Instructional Para-educator
LOCATION: Dr. Norman Crisp Elementary School
STARTING: ASAP
SALARY RANGE: Instructional Para-educators $14.44 - $20.98
Technical Para-educators $14.88 - $21.45
Pre- School, District Wide/Intensive Needs $15.28 - $21.89
Placement is based on relative prior experience
QUALIFICATIONS: High School Diploma or GED. Title 1 Schools require Highly Qualified Status that would include either an Associate's Degree or an equivalent two years of college, Bachelor degree or Para-educator II certification from the NH Dept of Education.
EXPLANATION OF PARAEDUCATORS JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
Instructional Para- Educator: Under the direction of the classroom teacher the Para-educator assists in the implementation and reinforcement of the instructional curriculum, helps prepare and administer testing, provide input to teachers, guidance counselors, and school administration regarding student performance.
Title 1, Kindergarten, ELL and Special Education Instructional para-educators fall under this category.
Pre-School Para Educator: Assists with students in the classroom, by planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum for assigned age groups.
Technical Para Educator: Assists with students in the day to day operations of the assigned program by helping them with assignments using the materials and technology provided. Job Coach, Alternative Room, Science, Computer, Graphic Arts, Health Occpation para -educators are technical paras.
District Wide Special Education Para Educator: Under the direction of the classroom teacher the Para Educator assists with implementation of IEP goals and objectives pertaining to educational needs, social-emotional, behavioral development, fine and gross motor skills to foster independence. Assist with the physical and minimal health needs of the children, which may include lifting, feeding, toileting/diapering, and personal hygiene.
This posting should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive list of job functions or expectations associated with this position.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Interested applicants should apply on our website at www.nashua.edu
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Nashua Board of Education reaffirms its position of compliance with applicable State and Federal laws of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information and age in admission to, access to, treatment in or employment in the services, programs and activities of the Nashua School District.
Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
How to hire a Para Educator
Para educator hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring para educators in the United States:
- HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
- It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
- It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
- The median cost to hire a para educator is $1,633.
- Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per para educator on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
- There are currently 89,088 para educators in the US and 56,897 job openings.
- Sacramento, CA, has the highest demand for para educators, with 19 job openings.
- Wichita, KS has the highest concentration of para educators.
How to hire a para educator, step by step
To hire a para educator, 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 para educator, you should follow these steps:
Here's a step-by-step para educator hiring guide:
- Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
- Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
- Step 3: Make a budget
- Step 4: Write a para educator job description
- Step 5: Post your job
- Step 6: Interview candidates
- Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new para educator
- Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
What does a Para Educator do?
Paraeducators' primary role is to provide students with extra guidance and support outside or inside the classroom. They are also called paraprofessional educators or teaching assistants who are expected to support teachers. In small group activities, they take the lead permitting teachers to help their students in many ways. The necessary skills required include organization, intellectual curiosity, and being calm. They should also be creative, a team player, and knowledgeable. A bachelor's degree in education is also a necessity for this job.
Post A Para Educator Job For Free, Promote It For A Fee
Identify your hiring needs
Before you start hiring a para educator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.
Determine Employee vs Contractor StatusIs the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?Hiring the perfect para educator 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 presents para educator salaries for various positions.
Type Of Para Educator Description Hourly Rate Para Educator Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction. $11-18 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 High School Teacher 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... Show More $17-34 Create an ideal candidate profile
Common Skills:- Behavioral Issues
- Student Performance
- IEP
- Math
- Kindergarten
- School Administration
- CPR
- Mathematics
- Direct Supervision
- General Education
- Instructional Materials
- Behavior Management
- Classroom Management
- Language Arts
Responsibilities:- Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
- Work daily with a small group of 4th grade students in language arts in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon.
- Plan and implement lesson and in a k-5 school.
- Assist teacher in every aspect of curriculum, CPR certify.
- Certify in CPR, first aide, used when necessary.
- Certify through CPI to be able to physically restrain when necessary.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your para educator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A para educator salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.
For example, the average salary for a para educator in Louisiana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level para educator usually earns less than a senior-level para educator. Additionally, a para educator with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.
Average para educator salary
$15.09hourly
$31,394 yearlyEntry-level para educator salary$24,000 yearly salaryUpdated March 15, 2025Average para educator salary by state
Rank State Avg. Salary Hourly Rate 1 California $34,726 $17 2 New York $33,647 $16 3 Illinois $32,302 $16 4 Washington $31,829 $15 5 New Hampshire $29,883 $14 6 Pennsylvania $29,529 $14 7 Arizona $28,760 $14 8 Maryland $28,519 $14 9 Connecticut $28,159 $14 10 Iowa $27,689 $13 11 Wisconsin $27,353 $13 12 Montana $27,002 $13 13 Indiana $26,631 $13 14 Florida $22,539 $11 Average para educator salary by company
Rank Company Average Salary Hourly Rate Job Openings 1 Central Valley School District $39,010 $18.75 17 2 Fremont Public Schools $36,997 $17.79 9 3 Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company $35,089 $16.87 4 Piedmont Unified School District $34,313 $16.50 5 5 Tamalpais Union High School District $34,039 $16.36 4 6 Plumas Charter School $33,716 $16.21 10 7 Walla Walla Public Schools $33,420 $16.07 16 8 Maxim Healthcare Group $33,168 $15.95 9 San Diego Unified School District $33,073 $15.90 15 10 Griswold Public Schools $32,951 $15.84 10 11 Maryland School for the Blind $32,527 $15.64 5 12 Bristol Public School District $32,463 $15.61 35 13 Albany Unified School District $32,225 $15.49 14 Travis Unified School District $31,862 $15.32 5 15 Tracy Unified School District $31,796 $15.29 40 16 Buena Vista University $31,762 $15.27 17 17 SunnyvaleSD $31,218 $15.01 59 18 Grandville Public Schools $31,068 $14.94 18 19 Independent Living Resources $30,991 $14.90 2 20 Arrowhead Youth and Family Services $30,978 $14.89 Writing a Para Educator Job Description
A good para educator job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a para educator job description:
Para Educator job description example
Post your job
To find para educators 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 para educators they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level para educators 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.
- Post your para educator job on Zippia to find and recruit para educator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with para educator 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.
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.
Send a job offer and onboard your new para educator
Once you've decided on a perfect para educator candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new para educator. 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.
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.)
Sign Up To Download Full List
How much does it cost to hire a para educator?
Recruiting para educators involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.
You can expect to pay around $31,394 per year for a para educator, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for para educators in the US typically range between $11 and $18 an hour.
Find Better Para Educators In Less Time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.
Hiring para educators faqs
Search for para educator jobs
Ready To Start Hiring?
Updated March 15, 2025