise location, and not to The Learning Experience Corporate.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find floater teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find floater teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit floater 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 floater teacher

   Once you've selected the best floater teacher 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.

   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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