First, in order to work as a SEIT, you must have your Master’s degree in Special Ed, along with state certification in the field that you are teaching. Payment varies according to the agency you work for. I will estimate that the average hourly wage is $60/hr.

I work 1-to-1 with preschool age children (3-5 yr olds). Before reaching me, all of these children first are evaluated. After the comprehensive evaluation, it is determined if the child has special needs. If so, an individualized education program (IEP) in constructed. This IEP lists goals and objectives the child needs to be working on.

As a SEIT, it is my responsibility to go into the preschool/home and work daily on these individualized goals. I am also involved with being a consult to parents, school staff, and CPSE. I update the students IEP twice a year, and assist in the placement of the student upon entering the school system.

Hope this helps a little!

I’ve worked as itinerant teacher for one year…and one year only. If you’ve ever wanted to travel 100% for work, this may be the job for you though. You often share a desk and feel as though you have no home of your own. Many people won’t know who you are until Octoboer or later. Some will see you as an “accessory” for the school rather than a full-fledged staff member. The upside is this. Don’t like a school? Fine then…you are only there once a week. Love a school? Talk to the principal. Tell him/her that you love it there and should something become availalble, you would certainly consider it. (How I am where I am now.) If one is not provided for you, consider a good rolling cart. Get a small bag of more costly things that would needed at every school – jump drives, etc. Transfer the small bag to the larger, school specific bag. Yes, that may cause to you purchase two staplers, but the organization is worth it. Take only the school’s files into the school. You never know when someone who knows someone will see it. Always, always, always… make good friends with the secretary. You will have a lot of “building” questions and this will help. Program your phone numbers into your cell phone with names of contacts, principals, secretaries so that you can keep it straight at the beginning. Purchase a really good DayMinder for detailed notes with a to-do list. Keep a separate journal of what you did that day. You won’t remember past two weeks with all the moving around. In a bind with a supervisor or parent? Pull it out and you’ll look as if you are on top of things always. EDIT – Itinerant means that the teacher moves from school to school. It may be 2.5 days at Smith Elementary and 2.5 days at Jones Middle. It might be mornings @ Washington High and afternoons at Smith Elementary. You get the idea. They are fully-licensed special education teachers, but principals (or county office) work together to combine their half-time positions to form a full-time position to increase their field of applicants.

I worked with one for 2 years (I requested this service as my learning disabilities classroom morphed into an autism classroom)…she came in my classroom to observe students, help with ideas about behavior plans, brainstorm ideas to better assist my students, classroom setup, and so on…whatever I asked for help with. She also attended IEP meetings when requested. She was not based out of any particular school, but rather a “corporate office.” When I once asked, she said that she worked with about 15 different schools and rotated between them.

I know that for her to get her position, she had to “pay her dues” first. She was near completion of a PhD and had been working as a special educator for about 12 years…way more than just a newbie with a bachelors. Being that she was also of the title “teacher” she was paid them same (except that she was a 12-month employee – salary based on 12-months) as someone else with her experience and education in the classroom.

Being that your degree will qualify you to teach up to 2nd grade, this is a little different. You will mostly be dealing with the pre-school age group heading to family homes more than to classrooms as many on your caseload will not yet be in school. You will be consulting with staff, teachers, and parents about best placement and so on – typically children this young are recognized as having a disability, but have not yet been identified with a particular one. Again your pay will be the same, but based upon a 12-month employee scale.

You may want to contact the human resources department for the school district you are interested in working in to get a better idea of what the positiion involves.