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How to hire a secondary teacher

Secondary teacher hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring secondary teachers in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a secondary teacher is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per secondary teacher on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 1,026,730 secondary teachers in the US, and there are currently 68,369 job openings in this field.
  • Pasadena, TX, has the highest demand for secondary teachers, with 5 job openings.

How to hire a secondary teacher, step by step

To hire a secondary teacher, 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 secondary teacher, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a secondary teacher do?

A secondary teacher plans subject lessons and presents them to learners using creative and engaging teaching methods. They assess the learners' abilities, strengths, and weaknesses and handle them appropriately. These professionals ensure a disciplined classroom by creating and maintaining rules that allow learners to ask questions with no fear and feel comfortable when brainstorming. Moreover, secondary teachers create lesson plans for learners who struggle with specific challenging concepts or when the classroom sizes change.

Learn more about the specifics of what a secondary teacher does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a secondary teacher, 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 status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A secondary teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, secondary teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list shows salaries for various types of secondary teachers.

    Type of Secondary TeacherDescriptionHourly rate
    Secondary TeacherHigh school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college and to enter the job market.$18-37
    Teacher/TutorA 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
    TeacherBeing a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world... Show more$15-33
    Show more

  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Public Schools
    • Classroom Management
    • Mathematics
    • Math
    • Professional Development
    • Language Arts
    • Classroom Environment
    • Curriculum Development
    • Instructional Materials
    • Student Learning
    • Academic Problems
    • Student Achievement
    • Administrative Regulations
    • Learning Process
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead IEP meetings, and participate in all team meetings focuses on emotional and behavior issues.
    • Manage FBLA, assist with meeting notes, financial records, and agendas for meetings, events, and fundraisers.
    • Conduct group and one-on-one math, reading and writing activities.
    • Develop and teach ESL curriculum to Taiwanese elementary, junior high, and high school students.
    • Participate in quarterly curriculum reviews and trainings with other math teachers in the school network and district.
    • Provide students with the fundamentals of a life-long love of literature and a comprehension of its place in society.
    More secondary teacher duties

  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your secondary teacher job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A secondary teacher 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 secondary teacher in Indiana may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level secondary teacher usually earns less than a senior-level secondary teacher. Additionally, a secondary teacher 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 secondary teacher salary

    $55,261yearly

    $26.57 hourly rate
    Entry-level secondary teacher salary
    $39,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average secondary teacher salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Maryland$81,686$39
    2New York$75,904$36
    3California$73,894$36
    4Washington$71,808$35
    5District of Columbia$67,846$33
    6Virginia$56,213$27
    7Michigan$51,373$25
    8South Carolina$51,242$25
    9Colorado$48,710$23
    10Florida$47,903$23
    11North Carolina$47,305$23
    12Texas$47,089$23
    13Missouri$43,826$21
    14New Mexico$43,401$21
    15Louisiana$41,398$20

    Average secondary teacher salary by company

  4. Writing a secondary teacher job description

    A job description for a secondary teacher 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 secondary teacher job description:

    Secondary teacher job description example

    Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Valid Michigan teaching certification with a Secondary 6-12 endorsement in Math or Science . Must meet highly qualified status according to the Michigan Department of Education for the subjects being taught. If applicant is not already a certified teacher, applicant will go through an alternative teaching program in order to become certified in one of the above areas.

    Training: Must participate in and complete annual training, Professional Development, and various other training as deemed appropriate for position.

    Other Qualifications: Must pass criminal history records search, physical and drug screen, if required.

    Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate and exchange information. The employee is frequently required to walk, and move about within the school. The employee is frequently required to sit, use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms, talk or hear. The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.


    Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters in a school environment. The employee routinely uses standard office/classroom equipment such as computers, tablets, smartboards, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.


    Benefits:

    Medical

    Dental

    Vision

    Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

    Life, Accidental Disability Insurance

    401k Retirement w/ Company Match

    Paid Time Off

    HSA

    Great Place to Work


    Job Type: Full-time

    Pay: $40,000.00 - $62,600 per year, DOE

    The contracted teaching days will be 185 days/school year.


    COVID-19 considerations:
    We are following all Executive Orders and Public Acts from the State and County carefully.


  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find secondary teachers for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your secondary teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit secondary teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
    • Post a job on free websites.

  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with secondary 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.

    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 secondary teacher

    Once you've selected the best secondary 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 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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a secondary teacher?

There are different types of costs for hiring secondary teachers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new secondary teacher employee.

The median annual salary for secondary teachers is $55,261 in the US. However, the cost of secondary teacher hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a secondary teacher for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $18 and $37 an hour.

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Updated December 17, 2025

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