Special Education
Special education teachers work with students (from toddlers to those in their early 20s) who have a variety of disabilities. Most special education teacher are found at the elementary, middle, and secondary school level. Special education teachers design and modify instruction to meet a student's special needs. Teachers also work with students who have other special instructional needs, including those who are gifted and talented. Many occupations today require a college educated individual who can write and speak well, solve problems, learn new information quickly and work well with others on a team. This means that college graduates use their education in a wide variety of fields, and your future career may relate more to your personal career interests, work values and transferable skills than any specific academic major. Use the following examples of employment opportunities for Special Education majors as an idea list, and remember that it represents some, but certainly not all, of the careers you might consider. Some of these jobs also require education beyond the bachelors’ degree.
Related Career Titles
| Art Therapist Audio/Visual Specialist Audio/Visual Therapist Camp Director Case Manager Child Development Center Director Child Development Specialist Child Psychologist Communications Specialist Community Service Agency Director Dance Therapist Director of Special Education Drug Rehabilitation Official Educational Advocate Educational Diagnostician ESL Teacher Family Services Social Worker Group Home Director Juvenile Court Counselor Language Audiologist Learning Center Administration Occupational Therapist Orientation and Mobility Specialist Peace Corps Volunteer | Physical Therapist Recreational Therapist Rehabilitation Counselor School Psychologist Special Education Consultant Speech Pathologist State Education Official State Hospital Worker Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, Emotionally Disturbed Teacher, Gifted/Talented Teacher, High School Teacher, Higher Education Teacher, Learning Disabled Teacher, Middle School Teacher, Mild Disabilities Teacher, Mildly Mentally Handicapped Teacher, Physically Handicapped Teacher, Resource Room Teacher, Seriously Emotionally Handicapped Teacher, Severe Disabilities Teacher, Visually Impaired Test Preparation Instructor Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor |
* Special Needs may include but are not limited to the following:
ADD/ADHD, Autism, Brain Injury, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Hearing Impaired, LD, MDD
Visually Impaired, Academically Gifted
Some Employers of Special Education Majors
| Business and Industry Camps Churches Colleges and Universities Community Centers Educational Publishers | Hospitals Libraries Non Profits Public and Private Schools State and Federal Government Youth Services |
Related Major Skills
| Ability to teach/train Ability to teach students with different learning levels Computer skills Creativity Dealing with parents or guardians Decision making Explaining ideas clearly Flexibility | Lesson planning Organization Patience Planning Summarizing ideas Team player Writing and presenting information |
Professional Resources
American Federation of Teachers
The Council for Exceptional Children
Directory information for school districts across the nation listed by state
Education America Network
Education Week on the Web - archives, magazine articles, jobs by region and title, some job fairs
ESLworldwide.Com - recruiting company for ESL teachers interested in teaching English overseas
MightyMentors - matches retired and experienced teachers with students and new teaching graduates
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Education Association
NC Teach
North Carolina Association of Educators - resources, news and search engines
Peterson’s Education Center - k-12 schools
Public Schools of North Carolina Info Web
Resources of Education Societies
Resources on Teaching Portfolios
Teacher Certification Requirements - State by State
Teachers.net
TeachingAbroad.com
TeachingOverseas.com
US Department of Education
