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What is a junior high school 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 junior high school teacher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.32 an hour? That's $44,348 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 25,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a junior high school 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.
ScoreJunior High School TeacherUS Average
Salary
3.5

Avg. Salary $44,348

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 3.68%

Black or African American 9.95%

Hispanic or Latino 12.77%

Unknown 3.92%

White 69.17%

Gender

female 56.12%

male 43.88%

Age - 42
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 - 42
Stress level
8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Junior high school teacher career paths

Key steps to become a junior high school teacher

  1. Explore junior high school teacher education requirements

    Most common junior high school teacher degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.1 %

    Master's

    16.8 %

    Associate

    5.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific junior high school teacher skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Classroom Management35.54%
    JR10.50%
    Social Studies10.17%
    Art History9.13%
    Language Arts8.11%
  3. Research junior high school teacher duties and responsibilities

    • Coordinate training for the after-school soccer league, manage game schedules and transportation for the school team
    • Coordinate IEP's, transition plans, manifestations, and behavior plans.
    • Prepare mathematics lesson plans for high school students, delivering curriculum to students in special education and accelerate learners.
    • Develop behavior management and leadership skills.
  4. Prepare your junior high school teacher resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your junior high school 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 junior high school teacher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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  5. Apply for junior high school teacher jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a junior high school 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 junior high school teacher job

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Average junior high school teacher salary

The average junior high school teacher salary in the United States is $44,348 per year or $21 per hour. Junior high school teacher salaries range between $33,000 and $59,000 per year.

Average junior high school teacher salary
$44,348 Yearly
$21.32 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do junior high school teachers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Junior high school 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


profile
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 Apr 2021
Pros

I enjoy teaching or giving knowledge to the children.

Cons

The educational system is very flawed, poor administration who don’t put children and learning first but their own self-interests. I don’t like how many school systems have handled the pandemic, total disregard for safety.


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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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