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Perks of Working on Short-Term Contracts in Schools

Author: Darian Khalilpour

Date: June 1, 2023

Tags: Educational, Educational Staffing, Staffing

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While job searching, many teachers and school-based professionals look for positions that provide maximum job security, and therefore have no expiration date. However, there are several advantages to choosing short-term positions. In the field of education, a short-term contract means anything less than the length of the school year, or less than nine months. These can also be referred to as year-to-year contracts. Regardless of the terminology, these positions offer surprising benefits and can make for a dynamic, exciting and higher-paying teaching career.

With the national teaching shortage, short-term contract jobs are popping up at schools across the country. “These jobs have always existed due to leave, FMLA, etc., but post-covid there are even more of them as schools struggle to fill all of their open positions,” said Ryan Lamping, Regional Director of Business Development at Amergis Educational Staffing.

So, what types of professionals are eligible for these short-term contracts? Lamping said the most common positions to fill these contracts include speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school nurses, sign language (ASL) interpreters, school psychologists and psychiatrists, and both general and special education teachers.

Benefits of Working a Short-Term School Contract

If you’re included in that list, here’s why you should consider short-term contract positions:

1. Better pay. Short-term positions through a staffing agency may pay more than the long-term positions that school districts hire for.
2. Job flexibility. The beauty of a short-term contract is that you can “sample” the job to see if you want to try and make it a long-term role. “We tell candidates you can ‘try before you buy,’” explained Lamping. “If you don’t like the job or the school district, you don’t have to go back once your contract is over. If you loved the job, we can help advocate for you to be hired internally to stay there.”
3. Mitigated responsibilities. Since you aren’t filling an internal school district position, you don’t have to stay after hours to complete administrative responsibilities. You typically won’t be asked to join committees or help with extracurricular activities. This is a unique advantage if you have a busy lifestyle outside of work, or are simply looking for more work-life balance.
4. Quick placement. If you’re looking to start a job quickly, these short-term positions often come with a sense of urgency to be filled. Therefore, the job application, interview and approval procedures are often shorter.

Looking for a school-based job? Let’s get you hired! Amergis Educational staffing can find the perfect fit for you.