How to hire a master teacher

How to hire a master teacher, step by step

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

What does a master teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the master teacher you need to hire. Certain master teacher roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect master teacher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of master teachers.

   Type of Master Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Master Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$12-28
   Elementary School Teacher	Elementary school teachers are trained to provide education to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The teachers are responsible for children's emotional and educational growth in the classroom... Show more	$17-34
   Long Term Substitute Teacher	A long term substitute teacher is responsible for covering the duties of a teacher who is away for a long time. Long term substitute teachers proceed with the lesson plan outlines and the regular teacher's curriculum depending on their expertise... Show more	$14-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • Math
   • Instructional Strategies
   • Mathematics
   • Team Planning
   • Child Care
   • Child Development
   • Classroom Environment
   • Student Achievement
   • CPR
   • Student Learning
   • Parent-Teacher Conferences
   • Learning Environment
   • Staff Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Execute and manage student IEP paperwork and requirements
   • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
   • Provide city-wide staff development to teachers during mathematics textbook implementation.
   • Develop summer science camp and focus field trip curriculum for pre-K through middle school levels.
   • Develop and implement weekly lesson plans that are consistent with the program curriculum and pre-K guidelines.
   • Implement multiple curricula for 5th and 6th grade students, including mathematics, science, literacy, and history.

   More master teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your master teacher job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A master teacher can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, master teachers' average salary in oklahoma is 63% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level master teachers 58% less than senior-level master teachers.
   • Certifications. A master teacher with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a master teacher's salary.

   Average master teacher salary

   $38,699yearly

   $18.61 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level master teacher salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 2, 2026

   Average master teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$73,391	$35
   2	Massachusetts	$59,893	$29
   3	New Jersey	$59,328	$29
   4	District of Columbia	$57,790	$28
   5	California	$51,496	$25
   6	Michigan	$50,729	$24
   7	Virginia	$43,363	$21
   8	Ohio	$42,919	$21
   9	Illinois	$40,512	$19
   10	Texas	$39,645	$19
   11	Louisiana	$38,783	$19
   12	West Virginia	$38,355	$18
   13	Florida	$37,409	$18
   14	Nevada	$36,070	$17
   15	Arkansas	$30,899	$15
   16	Oklahoma	$27,025	$13

   Average master teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	New York University	$87,195	$41.92
   2	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$63,930	$30.74	4
   3	Truckee Meadows Community College	$61,141	$29.39	2
   4	Auburn City Schools	$57,705	$27.74	30
   5	AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation	$50,780	$24.41	8
   6	Caddo Hills Schools	$48,837	$23.48	6
   7	Marlboro Central School District	$47,897	$23.03
   8	City of San Antonio	$47,310	$22.75	2
   9	Boston Higashi School	$45,101	$21.68	2
   10	Think Together	$44,727	$21.50	11
   11	Children's Home & Aid	$44,495	$21.39
   12	Cardinal McCloskey Community Services	$44,080	$21.19	3
   13	Chicago International Charter School	$41,844	$20.12
   14	Wayne RESA	$41,362	$19.89	132
   15	Telamon	$39,815	$19.14
   16	Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta	$39,448	$18.97	16
   17	Crystal Stairs	$38,387	$18.46	10
   18	Learning Care Group	$37,712	$18.13	723
   19	County of Contra Costa	$35,052	$16.85
   20	North Country School	$33,683	$16.19

4. Writing a master teacher job description

   A job description for a master 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 master teacher job description:

   Master teacher job description example

   As early education leaders, we're influencing the next generation of learners, leaving a strong, lasting, positive impact on our children. From our more than 900 school locations to our regional offices and main headquarters, you'll find a dynamic environment and culture that is open, friendly, welcoming, and collaborative.
   Walk in interviews every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am to 2 pm!!
   
   Job Responsibilities:
   
   * Ensure the daily care of every child by following all licensing guidelines and implementing all company standards.
   * Communicate directly with parents and prospective parents to achieve success for the child.
   * Maintain a fun and interactive classroom that is clean and organized.
   * Have countless advancement opportunities through our on-going training and expansive network of centers and brands.
   
   Job Requirements:
   
   * Hold or qualify for CA Child Development Master Teacher permit or higher (24 units in ECE)
   * Possess leadership skills, strong initiative and ability to motivate children
   * Organized, written communication and problem solving skills.
   * Ability to of provide supportive, creative, consistent and professional supervision for program participants.
   * High School diploma or equivalent
   * Must be at least 18 years of age
   * Must meet state requirements for education and additional center/school requirements may apply.
   
   Learning Care Group, Inc. is the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America and a leader in early education. Our programs are designed for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years. Across our eight unique brands, we're committed to creating state-of-the-art facilities with the latest technology and expert-driven curricula created by our own Education team.
   
   Our Promise
   
   To make a difference and have a positive impact on every child at our schools, their families, and the communities we serve every day. We support child development for infants to school-age students, through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, fun school environment. As experts in child care and early education, we empower children to be ready for school, we instill a lifelong love of learning, and we provide a solid foundation for a successful future.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find master teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your master teacher job on Zippia to find and attract quality master teacher candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting master 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.

   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 master teacher

   Once you've found the master teacher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new master teacher. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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 master teacher?