For College Students

Whether you become a master teacher or pursue a different career down the road, you should be exploring working in the innovative and engaging world of independent schools. CS&A has deep relationships with hundreds of independent, private, charter, and like-kind schools worldwide.

As a job seeker, we take the time to get to know you personally, so we can present you opportunities that are tailored to your goals and qualifications. Your Placement Team is there throughout the entire search and hiring process, from offering you advice ahead of a phone interview to salary negotiation questions and general career insight. Learn more about our process.

We accept applications year-round. However, because the independent school hiring season begins around January, we recommend you apply as soon as you can in the first semester of your senior year. This way, you have time to build your file with us so come January, we can begin right away to show you opportunities.

Our busy season runs from mid-January to May, and each school has a slightly different interview and hiring timeline. The bulk of our work with you will take place during these months, so if you come on board as a candidate in November, don’t be concerned that you aren’t seeing any opportunities right away.

Our schools want to see subject mastery and a desire to work with children. A degree in the subject you wish to teach is required (minors or concentrations may be acceptable); teaching certification or a degree in education is not. Hiring schools also want to see some type of experience working with children, such as in a camp setting, volunteering, coaching, tutoring, etc.

We fill positions in all primary and secondary subject areas including English, Spanish, French, Chinese/Mandarin, biology, chemistry, physics, history, art, drama, religion, math, computer science, and more. Our strong network comprises the top independent, private schools in the country. They range in size from 50 to 4,000 students and include all different types of educational institutions, from coeducational and single sex, day and boarding, and urban and rural, to secular and denominational.

Many schools have internship or fellowship positions that are reserved for students right out of college and will often hire our candidates as either a general intern who works with different grade levels in different departments, or as a subject-specific intern. Candidates in these positions usually begin by observing classes across a few disciplines. Gradually, they are given more responsibility by teaching independently a few times a week or co-teaching with a veteran teacher who can show you the ropes. Sometimes interns are also asked to take on extra-curricular activities as part of their role, such as coaching or running a club or student group. Mentoring is an added bonus of an internship or fellowship, and candidates are often matched with a mentor at the school to help work on lesson plans and acclimate to school culture, among other things.

We visit college campuses each fall to meet with students who are interested in finding their first teaching job. An info session is a great opportunity to hear an overview of our process from one of our Placement Associates and learn more about the unique culture of independent schools. Usually an info session also includes time for resume review and questions.

Interviews are conducted one-on-one with a Placement Associate, usually the day after an info session. The goal of an interview is for us to get a better understanding of your specific goals after graduation and for you to have an opportunity to ask specific questions around your upcoming job search.

Neither info sessions nor interviews are required to apply to work with us, so if you can’t attend either event or if we’re not visiting your campus this fall, don’t worry—you can still apply here.

We're happy you're interested! Many of our partner schools offer teaching internships over the summer, which are great ways to get important experience on your resume. If you're a freshman, sophomore, or junior looking to gain valuable teaching experience, join our Internship Portal to browse and apply to opportunities at independent schools and summer camps around the country.