Some of your best friends — Francie Nolan, Holden Caulfield, Elizabeth Bennet — can only be found deep within the pages of your favorite novels. You are passionate about the written word, whether fiction or poetry, expository or persuasive, narrative or argument. If you want to expose a new generation to the possibilities for growth — as readers, writers, and thinkers — that accompany a literary education, then you might consider a career as an English teacher at an independent school.

English and Language Arts Teaching Jobs at Independent Schools

English classes have long been a staple of any school’s curriculum. For centuries, students have needed to learn to read and analyze a text and then convey that analysis clearly and eloquently through writing. English teachers are powerful influences in students’ lives, for thinking and communication skills transcend the classroom.

In contemporary independent schools, the 21st century education idea of a “whole” student who is creative, logical, eloquent, and inquisitive plays a large role in the formation of an English curriculum. English classes in independent schools — including classes in composition, language arts, journalism, humanities, literature, AP English, and creative writing — typically have a lower student to teacher ratio in order to foster an environment that cultivates these qualities.

Our client schools welcome passionate, dedicated, and creative English teachers who marry an appreciation for the classics with a modern approach to contemporary communication and literature. English teachers who are adept at integrating technology into their classrooms, broadening their students’ global perspectives, and enhancing student leadership and communication skills are particularly attractive to our client schools.

It should be noted that English is one of the most competitive fields in the independent school sector. Many qualified candidates are competing for a relatively small selection of jobs at top-rated schools.

Finding an English Teaching Job Through CS&A

The CS&A English Teacher Placement Team works with English teachers at every career stage. We also counsel career changers exploring the next direction of their working lives. These individuals might include published authors, college professors, journalists, or marketing and advertising professionals. If you’re seeking to “break into” the English teaching field, you can enhance your candidacy by working with students; for example, by leading a writing workshop, tutoring English in your community, or judging a teen poetry slam.

We encourage you to apply for English teaching candidacy if your qualifications expressly include:

• A master’s degree (preferred) or bachelor’s degree in English, literature, or a related field
• Experience working with or teaching children, particularly in an independent, private, boarding, college preparatory, or like-kind school setting
• A love and enthusiasm for teaching literature and writing
• Strong references that convey your teaching abilities, connection with students, and literary abilities
• Knowledge of 21st-century learning principles and techniques
• Skills, talents, and flexibility for contributing to the school community in an additional capacity, including coaching sports, advising clubs, or supervising a dorm at a boarding school
• Additional English-related skills and work experience that can enrich an independent school community. For example: assisting with school dramatic productions, advising student newspapers or literary journals, judging writing competitions, etc.

If you seek an English teaching job in an independent school, don’t hesitate – apply now. Begin your job search here.

Interested Candidates Should Contact

Leslie Ganson

Placement Associate: English/Language Arts, Humanities

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Kate Janover

Placement Counselor: Drama & Music; Assisting Leslie Ganson

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