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How to hire a high school teacher

High school teacher hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring high school teachers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a high school teacher is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new high school teacher to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a high school teacher, step by step

To hire a high school teacher, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a high school teacher, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a high school teacher do?

High school teachers play an essential role in preparing students for college or life following graduation. They typically teach students from the ninth to 12th grades. They plan and develop lessons, evaluate their students' strengths, weaknesses and abilities, and grade their exams and assignments. Other duties include working with individual students to challenge and improve their abilities, developing and implementing classroom rules, and overseeing students outside the classroom. Some of them also take on additional tasks, such as advising academic clubs or coaching sports teams.

Learn more about the specifics of what a high school teacher does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The high school 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?

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

    Type of High School TeacherDescriptionHourly rate
    High School TeacherHigh 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.$17-34
    Teacher/TutorA teacher/tutor is primarily in charge of facilitating discussions and other learning activities for students. Their duties typically revolve around developing lesson plans and teaching materials, assessing the progress of students through quizzes and examinations, assisting students in areas they find difficult, and helping them develop their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills... Show more$12-33
    Language TeacherLanguage teachers primarily impart knowledge on multidimensional language through classes and activities. The teachers create conditions and develop activities allowing students to practice what they learned with significance... Show more$16-35
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Classroom Management
    • Professional Development
    • Culinary
    • K-12
    • Curriculum Development
    • Student Learning
    • Math
    • Learning Environment
    • Mathematics
    • Classroom Environment
    • Instructional Materials
    • Student Achievement
    • Chemistry
    • English Language
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Coordinate training for the after-school soccer league, manage game schedules and transportation for the school team
    • Plan English conversation and writing classes, grade assignments, design and lead an English summer camp course for freshmen.
    • Manage FBLA, assist with meeting notes, financial records, and agendas for meetings, events, and fundraisers.
    • Coordinate and conduct LPAC meetings, ESL testing, and state testing.
    • Create and implement district-wide general math, pre-algebra, and science curriculum.
    • Facilitate and teach online students in California and Colorado: English, history; economics
    More high school teacher duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the high school teacher job description is a good way to get more applicants. A high school teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a high school teacher in Louisiana may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level high school teacher. Additionally, a high school teacher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average high school teacher salary

    $52,441yearly

    $25.21 hourly rate

    Entry-level high school teacher salary
    $37,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 22, 2026

    Average high school teacher salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$76,313$37
    2Maryland$75,516$36
    3Massachusetts$70,201$34
    4California$65,100$31
    5District of Columbia$61,921$30
    6Oregon$57,168$27
    7New Jersey$56,924$27
    8Illinois$56,616$27
    9Virginia$55,231$27
    10Ohio$52,358$25
    11Michigan$51,536$25
    12Georgia$49,968$24
    13Minnesota$48,708$23
    14Texas$46,920$23
    15Florida$46,535$22
    16South Carolina$45,978$22
    17Tennessee$42,459$20
    18Utah$42,103$20
    19Colorado$41,993$20
    20New Mexico$41,664$20

    Average high school teacher salary by company

  4. Writing a high school teacher job description

    A high school teacher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a high school teacher job description:

    High school teacher job description example

    1. Meet and instruct assigned students in the locations and at the time designated.

    2. Plans a program of study that meets the individual needs, interests, and abilities of the students.

    3. Creates a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interests of the students.

    4. Prepares for classes assigned and shows written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisor.

    5. Encourages students to set and maintain high standards of classroom behavior and achievement.

    6. Guides the learning process toward the achievement of curriculum standards and establishes clear objectives which reflect these standards for all lessons, units, and projects.

    7.Employs a variety of instructional techniques and instructional media.

    8. Implements the school's mission, philosophy of education and instructional standards and objectives.

    9. Assesses and documents the accomplishments of students on a regular basis and provides progress reports as required.

    10. Documents the learning problems of students and seeks the assistance of specialists as required.

    11. Takes all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities.

    12. Maintains accurate, complete, and correct records as required by law, school policy, and administrative regulation.

    13. Assists the administration in implementing all policies and rules governing student life and conduct for classroom behavior. Maintaining order in the classroom in a fair and just manner.

    14.Makes provision for being available to students and parents for education-related purposes outside the instructional day when required or requested to do so under reasonable terms.

    15. Plans and supervises purposeful assignments for educational assistant(s) and volunteer(s) and cooperatively with supervisors, assesses their job performance.

    16.Strives to maintain and improve professional competence especially as relates to the specific assignment and student grade subject area appropriateness.

    17. Attends staff meetings and serves on staff committees as required.

    18. Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with others.

    19. Establishes and maintains open lines of communication with students, colleagues, and parents concerning both the broad academic and behavioral progress of assigned students.

    20. Performs such other related tasks and assumes such other related responsibilities as may from time to time be assigned by the School Director as appropriate.

    Qualifications:

    1. A Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

    2. Maintains a valid teacher certification which is grade level and subject area appropriate for the particular assignment required by federal, state or local regulations, laws or regulatory bodies including the No Child Left Behind Act; which includes current state certification, acceptable scores on mandatory tests or other documentations meeting the requirements set forth by our organization and/or regulatory bodies for this position.

    3. Prior experience or formal training in working with "at risk" students preferred.

    4. A proven ability to work in a polite and friendly manner with a variety of constituencies including parents, students and staff.

    5. Ability to effectively educate and manage students from varying backgrounds and socio-economic levels.

    6. Experience in effectively handling conflict.

    7. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the company may find appropriate and acceptable.

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  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right high school 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 high school teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit high school teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with high school teacher candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    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 high school teacher

    Once you've selected the best high school 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.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    To prepare for the new high school 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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How much does it cost to hire a high school teacher?

Before you start to hire high school teachers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire high school teachers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

High school teachers earn a median yearly salary is $52,441 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find high school teachers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $17 and $34.

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