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Jobs in South Carolina

Learn how you can start a high-demand career and make a difference for South Carolina students.

Find out how and where you can shape education in South Carolina, and build a sustainable, fulfilling career while you give back to your community.

On this page, get information on:

Education Career Outlook in South Carolina

A teacher checks in on a group of 5 middle school students. The group is working together around a laptop.

South Carolina teaches nearly 800,000 students in over 1,300 schools. (1)(2) At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, public schools had nearly 1,000 open teaching positions—some of which never got filled. (3)

In short, South Carolina needs more educators, from teaching assistants to classroom teachers. If you’re passionate about education and community work, there are big opportunities to make an impact in South Carolina.

Jobs, Benefits and Opportunities for SC Teachers

Learn about where South Carolina schools are currently, benefits for educators and what’s on the horizon.

If you’re curious about teaching, but not sure if it’s right for you, we have good news: You don’t have to commit right away! There are a lot of ways you can gain education experience and get a sense of the work before you pursue a teaching certificate.

What To Do if You’re Interested in Teaching in South Carolina

If you’re curious about teaching, but not sure if it’s right for you, we have good news: You don’t have to commit right away!

There are a lot of ways you can gain education experience and get a sense of the work before you pursue a teaching certificate. For example, you can consider:

  • Volunteering in classrooms or after-school programs
  • Looking for full-time, non-teacher positions in schools
  • Substituting as a teacher, teacher assistant or other non-full-time position

What do these jobs look like? In the next section, we’ll go over a few classroom roles and what to expect.

Once you’re ready to start applying for education jobs, we recommend visiting the CERRA educator job board or your local school district’s website to find teaching jobs and student support positions throughout the state.

Education Roles in South Carolina

Becoming a teacher can sound like a lot—but that’s where TeachSC comes in! We’re here for you every step of the way, from choosing the right program to completing your applications to preparing for certification tests.

How to Become a Certified Teacher in South Carolina

An elementary school teacher helps a student with an art project at a desk.

If you’re wondering about the requirements to become a teacher in SC, you’ve come to the right place.

To become a South Carolina teacher, you’ll need to complete a few steps. Here’s the short version:

  1. Decide what subject and grades you want to teach.
  2. Complete an educator preparation program. 
  3. Pass your teaching certification test.
  4. Submit your teaching application to the state. 

Becoming a teacher can sound like a lot—but that’s where TeachSC comes in! We’re here for you every step of the way, from choosing the right program to completing your applications to preparing for certification tests.

Visit our About Certification page for a full explanation and (free!) downloadable PDF that covers the certification process from start to finish.

Learn About Certification

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References

  1. Active Student Headcounts. South Carolina Department of Education. https://www.ed.sc.gov/data/other/student-counts/active-student-headcoun… 
  2. Report Card Data for Researchers. South Carolina Department of Education. https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fscrepor… 
  3. “South Carolina Annual Educator Supply & Demand Report: November 2021.” Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement. https://www.cerra.org/uploads/1/7/6/8/17684955/2021-22_supply_demand_re… 
  4. “SC Department of Education Update — Fall 2021.” SCASBO 2021 Fall Conference. South Carolina Association of School Business Officials. https://scasbo.net/2024-spring-conference/conferences/
  5. Teacher Data. South Carolina Department of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/data/other/Teacher-Data/#TCRG
  6. Meckler, Laura and Kate Rabinowitz. “America’s schools are more diverse than ever. But the teachers are still mostly white,” The Washington Post. December 27, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/local/education/teacher-di…