Teaching special education is one of the most challenging jobs in education, so choosing among special education teaching jobs available in your area should be done so carefully. Be sure to visit each school you are considering teaching at, and to ask questions pertaining to the special education program to both the administration and any current special education teachers. If the program is new, you may be responsible for helping to build the program, which can be one of the more challenging special education teaching jobs. If the program is already well-established, find out what kind of budget is available to the program, as well as resources and support staff.
Working with special education students will take patience and expertise, and special education teaching jobs will only be available to teachers who are ready for the challenge. Before applying for any jobs, be sure to get all the proper credentials and spend time in a special education classroom to get an idea of the challenges facing schools and special education teachers. This will be a good practice for experience as well as networking: many schools will offer special education teaching jobs to teachers who have done student teaching or job shadowing at the school because the candidate will already have some sort of relationship with the students.
If possible, talk to other teachers at the school about the special education program you are considering. Find out if the other teachers have a good relationship with the special education department, and ask any current special education teachers about any issues they face on a day-to-day basis, including budget issues, district-wide programs or requirements, and other common issues facing education departments. Find out what technology is available for student use, and what kind of support staff you will have should you choose this school. One of the best ways to gauge how a program is run is to sit in the classroom for a few class periods and see how the students interact with each other and with the teachers.
Remember that some schools do not have well-developed special education programs, but this is not a reason to avoid the job altogether. Helping to build the program, in fact, can be one of the most rewarding special education teaching jobs you will find, though you should be prepared to do a significant amount of work to make the program strong over the course of several years.
