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What is a high school history teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Diana Jones
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a high school history teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.43 an hour? That's $48,739 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 48,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a high school history teacher?

Dr. Diana JonesDr. Diana Jones LinkedIn profile

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.
ScoreHigh School History TeacherUS Average
Salary
3.8

Avg. Salary $48,739

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 3.59%

Black or African American 8.04%

Hispanic or Latino 11.71%

Unknown 3.97%

White 72.23%

Gender

female 40.73%

male 59.27%

Age - 43
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 - 43
Stress level
8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

High school history teacher career paths

Key steps to become a high school history teacher

  1. Explore high school history teacher education requirements

    Most common high school history teacher degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.2 %

    Master's

    21.5 %

    Associate

    2.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific high school history teacher skills

    SkillsPercentages
    World History23.88%
    Curriculum Development22.10%
    Classroom Environment5.82%
    State Standards5.44%
    Classroom Management4.37%
  3. Complete relevant high school history teacher training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New high school history 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 a high school history teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real high school history teacher resumes.
  4. Research high school history teacher duties and responsibilities

    • Plan English conversation and writing classes, grade assignments, design and lead an English summer camp course for freshmen.
    • Prepare lesson plans and outline syllabus.
    • Oversee and create 504 plans and IEP for students along with evaluation of students' individual academic needs.
    • Determine the appropriate levels of language and math skills of individual students by administering achievement appropriate assessments and interpreting/evaluating results.
  5. Prepare your high school history teacher resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your high school history 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 a high school history 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 high school history teacher resume templates

    Build a professional high school history 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 high school history teacher resume.
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
    High School History Teacher Resume
  6. Apply for high school history teacher jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a high school history teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first high school history teacher job

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Average high school history teacher salary

The average high school history teacher salary in the United States is $48,739 per year or $23 per hour. High school history teacher salaries range between $35,000 and $66,000 per year.

Average high school history teacher salary
$48,739 Yearly
$23.43 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do high school history teachers rate their job?

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High school history teacher reviews

profile
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


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

I would like to work. I do not like not working. I love being around people and still have a lot to offer.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Ability to share knowledge and guide students in learning new things.

Cons

Some students' non-challant attitude towards learning.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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