How to hire a school social worker

How to hire a school social worker, step by step

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

What does a school social worker do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your school social worker 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 school social worker 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 school social worker 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 social worker that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of school social worker salaries for various roles:

   Type of School Social Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   School Social Worker	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$19-35
   Family Therapist	A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.	$17-32
   Mental Health Consultant	A mental health consultant is responsible for providing counseling and emotional support to manage a client's issue and control behaviors. Mental health consultants must have excellent communication and listening skills to understand and assess the client's situation and evaluate the level of their emotional and psychological distress... Show more	$16-36

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Social Emotional
   • IEP
   • Community Resources
   • Professional Development
   • Behavioral Issues
   • Child Abuse
   • Group Therapy
   • Community Agencies
   • Classroom Observations
   • Autism
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Mental Health
   • Conflict Resolution

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
   • Provide individual, group and family therapy to patients suffering from substance abuse/dependence.
   • Prepare APS reports as needed and present them to the state.
   • Prepare IEP's, set goals, and objectives consistent with CSE standards.
   • Train college interns, new employees, and volunteers on APS policies and procedures.
   • Design school-wide and individual PBIS programs and incentives; as well as compiled data relate to PBIS.

   More school social worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your school social worker job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A school social worker 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 social worker in Alabama may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level school social worker usually earns less than a senior-level school social worker. Additionally, a school social worker 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 social worker salary

   $54,856yearly

   $26.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level school social worker salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average school social worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$70,622	$34
   2	New Jersey	$67,663	$33
   3	California	$66,078	$32
   4	Maryland	$64,728	$31
   5	Illinois	$62,988	$30
   6	New York	$59,756	$29
   7	Massachusetts	$54,336	$26
   8	Pennsylvania	$53,918	$26
   9	Colorado	$53,439	$26
   10	Connecticut	$52,820	$25
   11	Minnesota	$50,647	$24
   12	New Mexico	$50,526	$24
   13	Michigan	$49,891	$24
   14	Delaware	$49,777	$24
   15	Arizona	$49,605	$24

   Average school social worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$79,395	$38.17	12
   2	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$72,660	$34.93
   3	Maxim Healthcare Group	$68,983	$33.16	93
   4	Club Staffing	$67,413	$32.41
   5	Soliant	$66,436	$31.94
   6	Therapy Source	$64,032	$30.78	27
   7	Campbell Union High School District	$63,099	$30.34	14
   8	ProCare Therapy	$61,554	$29.59
   9	Madera High School	$59,699	$28.70	16
   10	East Whittier City School District	$59,372	$28.54	1
   11	Neighborhood Charter Schools	$59,360	$28.54	4
   12	Greenfield Union School District	$59,208	$28.47	7
   13	Omni Health Inc	$58,777	$28.26	8
   14	H.P. Associates	$58,659	$28.20
   15	Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation	$58,493	$28.12	1
   16	Akron Children's Hospital	$58,278	$28.02	14
   17	North Country Family Health Center	$58,277	$28.02	1
   18	Great Hearts Academies	$58,149	$27.96
   19	Buena Vista University	$57,834	$27.80	23
   20	PEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER	$57,828	$27.80	81

4. Writing a school social worker job description

   A school social worker 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. Below, you can find an example of a school social worker job description:

   School social worker job description example

   As a School Social Worker with The Menta Group, you will provide direct educational and social services to students, as well as work with parents, educators, and other professionals to create supportive academic and social environments for all students
   Direct-Hire, Salaried position with benefits and paid benefit time off.
   School Hours, M-F, following a school calendar.
   
   Required: One of the following Licenses/Certifications: Certified School Social Worker (IL PEL Certificate), MSW with LSW, LCSW, LCPC, LPC
   
   ResponsibilitiesEmploy data-based decision-making regarding multidisciplinary collaboration, functional behavior assessments and behavioral approaches Build leadership to effectively help students succeed Develop positive behavioral and academic interventions Monitor student progress and evaluations, program evaluations, and consult with educational staff, parents, and other professionals Some local travel to other Menta locations may be necessary at times
   QualificationsOne of the following Licenses/Certifications: Certified School Social Worker (IL PEL Certificate), MSW with LSW, LCSW, LCPC, LPC Strong leadership and interpersonal skills Strong consultative and data analysis abilities Creative thinker who can develop a wide range of interventions meeting the needs of a diverse student population Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred, but not required Excellent communication skills
   Benefits10 Month Position with 12 Month PayBenefit options include: Medical, Dental, Vision, and Supplemental Insurance ProgramsMedical Insurance enrollment is available to full time employees on their date of hire. No waiting period.403(b) Savings PlanGenerous Paid Benefit Time-Off
   Menta Academy Chicago South
   
   Menta Academy Chicago South (MACS) is proud to serve and work in collaboration with the students and families of the Southside of Chicago. MACS provides academic and social emotional educational programming for students in 5-21 years old. Day in and day out, MACS staff and students challenge themselves to grow on yesterday's skills. All progress, even the seemingly small, are enthusiastically celebrated with staff, students, and families; we acknowledge that any step forward is a step in the right direction; after all, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
   
   More than just staff and students, MACS is a family within itself; as a family, we lift each other up, we hold each other accountable, and we demonstrate care and compassionate through the celebrations and challenges.
   
   More About The Menta Group
   
   The Menta Group's mission is “To provide innovative solutions to critical problems in education and human services.” Menta brings a framework of educational practices that have been designed and are supported through evidence based practices. Menta's collaborative process with various school and community stakeholders has resulted in programs designed to educate, support, challenge, empower and celebrate students who present with a range of academic, social and emotional needs. At the beginning of a student's experience with Menta, a collaborative meeting is held that includes the student, significant people in their lives, Menta staff and other professionals as appropriate. During that meeting, a comprehensive assessment of the student's past, present and future desires is used to establish a student centered plan (MAP) that serves as a foundation of the student's Menta programming. A guiding principle of Menta is ‘we do not give up', while also holding our students and staff to high expectations. The educational offerings at a Menta program provides students with a quality education that is designed to nurture and enhance the skills and maturity needed to meet the challenges of being productive adults and citizens in a rapidly changing 21st century world.
   
   Menta's programs utilize a unique curricular framework that relies on the Expanded Menta Method and Trauma Informed Practices as the foundational principles for the teaching, counseling and mentoring work done by our highly trained staff. Personalized learning is the hub of our strategic curricular design intended to meet the needs of every student. Starting with the end in mind (learning targets and academic goals), a leveraging of current technologies coupled with highly trained instructional facilitators creates a rich learning environment supporting all student needs. Menta's learning spaces are unique and specially designed to combine traditional teacher/student interaction with state of the art technology and learning innovations. Those learning spaces are flexible and can accommodate a variety of learning activities, such as inquiry learning and project based learning. Our spaces are designed to mimic productive spaces learners would find in business and/or corporate environments, thereby helping students achieve a mind-set designed for adult learning and work.
   
   Professional Associations and/or Partnerships
   
   The Menta Group affiliates are members/partners with CEC, CASE, Autism Speaks, ASBA, AAPSEC, AASA, CCSSO, SEAA, ASCD, and many more associations that focus on the education of children with disabilities.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer
   
   The Menta Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Menta Group ensures equal employment opportunities regardless of race, creed, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. The District has a policy of active recruitment of qualified minority teachers and non-certified employees. Any individual needing assistance in making application for any opening should contact the district office.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right school social worker for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting school social workers 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.

   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.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new school social worker

   Once you have selected a candidate for the school social worker position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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