Education & Training Jobs in Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix Union, Washington Elementary, Paradise Valley Unified and Mesa Public Schools were all still posting classroom jobs in the last week of September, most of them in special education. The guides below cover every education and training role in Phoenix, who is hiring, and what it pays.

Substitute Teacher Jobs Teacher Jobs Teaching Assistant Jobs

Why Education & Training Work Is Different in Phoenix

Phoenix does not have one big school district. The city is split among separate elementary, high school and unified districts, so a teacher at an elementary school in Sunnyslope and a teacher at a central Phoenix high school work for different employers on different salary schedules. Phoenix Union High School District runs the central city's high schools, from Alhambra and Carl Hayden to Camelback and Metro Tech. Washington Elementary covers north Phoenix into Glendale along the Black Canyon Freeway, Paradise Valley Unified covers northeast Phoenix on both sides of the Loop 101, and Mesa Public Schools anchors the East Valley. On top of that sits a large charter sector led by Great Hearts, which runs 24 academies around the Valley from its headquarters near Sky Harbor.

That patchwork shapes how you get hired. Some districts hire substitutes directly, while Phoenix Union fills its substitute jobs through ESS and app platforms such as Swing Education book daily jobs at other districts and charters. Special education is where the openings pile up: more than half of Washington Elementary's recent teacher postings and most of Paradise Valley's assistant postings are special education roles. Pay spans a wide range, from instructional assistants starting at Arizona's $15.15 minimum wage to veteran teachers near $77,000, and teaching, substitute and district assistant jobs all require an IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Top Education & Training Employers in Phoenix

These districts, charter networks and staffing firms had classroom jobs open on their own sites this month:

  • Phoenix Union High School District - the central Phoenix high school district is hiring classroom teachers and ELL and special education instructional assistants.
  • Washington Elementary School District - the north Phoenix and Glendale elementary district posts teachers at $50,000 to $77,420 and instructional assistants at $15.15 to $17.20 an hour.
  • Paradise Valley Unified School District - the northeast Phoenix district is hiring special education teachers and instructional assistants from Pinnacle High to Quail Run Elementary.
  • Mesa Public Schools - the East Valley district posts elementary, junior high and special education teachers plus a standing substitute teacher listing.
  • Great Hearts Academies - the Phoenix-based classical charter network hires lead teachers, teaching assistants and substitutes across its Valley academies.
  • ESS - the education staffing firm hires substitute teachers and paraprofessionals for Phoenix Union High School District.
  • Kelly Education - the K-12 staffing firm recruits substitute teachers and paraeducators for Phoenix-area schools.

Education & Training Career Paths in Phoenix

  • Classroom teaching - Teacher. The certified, contracted role that districts and charters across the Valley are hiring for, with special education in the shortest supply.
  • Classroom support and entry roles - Teaching Assistant and Substitute Teacher. The two fastest ways into a Phoenix school, and a common first step for people who later move into their own classroom on an alternative or apprenticeship pathway.

How to Start an Education & Training Career in Phoenix

  • IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card - required. Issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and needed for every Arizona teaching and substitute certificate.
  • Standard Professional Teaching Certificate - required for district teachers. Issued by the Arizona Department of Education after a bachelor's degree, an approved preparation program, AEPA/NES exams and the U.S. and Arizona Constitution requirement.
  • Alternative Teaching Certificate - lets a bachelor's degree holder teach full time while enrolled in a program such as Rio Salado College's Teacher in Residence.
  • Substitute, PreK-12 certificate - required for most substitute jobs. A bachelor's degree, the fingerprint card and a $60 fee, valid six years; a superintendent can request a district-only Emergency Substitute Certificate for applicants without a degree.
  • Paraprofessional qualification - required for instructional assistants in Title I programs: an associate degree, 60 college credits, or a passing ParaPro, ACT WorkKeys or Master Teacher ParaEducator score.
  • Local training - the ASU Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, the Grand Canyon University College of Education on Camelback Road, and the Instructional Assistance certificate at Mesa and South Mountain community colleges.

The fingerprint card, the teaching and substitute certificates, and the paraprofessional standard for Title I instructional roles are legal requirements; CPR certification, an SEI endorsement and Spanish are employer preferences that some Phoenix districts list on their postings.

Education & Training Salaries in Phoenix

  • Entry - $15.15 to $17.20 an hour for general instructional assistants, and $140 to $150 a day for day-to-day substitutes.
  • Mid - $17.50 to $19.44 an hour for special education assistants, $180 to $210 a day for long-term substitutes, and $50,000 to $56,000 a year for first-year teachers.
  • Senior - roughly $59,000 to $80,000 a year for experienced teachers, around a metro median near $59,000 and up to the top of district salary schedules.

These are estimates from current Phoenix district and staffing firm postings and 2025 federal wage data for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro. District teachers are paid on salary schedules that reward experience and graduate credits and pay into the Arizona State Retirement System. Assistants are paid hourly on school calendars of about nine months, so their yearly earnings are lower than the hourly rate suggests, and charter schools set their own pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to start working in a Phoenix school?

Substitute teaching and instructional assistant jobs have the lowest barriers. With a fingerprint clearance card and either a bachelor's degree for a substitute certificate or 60 college credits or a ParaPro score for an assistant job, you can be working in a classroom within a few weeks.

Do all Phoenix school jobs require a fingerprint card?

Every Arizona teaching and substitute certificate requires a valid IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and district assistant postings ask for one too. Apply for it first, since certification cannot be finished without it.

How much do teachers make in Phoenix?

First-year certified teachers generally start around $50,000 to $56,000. The metro median is near $59,000, and Washington Elementary's posted range tops out at $77,420.

Can I work in a Phoenix school without a bachelor's degree?

Yes. Instructional assistant jobs need a high school diploma plus an associate degree, 60 college credits or a passing ParaPro score. A district can also request an Emergency Substitute Certificate for you with a high school diploma, but it only covers that district.

Where can I train to teach in Phoenix?

The main options are ASU's Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, the Grand Canyon University College of Education, and Rio Salado College's Teacher in Residence program for people already hired by a district. For assistant work, Mesa and South Mountain community colleges offer a 27-credit Instructional Assistance certificate.

Ready to get started? Browse all current education and training job openings in Phoenix, AZ on LocalJobPage.