Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a reading teacher and how to become one
Reading teachers specialize in teaching students how to read. They can work in tandem with a classroom teacher and help very young children who are just learning how to recognize letters. Or, they can work with older students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and help them develop reading skills at an age-appropriate level. Just like regular teachers, reading teachers need to plan lessons, grade assignments, and manage a classroom. They make sure to adjust their lessons to each child's ability and to find creative ways to encourage reading in students, for example, by putting up posters with words in their classroom. Reading teachers can help identify and diagnose learning disabilities and connect students with any additional support they may need.
Like any other teacher, reading teachers are usually required to have a master's degree in education. However, this depends on the state or school; they can get away with only a bachelor's degree. They also need to have a license to teach from their state.
Reading teachers can specialize in teaching literacy by focusing on special education while in school or through professional experience. They can earn an average salary of $46,765 a year.
What general advice would you give to a reading teacher?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
Avg. Salary $55,452
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%
Asian 3.67%
Black or African American 9.89%
Hispanic or Latino 12.71%
Unknown 3.92%
White 69.28%
Genderfemale 83.21%
male 16.79%
Age - 42American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 42Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Reading teacher career paths
Key steps to become a reading teacher
Explore reading teacher education requirements
Start to develop specific reading teacher skills
Skills Percentages Classroom Management 14.02% Professional Development 6.88% Math 6.87% Student Learning 5.10% Mathematics 4.96% Research reading teacher duties and responsibilities
- Create and lead individual and small group lessons in mathematics.
- Used technology such as scanning documents, creating hyperlinks and PowerPoint to document student progress for student lead conferences.
- Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
- Enhance the enrichment program by providing innovative formats for teaching math and reading content such as real-world math and project-base literature response
Prepare your reading teacher resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your reading 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 reading teacher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable reading teacher resume templates
Build a professional reading teacher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your reading teacher resume.
Apply for reading teacher jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a reading teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first reading teacher job
Are you a reading teacher?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average reading teacher salary
The average reading teacher salary in the United States is $55,452 per year or $27 per hour. Reading teacher salaries range between $39,000 and $77,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do reading teachers rate their job?
Reading teacher reviews
Kids, teaching lessons, co-teachers, hours, weekends off, salary, holidays off, summers off, paid sick and personal days
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
Making a difference in the lives of students and their families.
I do not enjoy the copious amounts of ever increasing paperwork.
I enjoy teaching or giving knowledge to the children.
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.
Updated January 8, 2025
