How to hire a geography teacher

How to hire a geography teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step geography 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 geography teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new geography teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The geography 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a geography teacher to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a geography teacher that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of geography teachers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Geography Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Geography Teacher	High school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college and to enter the job market.	$20-40
   Science Instructor	A Science Instructor guides the student in understanding important concepts in science, which may include problem-solving and gathering evidence in supporting concepts or ideas. Their responsibilities include presenting science demonstrations, checking assignments, grading tests, and writing lesson plans... Show more	$14-37
   Math And Science Teacher	Math and Science Teachers are responsible for imparting knowledge and developing a student's skills in mathematics and science. Their duties include creating lessons, producing learning materials, sourcing supplies, and grading examinations and quizzes... Show more	$17-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • Instructional Materials
   • Academic Achievement
   • Student Learning
   • Mathematics
   • Social Studies
   • Assessment Tools
   • Exam
   • Syllabus
   • Parent Conferences
   • Economics
   • Civics
   • Student Performance
   • ESL

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage FBLA, assist with meeting notes, financial records, and agendas for meetings, events, and fundraisers.
   • Engage students' interests while encouraging ESL skills and learning.
   • Develop the students' capacity by identifying and solving problems using mathematics and logical skills.
   • Prepare courses for undergraduate or graduate students on topics including biology, anatomy, molecular biology and botany.
   • Develop behavior management and leadership skills.

3. Make a budget

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

   $60,469yearly

   $29.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level geography teacher salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average geography teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$98,021	$47
   2	New York	$87,350	$42
   3	Illinois	$78,404	$38
   4	Alaska	$74,911	$36
   5	Nevada	$71,591	$34
   6	Maryland	$69,965	$34
   7	North Dakota	$65,340	$31
   8	Virginia	$64,150	$31
   9	Minnesota	$59,991	$29
   10	Tennessee	$55,915	$27
   11	Hawaii	$55,195	$27
   12	Wisconsin	$55,062	$26
   13	Texas	$53,400	$26
   14	Florida	$53,256	$26
   15	Georgia	$52,747	$25
   16	Alabama	$49,232	$24
   17	Arizona	$43,108	$21

   Average geography teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Hawaii Foundation	$85,135	$40.93	3
   2	UMiami Health System	$83,432	$40.11	4
   3	California State University, Fullerton	$80,353	$38.63	1
   4	UC Santa Barbara	$73,582	$35.38
   5	Florida International University	$69,850	$33.58
   6	University of North Dakota	$65,518	$31.50	6
   7	Lycée Français de Chicago	$65,284	$31.39	2
   8	The University System of Maryland Foundation	$64,891	$31.20
   9	State University of New York College at Cortland	$63,968	$30.75
   10	Georgia State University	$61,757	$29.69	1
   11	UW-La Crosse	$60,228	$28.96
   12	The University of Alabama	$59,404	$28.56	6
   13	University of Tennessee	$57,677	$27.73	3
   14	University of Alaska	$55,234	$26.55
   15	French American International School	$54,497	$26.20	1
   16	Dallas International School	$53,821	$25.88	2
   17	Virginia's Community Colleges	$52,804	$25.39	3
   18	The University of Texas at San Antonio	$52,651	$25.31
   19	University of Arizona Foundation	$52,409	$25.20
   20	Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi	$51,266	$24.65	2

4. Writing a geography teacher job description

   A good geography 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 a geography teacher job description:

   Geography teacher job description example

   Click here to see campuses calendars for the 2022-2023 school year.
   
   Provide students with appropriate learning activities and experience designed to help them fulfill their potential for intellectual, emotional, physical, and social growth. Enable students to develop competencies and skills to function successfully in society. Assist and support building principal to ensure on-site administration and execution of the district's educational programs, policies, and regulations and quality instruction for all students in a safe and healthy environment.
   
   * Develop and implement lesson plans that fulfill requirements of the district's instruction curriculum program and show written evidence of preparation as required.
   * Prepare lessons that reflect accommodations for differences in student learning styles.
   * Present subject matter according to guidelines established by Texas Education Agency, Board of Trustee policies, and administrative regulations.
   * Establish efficient classroom management procedures.
   * Establish and maintain standards of pupil behavior.
   * Establish a system of student evaluation within the guidelines prescribed in state law or adopted by the school district.
   * Continually evaluate and record various aspects of students' progress and report to parents as needed and required.
   * Teach within the course of study for the subject area at the grade level as prescribed in state law or adopted by the school district.
   * Understand and plan lessons leading to subject area objectives and assume the responsibility for written lesson plans for substitutes.
   * Provide a variety of planned learning experiences using a variety of media and methods in order to motivate students and best utilize available time for instruction.
   * Identify pupil needs and cooperate with other professional staff members in assessing and helping students resolve health, attitude, and learning problems.
   * Be available for counseling with students and parents before and after school.
   * Share the responsibility of interpreting the educational programs to the community through such activities as open house and PTA meetings.
   * Plan and coordinate the work of aides and other paraprofessional and student teachers (when applicable).
   * Participate cooperatively with the principal to develop the system by which he/she will be evaluated in conformance with the district's uniform guidelines for evaluation and assessment.
   * Keep accurate records of student information; compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents required by the school and district.
   * Regular and punctual attendance at the worksite is required for this position.
   
   SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None
   
   PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
   
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must routinely lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and color vision.
   
   WORK ENVIRONMENT:
   
   The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Travel throughout the district is integral to this job. A remote working environment /alternate work arrangement is not an option for campus-based employees/campus-based positions because regular and punctual attendance at the worksite and performing all duties at the worksite are essential job duties for all campus-based personnel.
   
   The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required of this job:
   
   * Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university
   * Valid Texas teacher certificate with required endorsements for subject and subject level assigned.
   * Demonstrated general knowledge of curriculum and instruction.
   * Demonstrated knowledge of various routine tasks, duties, and procedures and the ability to follow specific instructions with little or no previous experience.
   * Demonstrated flexibility to cope with the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
   * Demonstrated willingness to remain current with the latest developments in the profession.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right geography teacher for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your geography teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit geography 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

   Recruiting geography teachers 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 geography teacher

   Once you've selected the best geography 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 geography teacher 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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