Teaching and Education Jobs in Alaska

Education is one of the largest categories on this board, and it covers far more than classroom teaching: 53 school districts, the University of Alaska, and a long list of support roles that keep schools running. Alaska also has some of the most acute teacher shortages in the country, which changes the math for anyone willing to go where the jobs are.

53 districts, and most of them are rural

Alaska has 53 public school districts. The borough districts hold most of the students, and the biggest of them, Anchorage School District, is among the largest employers on this board. Mat-Su, Fairbanks North Star, Kenai Peninsula, and Juneau round out the large districts. But most Alaska districts are small Rural Education Attendance Areas serving village schools, and the largest rural employers, such as the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Bethel, the North Slope Borough, Bering Strait, and the Northwest Arctic districts, hire steadily because turnover is high. The University of Alaska is the higher-education anchor, hiring faculty, adjuncts, and staff across its Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Southeast campuses.

Certification: the Alaska-specific steps

Teaching in an Alaska public school requires an Alaska teacher certificate from the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). Alaska accepts many out-of-state credentials, but it has two requirements that surprise transplants: within your first years of teaching you must complete an Alaska Studies course and a multicultural or cross-cultural education course. Because of the shortage, districts also make heavy use of emergency and provisional certificates and alternative pathways, so a missing endorsement is not always a dealbreaker. Ask the district what it will sponsor.

The hiring cycle and the job fair

Most districts hire in spring for an August start, but rural districts hire year-round. The clearinghouse worth knowing is Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP), run through the University of Alaska Fairbanks: it operates the statewide teacher job fair and posts vacancies across every district. Between ATP and this board's education listings, you can see most of what is open at once.

Rural teaching: the trade you are actually making

Village teaching pays more, usually provides housing, and hires fast. The trade is isolation, a high cost of living, and a steep cultural learning curve. Districts carry the State of Alaska geographic pay differentials, which the community pay comparator lays out, and many teachers do a few years in the bush to pay down loans and build experience before moving to a road-system district. The place guides cover what daily life is actually like: Bethel, Nome, and Kotzebue.

Retirement: read this before you sign

Alaska closed its defined-benefit Teachers' Retirement System to new members in 2006. Teachers hired since then are in a defined-contribution plan, and Alaska public-school teachers do not pay into Social Security. That combination sits at the center of the state's retention problem, and it is the single biggest thing to understand when you weigh an Alaska offer against one in another state. The mechanics are the same ones that apply to state employees, covered in the PERS and state benefits guide.

Beyond the classroom

Districts are large employers well outside teaching. Paraprofessionals, classroom aides, food-service and custodial staff, bus drivers (often with a CDL), coaches, counselors, and district administration all show up on the board, many year-round and many without a degree requirement. They are a common way into a district and onto a certification track. See everything open now on the education board.

Quick answers

What do you need to teach in a public school in Alaska?

Teaching in an Alaska public school requires an Alaska teacher certificate from the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). Alaska accepts many out-of-state credentials, but it also requires an Alaska Studies course and a multicultural or cross-cultural education course, which certified teachers typically must complete within their first years of teaching in the state.

When do Alaska school districts hire teachers?

Most Alaska districts hire in spring for an August start, but rural districts hire year-round because turnover is high. Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP), run through the University of Alaska Fairbanks, operates the statewide teacher job fair and posts vacancies across all districts, and is the single best clearinghouse for Alaska teaching jobs.

Do Alaska teachers get a pension?

Alaska closed its defined-benefit Teachers' Retirement System to new members in 2006. Teachers hired since then are in a defined-contribution plan (TRS DCR), and Alaska public-school teachers do not pay into Social Security. That combination is central to the state's teacher-retention problem and is the most important thing to weigh when comparing an Alaska offer to one in another state.

Do you need a degree to work for an Alaska school district?

Classroom teaching requires certification, but many school jobs do not require a degree. Districts hire paraprofessionals, classroom aides, food-service and custodial staff, bus drivers (often with a CDL), and coaches, and these roles are a common way into a district. Anchorage School District and the University of Alaska are among the largest employers on the Alaska Jobs board.