How to hire a teacher

How to hire a teacher, step by step

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

What does a teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your 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 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

   Hiring the perfect teacher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of teachers.

   Type of Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$15-33
   Substitute School Teacher	A substitute teacher is liable for providing learning instruction and managing classroom settings in the absence of the regular teacher. They are responsible for checking student attendance, explaining homework, and maintaining classroom cleanliness... Show more	$11-22
   Math And Science Teacher	Math and Science Teachers are responsible for imparting knowledge and developing a student's skills in mathematics and science. Their duties include creating lessons, producing learning materials, sourcing supplies, and grading examinations and quizzes... Show more	$17-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • ESL
   • Handle Scheduling
   • Kids
   • Classroom Management
   • CPR
   • Curriculum Development
   • Math
   • Geography
   • Literature
   • Mathematics
   • Professional Development
   • Language Arts
   • Early Childhood Development
   • Social Studies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work closely with co-teacher to manage and co-teach curriculum to a large group.
   • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
   • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
   • Develop social studies and geography curriculum.
   • Provide kindergarten readiness in approaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and introductory math skills.
   • Attend and participate in ESL professional development activities, conferences/workshops, curriculum/program planning, & special events and activities.

   More teacher duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, teachers' average salary in montana is 44% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level teachers earn 54% less than senior-level teachers.
   • Certifications. A 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 teacher's salary.

   Average teacher salary

   $47,989yearly

   $23.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level teacher salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$61,238	$29
   2	California	$59,480	$29
   3	New York	$58,392	$28
   4	District of Columbia	$57,472	$28
   5	Massachusetts	$53,240	$26
   6	Virginia	$52,444	$25
   7	New Jersey	$51,436	$25
   8	Oregon	$48,557	$23
   9	Illinois	$48,531	$23
   10	Texas	$48,291	$23
   11	Pennsylvania	$48,239	$23
   12	Michigan	$46,502	$22
   13	Georgia	$45,874	$22
   14	Ohio	$45,125	$22
   15	Kentucky	$44,330	$21
   16	Florida	$44,038	$21
   17	Nevada	$42,640	$21
   18	New Mexico	$42,370	$20
   19	Minnesota	$42,129	$20
   20	Tennessee	$41,397	$20

   Average teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	King Low Heywood Thomas	$90,187	$43.36
   2	Apple	$88,228	$42.42	11
   3	Trinity Episcopal School	$83,053	$39.93
   4	The SEED School of Maryland	$81,371	$39.12	7
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$80,817	$38.85	37
   6	German International School New York	$80,587	$38.74	1
   7	Harvard University	$80,384	$38.65
   8	OAKWOOD SCHOOL	$79,190	$38.07	9
   9	The Nueva School	$78,923	$37.94	1
   10	Stanford University	$78,764	$37.87	4
   11	City of San Antonio	$78,019	$37.51	1
   12	Marlborough School	$77,269	$37.15	14
   13	Michigan State University	$76,595	$36.82	3
   14	Forest Grove SD	$76,540	$36.80	1
   15	Boston Public Schools	$76,209	$36.64	63
   16	Dwight-Englewood School	$75,746	$36.42	2
   17	New York University	$75,364	$36.23
   18	Friends Select School	$75,204	$36.16	4
   19	Cornell University	$75,045	$36.08	8
   20	The Nightingale-Bamford School	$74,802	$35.96

4. Writing a teacher job description

   A good teacher job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a teacher job description:

   Teacher job description example

   Join our talented team, where we inspire children to be lifelong learners! Through our play based curriculum, our affectionate and loving staff ensures that our children are imparted with the knowledge to succeed.
   As a Teacher, you'll:
   Follow all licensing guidelines and company standards to ensure the daily care of every child. Develop your ability to accurately observe, assess, and plan for children, as well as effectively communicate with families. Complete extensive training that provides insight on child care and development topics. Implement proprietary curriculum while creating fun, interactive learning experiences.
   
   We want energetic, dependable, passionate individuals who are at least 18 and have:
   Experience in a licensed child care center or related field. Completed a high school diploma or equivalent 45 Hours The ability to meet state requirements for education and additional center requirements Able to work indoors or outdoors and engage in physical activity with children
   
   About Us
   
   Learning Care Group, Inc. is the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America and a leader in early education. Our programs are designed for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years. Across our eight unique brands, we're committed to creating state-of-the-art facilities with the latest technology and expert-driven curricula created by our own Education team.
   
   Our Promise
   
   To make a difference and have a positive impact on every child at our schools, their families, and the communities we serve every day. We support child development for infants to school-age students, through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, fun school environment. As experts in child care and early education, we empower children to be ready for school, we instill a lifelong love of learning, and we provide a solid foundation for a successful future.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find teachers 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 teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level teachers 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.

   To find teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with 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.

   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 teacher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the teacher 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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