How to hire a special day class teacher

How to hire a special day class teacher, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your special day class teacher 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 special day class teacher 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 special day class teacher 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 special day class teacher that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of special day class teacher salaries for various roles:

   Type of Special Day Class Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Special Day Class Teacher	Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects, such as reading, writing, and math, to students with mild and moderate disabilities... Show more	$20-30
   Director Of Special Education	A Director Of Special Education plans, implements, and maintains special education programs and services. They also consult with parents of students enrolled in the program.	$26-55
   Learning Support Teacher	Learning support teachers focus on offering out-of-school education to pupils who need additional help. Their duties include planning and implementing constructive teaching policies as well as collaborating with parents, other relevant professionals, and personnel... Show more	$11-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autism
   • SDC
   • IEP
   • Educational Programs
   • English Language
   • Data Collection
   • Behavioral Issues
   • Core Curriculum
   • Behavioral Analysis
   • Math
   • Severe Disabilities
   • Language Arts
   • Student Learning
   • Behavior Management Systems

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage student behavior and administer discipline including crises intervention and physical restraint of students according to IEP.
   • Core grade level literature and basic math with modifications.
   • Construct project base learning experiences integrating math, science and visual arts.
   • Instruct students with special needs in behavior intervention skills, study skills and social skills.
   • Work with``case study"students with assessments and witness their vast improvement over the semester
   • Develop effective lessons plans base on student's IEP goals and objectives and incorporate culturally relevant and responsive teaching methods.

   More special day class teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your special day class teacher job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A special day class teacher salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, special day class teachers' average salary in montana is 45% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level special day class teachers earn 33% less than senior-level special day class teachers.
   • Certifications. A special day class teacher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a special day class teacher's salary.

   Average special day class teacher salary

   $52,377yearly

   $25.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level special day class teacher salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average special day class teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$62,380	$30
   2	New Jersey	$58,713	$28
   3	Virginia	$47,798	$23

   Average special day class teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	San José Unified School District	$57,086	$27.45
   2	San Bruno Park School District	$56,574	$27.20
   3	Berkeley High School	$56,551	$27.19	29
   4	Madera High School	$56,456	$27.14	11
   5	Modesto City Schools	$55,796	$26.82
   6	HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT	$55,463	$26.66	1
   7	Ocean View School District	$54,683	$26.29	1
   8	Jefferson Elementary School District	$54,192	$26.05	6
   9	San Ramon Valley Unified School District	$53,917	$25.92
   10	San Ysidro Health Center	$53,772	$25.85	5
   11	Kellogg Elementary	$53,594	$25.77	17
   12	Patterson Joint Unified School District	$52,570	$25.27	2
   13	Mountain View Whisman School District	$52,564	$25.27	3
   14	Santa Barbara County Education Office	$52,435	$25.21	16
   15	Oak Meadow School	$52,423	$25.20
   16	Lancaster School District	$51,654	$24.83	26
   17	Westwood Elementary School	$51,202	$24.62	31
   18	Cypress Fairbanks Isd	$50,957	$24.50	18
   19	Pacifica School District	$49,835	$23.96	2
   20	Newark Unified School District	$49,552	$23.82

4. Writing a special day class teacher job description

   A job description for a special day class 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 special day class teacher job description:

   Special day class teacher job description example

   Requirements / Qualifications
   
   Requirements / Qualifications
   
   * Credential: Educational Specialist Instruction Credential- Mod/Severe with Autism certificate. • CLAD • Education: Bachelor's degree, including all courses to meet credential requirements • Valid California Driver's License
   
   Please Include: • Completed online application • Resume • Cover Letter • Three (3) letters of recommendation (within the last 3 years) • Copy of credential •Verification of NCLB status or copy of CSET scores
   
   * Credential: Educational Specialist Instruction Credential- Mod/Severe with Autism certificate. • CLAD • Education: Bachelor's degree, including all courses to meet credential requirements • Valid California Driver's License
   
   Please Include: • Completed online application • Resume • Cover Letter • Three (3) letters of recommendation (within the last 3 years) • Copy of credential •Verification of NCLB status or copy of CSET scores
   
   Comments and Other Information
   
   WELCOME TO THE PACIFICA SCHOOL DISTRICT!!! We are HIRING! Apply NOW! Help us make a difference... JOIN US Yes, we want YOU to apply and join our team in making a difference for our students and community. Apply on EdJoin or contact our Director of Human Resources or our Human Resources Specialist in answering any of your questions. For more information, check out the Pacifica School District Website and follow us on our Instagram Page. WHY WORK FOR US? *There are many reasons to work for the Pacifica School District. Here are a few reasons: *Amazing dedicated community of PSD students, families, staff, and volunteers *Gorgeous coastal community with lovely beaches, great surfing & hiking, best sunsets *Tiered instructional and intervention approach to support all student strengths and needs *Incredible mental health and behavior support throughout the school district with school counselors at every school and behaviorist support as needed *Small school district of six great schools and an exceptional Linda Mar Educational Center OUR MISSION STATEMENT Pacifica School District, the community it serves, and the children they cherish, together prepare each child to meet the challenges of the future by providing an equitable, rigorous academic program which nurtures curiosity and inspires joy, confidence, and achievement in learning. OUR LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN (LCAP) The LCAP has three goals. Goal One addresses the conditions of learning which includes having a quality staff, instructional materials and safe school sites. Goal Two addresses student academic outcomes which includes impactful instruction and support that are informed by student assessment data. Goal Three addresses both social emotional health of our students and staff, and meaningful participation of our families which includes assessment and engagement with social emotional learning; supports for students, families and staff; promoting supportive school climate and providing for meaningful family input and participation. Within all three of these goals, the actions follow within a three step plan. First, knowing our students and the impact the pandemic has had on them and their families. Second, expand instructional and social emotional support for our students. Third, understanding our impact on student success for all students. PSD continues to focus their efforts to consistently reduce the achievement and opportunity gap of the significant student groups (Referenced - CA School Dashboard, Fall 2020): Ethnic Student Groups - Black or African American (28), American Indian (7), Asian (249), Filipino (267), Hispanic or Latino (812), Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (15), Two or more races (474), White (1258). Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students (601, 19.3%), English Learners (ELs) (278, 8.9%), Students with Disabilities (288, 9.3%) Foster Youth (4, 0.1%) Homeless (15, 0.5%) NOTE: Candidates will only be contacted if selected for an interview. Pacifica School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right special day class teacher 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 special day class teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit special day class 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

   Recruiting special day class teachers 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 special day class teacher

   Once you've selected the best special day class 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.

   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.

   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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