How to hire a literature teacher

How to hire a literature teacher, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The literature 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

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

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

   Type of Literature Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Literature 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.	$18-38
   Teacher Internship	Teaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them... Show more	$16-32
   Language Arts Teacher	A language arts teacher is responsible for teaching the English language to the students, improving their written and oral English communication by sharing the best practices, conducting engaging lesson plans, assigning group activities, and providing comprehensive educational materials. Language arts teachers strictly adhere to the learning curriculum, as well as monitoring the students' progress through individual evaluation, identifying their areas of improvement, and adjust learning strategies to address the difficulties... Show more	$19-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • English Language
   • Language Arts
   • Instructional Materials
   • Curriculum Development
   • Learning Environment
   • Reading Comprehension
   • Exam
   • Poetry
   • American Literature
   • Professional Development
   • Student Learning
   • Drama
   • Writing Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
   • Administer testing for students with an IEP and prepare paperwork necessary for annual review.
   • Challenge students to master basic math concepts through implementation of manipulative graphing, and charting exercises that develop problem-solving skills.
   • Create sociology curriculum including lesson plans, time-line/curriculum map, and activities.

   More literature teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the literature teacher job description is a good way to get more applicants. A literature 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 literature teacher in Tennessee may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level literature teacher. Additionally, a literature teacher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average literature teacher salary

   $56,543yearly

   $27.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level literature teacher salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average literature teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$86,604	$42
   2	New York	$84,529	$41
   3	District of Columbia	$76,504	$37
   4	California	$65,398	$31
   5	Virginia	$64,679	$31
   6	Illinois	$63,607	$31
   7	Florida	$50,217	$24
   8	Louisiana	$46,707	$22
   9	Tennessee	$44,842	$22

   Average literature teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	French-American School of New York	$73,501	$35.34
   2	Grace Church School	$63,521	$30.54	4
   3	St. Paul's School	$55,705	$26.78
   4	French American International School	$50,896	$24.47	1
   5	Washington International School	$50,173	$24.12	8
   6	Bright Horizons	$46,525	$22.37	195
   7	James Madison University	$45,769	$22.00	1
   8	Kenilworth Science and Technology School	$41,055	$19.74	1

4. Writing a literature teacher job description

   A job description for a literature 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 literature teacher job description:

   Literature teacher job description example

   Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of six PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools-growing our organization's impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org.
   
   Reporting to the Academic Dean, the High School AP Literature Teacher will be responsible for building meaningful relationships with students, implementing a Common Core-aligned curriculum, and working with their grade team to analyze data to drive instruction. This is an exciting opportunity for an educator who is passionate about improving student outcomes by leading excellent instruction and building a positive school culture.
   Responsibilities
   Create and foster a culture where all students can achieve at high levels;
   Implement a Common Core-aligned curriculum through backwards lesson planning and follow school-wide protocols for developing and documenting syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, and rubrics;
   Actively participate in all meetings, collaborative planning, and professional development, including an annual summer institute;
   Track, monitor, and assume responsibility for academic progress of students;
   Analyze assessment data, and daily data including exit tickets and Do Now's to inform instruction;
   Set and maintain high expectations by building meaningful relationships;
   Work with Student Culture Team to create individual behavior plans for students, as needed;
   Build a warm and inclusive classroom environment and abide by school-wide practices for classroom management and individual behavior plans;
   Work with grade team to analyze data, revise practices, norm on team-wide initiatives, and discuss individual scholars with a solutions-oriented mindset;
   Establish and maintain strong relationships and regularly communicate scholars' progress towards goals and with families.
   Qualifications
   Associate's degree required; Bachelor's degree preferred;
   New York State certification in subject area preferred;
   At least two years of teaching experience with record of improving student achievement preferred;
   A desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families and community;
   Desire and ability to receive and implement feedback;
   Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with various audiences (including colleagues, students, families);
   A commitment to working with diverse populations of families and students;
   Bilingual (Spanish) preferred;
   A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM, including the desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families, and community.
   
   DREAM's VACCINATION POLICY
   
   DREAM requires vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees. Reasonable Accommodations based on a qualifying disability or sincerely held religious belief are being considered in accordance with applicable law.
   
   OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
   
   At DREAM, diversity, equity, and inclusion are a matter of mission.
   
   From our schools to our playing fields, DREAM is committed to building a team where each individual can bring their full identity and experience to work because representation matters-it enriches our team culture, enhances our ability to innovate, and strengthens our impact in and out of the classroom. DREAM engages staff that represent and appreciate the diversity of our majority Black and Hispanic student body, while working to ensure that our practices are equitable, welcoming, and productive. We are dedicated to creating a world where youth, especially youth of color, have permission to dream-along with the tools and opportunities to make their dreams reality.
   Come dream with us.
   
   DREAM MAXIMS
   
   All Kids Can. This Kid Can.
   DREAM is Family.
   Fun is a Serious Value.
   Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.
   Fail. Persist. Exceed.
   DREAM Big.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit literature 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 literature teacher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the literature teacher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new literature teacher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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