How to hire a school bus aide

How to hire a school bus aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step school bus aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a school bus aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new school bus aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the school bus aide you need to hire. Certain school bus aide 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a school bus aide 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 school bus aide that fits the bill.

   This list presents school bus aide salaries for various positions.

   Type of School Bus Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   School Bus Aide	Bus drivers transport people between various places—including work, school, and shopping malls—and across state or national borders. Some drive regular routes, and others transport passengers on chartered trips or sightseeing tours.	$10-15
   Bus Monitor	A bus monitor is responsible for supervising students on school buses and coordinating with bus drivers, ensuring a safe transport service for everyone. They are in charge of monitoring the students' behavior, assisting the students with mobility issues, maintaining order, and enforcing the safety rules and policies... Show more	$10-15
   Aide	Aides are personal employees of their clients who commonly have health issues that render them unable to do certain tasks. They help out their clients with activities they may need assistance in... Show more	$10-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • CDL
   • Seat Belts
   • Student Discipline
   • Bus Safety
   • Bus Stops
   • Tie Downs
   • Wheel Chair
   • Behavior Problems
   • First-Aid Procedures
   • Walkers
   • Student Safety
   • Safety Rules
   • Car Seats

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide CPR as needed (certify) & first aid.
   • Provide appropriate intervention in conflict situations according to ISS standards; notify principal or office when necessary.
   • Enroll in CDL training classes.

   More school bus aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your school bus aide job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A school bus aide 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 school bus aide in New Mexico may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level school bus aide usually earns less than a senior-level school bus aide. Additionally, a school bus aide 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 school bus aide salary

   $13.03hourly

   $27,100 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level school bus aide salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average school bus aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$29,782	$14
   2	California	$29,624	$14
   3	New Jersey	$28,409	$14
   4	Illinois	$28,130	$14
   5	New York	$27,944	$13
   6	Indiana	$27,822	$13
   7	Michigan	$27,421	$13
   8	Idaho	$26,070	$13
   9	Arizona	$25,924	$12
   10	Virginia	$25,666	$12
   11	Texas	$21,508	$10

   Average school bus aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Buffalo Schools	$27,996	$13.46	11
   2	Shelton School District	$27,733	$13.33	41
   3	Krapf Group	$27,131	$13.04	9
   4	First Transit	$27,092	$13.03
   5	DATTCO	$27,040	$13.00	148
   6	ManpowerGroup	$26,930	$12.95
   7	Kelly Services	$26,899	$12.93	430
   8	Bloomfield Hills Schools	$26,788	$12.88	8
   9	Bruce Transportation Group	$26,586	$12.78
   10	BelovED Community Charter School	$26,207	$12.60	22
   11	Chicago Public Schools	$25,705	$12.36	2
   12	Sheldon College	$24,776	$11.91	7
   13	MSDCommunitySchool	$24,635	$11.84	16
   14	Wayne RESA	$23,744	$11.42	106
   15	Henry Clay High School	$23,675	$11.38	59
   16	Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25	$23,461	$11.28	12

4. Writing a school bus aide job description

   A job description for a school bus aide 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 school bus aide job description:

   School bus aide job description example

   Assists in providing safe transportation of special needs students
   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Other duties may be assigned by the Transportation Director Works with School Bus Driver to provide safe, secure transportation for special needs students Supervises and maintains appropriate student behavior on the school bus Interacts and communicates professionally and respectfully with students, parents and school personnel Follows appropriate dress code as outlined in the district and department employee handbooks Be observant to health problems that might occur to any of the students on the bus Properly secures students riding in wheelchairs, safety seats, and seat belts Properly secures any special equipment that may accompany a student Maintains knowledge of and the ability to implement the Health Plans of students assigned to the bus Assists the driver in maintaining basic cleanliness on the bus Participates in all mandatory training and meetings Enjoys working with children of all ages and abilities Practices and maintains the confidentiality of student information Complies with Corporation Bylaws, Policies, Directives and Regulations as outlined in the Non-Certified and Transportation Handbooks Models Corporation Mission Statement and Fundamental Objectives Maintains satisfactory attendance
   QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: High school diploma or general education degree (GED) At least 18 years old
   REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out written or oral instructions
   OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES: Ability to work in a friendly and cooperative manner with co-workers, students, parents and school personnel Ability to physically manage students and equipment Ability to observe student behavior and take appropriate action as needed Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both in oral and written form Ability to perform duties in a positive and professional manner
   PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and occasionally required to walk or stand. The employee will frequently bend or twist at the neck and trunk while performing the duties of this job The employee frequently will reach above the head and forward The employee frequently uses hand strength to grasp equipment or students The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and push or pull up to 150 pounds such as students or students in wheelchairs
   WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in temperatures above 100 degrees and below 32 degrees and occasionally will walk on slippery surfaces The noise level in the work environment is frequently loud to where you have to raise your voice to be heard.
   DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: Until Filled Shelbyville Central Schools has an on-line application process. You may access the on-line application at www.shelbycs.org, click on Job Opportunities and then click on the On-Line Application link for a complete job description. PAPER APPLICATIONS AND RÉSUMÉS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. THE RÉSUMÉ IS SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE ON-LINE PROCESS AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO: Carrie Glisson, Transportation Director
   Shelbyville Central Schools is an equal opportunity employer

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find school bus aides 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 school bus aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level school bus aides 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 job online:

   • Post your school bus aide job on Zippia to find and recruit school bus aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting school bus aides 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 school bus aide

   Once you've decided on a perfect school bus aide 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 school bus aide. 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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