How to hire a middle school teacher

How to hire a middle school teacher, step by step

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

What does a middle school teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your middle school teacher job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a middle school teacher for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a middle school teacher to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a middle school teacher that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of middle school teachers.

   Type of Middle School Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Middle School Teacher	Middle school teachers educate students, typically in sixth through eighth grades. Middle school teachers help students build on the fundamentals they learned in elementary school and prepare them for the more difficult curriculum they will face in high school.	$18-34
   Teacher/Tutor	A 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
   Reading Teacher	Reactor Engineers are responsible for designing and developing nuclear reactor programs. Their duties include presenting design reviews, overseeing operations of the reactor core, conducting nuclear material tracking and new fuel receipt, facilitating control room, and producing document safety analysis... Show more	$18-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • Professional Development
   • Math
   • Curriculum Development
   • Student Learning
   • Language Arts
   • Instructional Materials
   • Student Achievement
   • Social Studies
   • English Language
   • Classroom Environment
   • Learning Environment
   • Instructional Strategies
   • Public Schools

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and implement inquiry-based/hands-on curriculum: physical science, earth science, chemistry, and life science.
   • Teach students about the structure and content of the English language, including proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
   • Assist the ELA teacher with writing charts that reinforce her teaching concepts.
   • Plan, deliver & evaluate instruction in history, geography, science & English
   • Create pacing guide, lesson and unit plans for CCGPS high school mathematics courses.
   • Create a geometry booklet to use in class as a supplemental aid to the textbook.

   More middle school teacher duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average middle school teacher salary

   $53,363yearly

   $25.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level middle school teacher salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average middle school teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$75,532	$36
   2	New York	$74,337	$36
   3	District of Columbia	$74,330	$36
   4	California	$72,416	$35
   5	Oregon	$68,502	$33
   6	Maryland	$67,872	$33
   7	New Jersey	$66,938	$32
   8	Ohio	$54,211	$26
   9	Illinois	$53,407	$26
   10	Georgia	$50,576	$24
   11	Michigan	$49,345	$24
   12	Texas	$49,186	$24
   13	Florida	$47,008	$23
   14	South Carolina	$46,564	$22
   15	Indiana	$46,504	$22
   16	Colorado	$43,276	$21
   17	Louisiana	$42,156	$20
   18	North Carolina	$42,147	$20
   19	New Mexico	$40,281	$19
   20	Arizona	$40,012	$19

   Average middle school teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Baltimore City Public Schools	$84,227	$40.49	18
   2	Excel Academy Charter Schools	$79,723	$38.33	13
   3	Washington International School	$79,152	$38.05	9
   4	DC International School	$72,095	$34.66
   5	Boston Public Schools	$71,430	$34.34	41
   6	Pasadena Unified School District	$70,587	$33.94	6
   7	The Archer School for Girls	$69,920	$33.62	2
   8	Brooklyn Friends School	$69,497	$33.41
   9	Chinese American International School	$69,363	$33.35
   10	Hemet Unified School District	$67,832	$32.61	23
   11	Ocean View School District	$67,174	$32.30	2
   12	Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart	$66,492	$31.97
   13	Springs Charter Schools	$66,440	$31.94
   14	Irving Isd	$66,354	$31.90	20
   15	Prince George's County Memorial Library System	$66,202	$31.83
   16	The Nueva School	$66,061	$31.76
   17	Salinas Union High School District	$65,567	$31.52
   18	Greens Farms Academy	$65,562	$31.52
   19	Santa Rosa City Schools	$64,621	$31.07
   20	Trinity Lutheran Church	$64,111	$30.82

4. Writing a middle school teacher job description

   A middle 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a middle school teacher job description:

   Middle school teacher job description example

   Every member of the Team & Family at KIPP Texas Public Schools plays a critical role in ensuring our students have the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose - college, career and beyond. Our educators are passionate advocates for their students and their families, working tirelessly to ensure that our students have access to opportunity. In our classrooms and across the KIPP family we embrace, honor and celebrate our differences across several characteristics that construct our unique identities in our little and big KIPPsters. We are especially committed to attracting and developing individuals who share the life experiences of our students because we believe the best work we do is grounded in the realities and experiences of our families and KIPPsters. As a Lead Teacher, you will deliver exceptional instruction and assess student growth. You are dedicated to constant learning and proactively provide academic and cultural support to your school and team.
   As a KIPP Texas Public Schools Teacher, your core responsibilities include:
   
   Instructional Delivery and Assessment:
   
   Develop year-long Texas State standards-based unit plans and lesson plans that meet all students' learning needs.
   
   Use assessment data to modify short and long-term plans in order to promote all students' academic performance.
   
   Embrace and incorporate feedback in the spirit of constant improvement.
   
   Academic and Cultural Support:
   
   Collaborate with content and grade-level teams to promote an environment of critical thinking and academic rigor.
   
   Establish and maintain working relationships with students and families based on trust and respect.
   
   Participate in the daily functions of the school such as morning, lunch, and afternoon supervisory duties.
   
   Attend critical school events such as staff meetings, open houses, and parent-teacher conferences.
   
   Develop individualized learning plans for students and communicate these plans to families in parent meetings and conferences.
   
   Meet professional obligations including timeliness and consistency in meeting deadlines.
   
   Note: At this time we are not currently hiring for teachers in all subjects in middle school. However, we are always looking for great talent, and so we still invite you to apply. Should any vacancies arise, we will be sure to reach out.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find middle school teachers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any middle school teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level middle school teachers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find middle school teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with middle 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 middle school teacher

   Once you've selected the best middle 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new middle 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 middle school teacher?