Explore
K-12 resource & self-contained
Special Education Teacher
Thirty legal documents and thirty kids who need you.
Typical pay
$48k-$92k
How you get in
Bachelor's plus special education licensure
Outlook
Severe shortages nationwide
Special education teachers design and deliver instruction for students with disabilities, and manage the IEP paperwork that governs it legally. The paperwork load is the reason people leave; the students are the reason people stay.
A day in the life
- 7:15aPrep materials, review the day's accommodations
- 8:00aCo-teach in a general education classroom
- 10:00aSmall-group resource instruction
- 12:00pLunch, often an IEP meeting instead
- 1:00pOne-on-one intervention and data collection
- 4:00pIEP writing — the part that follows you home
How to get in
Special education degree
Duration
4 years
Cost
$40,000-$150,000
Credential
State special education license
- Complete a bachelor's in special education
- Finish student teaching in both resource and self-contained settings
- Pass the licensure and special education content exams
- Districts will often hire you before you graduate
Alternative certification
Duration
1-2 years
Cost
$4,000-$15,000
Credential
State special education license
- Hold a bachelor's in any field
- Enter an alternative route — special education slots are the easiest to get
- Teach on a provisional license while completing coursework
- Pass the licensure exams
Add SPED to an existing license
Duration
1-2 years part-time
Cost
$5,000-$25,000
Credential
Additional special education endorsement
- Teach general education first
- Complete an endorsement program, often district-subsidized
- Pass the special education content exam
- Move into a role with far more job security
What people love
- · Among the most in-demand teaching roles anywhere
- · Loan forgiveness programs specifically target it
- · Genuinely transformative impact
- · Smaller caseloads than general education
What wears people down
- · IEP paperwork is enormous and legally binding
- · Emotionally and sometimes physically demanding
- · High burnout and turnover
- · Same pay scale as general education for far more work