Education Jobs in Chicago, IL

Observed government pay for the broad Education & Training family in Chicago sits around $61,700 median and $70,090 mean annually, with a broad group average of $33.70 per hour in the metro. Recent local posted salary ranges center on about $65k to $78k, hourly-paid postings center on about $19 to $23 / hour, and Revelio Public Labor Statistics puts the mean offered salary on new Illinois openings for the occupation at about $64,213 (n=730).

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 857 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $39,645 at the 25th percentile, $58,760 at the median and $73,655 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of November 10, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

Showing 30 of 250+ openings.

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What our analysts see this month

Competitive market | next 3-6 months

Chicago is still a large Education & Training market, but it is no longer a blanket shortage market: Chicago Public Schools opened the school year with a 2% teacher vacancy rate, and Illinois occupation-level employment is still up 0.7% year-over-year. Hiring is real and broad, with more than 2,500 local postings across more than 500 companies over the last 90 days, but active Illinois postings for the occupation are down 9.2% year-over-year and metro unemployment is 5.2%. That points to a market where strong, specialized, on-site candidates can still move, while generalist applicants should expect a longer search.

Best positioned: Licensed, on-site candidates who can show special education depth, classroom management, curriculum development, or LMS fluency with tools like Canvas and Blackboard have the best odds right now.

Main caution: Do not assume every school is desperate to hire: CPS started the year at a 2% vacancy rate, and some fall rehires still sit under funding uncertainty.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 1,079 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Chicago Public Schools: 181 open roles
2. Kreyco Inc.: 74 open roles
3. Guidepost Montessori: 30 open roles
4. KinderCare Learning Companies: 27 open roles
5. Distinctive Schools: 21 open roles
6. Life Time, Inc.: 21 open roles
7. Clarifi Staffing Solutions: 17 open roles
8. Indian Prairie School District: 16 open roles
9. Northwestern University: 16 open roles
10. Goddard School: 15 open roles

Where the openings are

• Chicago: 443
• Naperville: 46
• Aurora: 28
• Evanston: 24
• Schaumburg: 17
• University Park: 14
• Elmhurst: 13
• Glenview: 12

Work arrangement

on-site 985 (95%), hybrid 40 (4%), remote 7 (1%)

Where the demand is

Most real opportunity is still institution-based rather than remote ed-tech. In the local posting sample, education accounts for about 55% of category postings, education administration programs about 15%, colleges and universities about 10%, primary and secondary education about 5%, and nonprofit organizations about 5%. The named employer mix is broad rather than dominated by one institution, with KinderCare Learning Companies, Chicago Public Schools, and Depaul International among the most active employers, and hiring remains fragmented across employers. Skill demand shows where applications actually get traction. Classroom management appears in about 35% of local postings, while lesson planning and curriculum implementation each appear in about 15%, and curriculum development and student assessment each appear in about 10%. Separate local signals also flag special education, Canvas LMS, Blackboard, and instructional design as important differentiators. In practice, that pushes the best odds toward K-12 classrooms, early-childhood programs, and institution-based curriculum or LMS roles instead of broad untargeted applying.

• K-12 classroom and special education (moderate): This is still the largest visible lane, but it is more selective than shortage headlines suggest; CPS opened with a 2% teacher vacancy rate, while special education remained a clearer niche at approximately 2.1% vacancies and with nearly 800 special education teachers added since 2024.
• Early childhood and childcare systems (high): Large multi-site employers are active here, with KinderCare Learning Companies showing more than 175 postings, and local skills data also highlights child development and early childhood education.
• Higher education and education administration (moderate): Colleges and universities make up about 10% of the local posting mix, education administration programs about 15%, and the metro already supports 6,270 postsecondary administrators and 11,050 K-12 administrators.
• Curriculum, instructional design, and LMS-heavy roles (moderate): This is a smaller but useful lane for candidates who can pair instruction with systems skill, especially around curriculum development, instructional design, Canvas, and Blackboard.

Where to focus: Prioritize on-site K-12 or early-childhood openings if you want volume, and pivot toward curriculum/LMS or administration only if you can prove specialized experience.

Roles worth searching next

• Academic advisor or student services coordinator: Local demand includes colleges and universities at about 10% of postings and education administration programs at about 15%, so teaching experience can transfer into advising, retention, and student-support work.
• Nonprofit program coordinator: Nonprofit organizations account for about 5% of the local posting mix, and classroom management, curriculum work, and child development all transfer well.
• LMS administrator or academic technology specialist: Canvas, Blackboard, and instructional design are explicit local demand signals, which makes this a realistic tech-adjacent move for educators who like systems work.
• School operations or registrar/compliance coordinator: Education administration programs are a meaningful slice of local demand, and this market is overwhelmingly on-site, which fits campus operations work.

What postings ask for

• Classroom management (table_stakes | immediate): It is the single most-requested hard skill in the local posting sample at about 35% of postings. Who: New teachers, classroom instructors, and anyone returning after time away.
• Lesson planning (table_stakes | immediate): Lesson planning appears in about 15% of local postings and often travels with curriculum implementation, another about 15% skill signal. Who: Entry-level classroom candidates and career switchers trying to prove readiness.
• Special education (premium | immediate): CPS reported special education vacancies at approximately 2.1% and said it had added nearly 800 special education teachers since 2024, showing sustained investment and continuing need. Who: Licensed teachers, interventionists, and paraprofessionals moving toward certification.
• Curriculum development (differentiator | near-term): It shows up in local posting skills and broader metro demand signals, which makes it useful across K-12, higher ed, and training-first roles. Who: Mid-career educators, instructional designers, and career switchers with training content experience.
• Student assessment (differentiator | near-term): Assessment appears in about 10% of local postings and helps separate teachers who can show outcomes from those who only list duties. Who: Teachers seeking stronger interviews and people moving into academic leadership.
• Canvas LMS (differentiator | near-term): Canvas is called out among the most in-demand local tools, especially for curriculum, higher-ed, and structured training environments. Who: Instructional designers, adjunct-to-staff candidates, and trainers moving into education settings.

Questions about this market

What do Education & Training roles pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Observed government pay for the broad Education & Training family in Chicago sits around $61,700 median and $70,090 mean annually, with a broad group average of $33.70 per hour in the metro. Recent local posted salary ranges center on about $65k to $78k, hourly-paid postings center on about $19 to $23 / hour, and Revelio Public Labor Statistics puts the mean offered salary on new Illinois openings for the occupation at about $64,213 (n=730). That is decent pay for a broad occupation group and slightly above the comparable national hourly average for the group, but it is not uniformly high once you factor in Chicago living costs.

Where is demand for Education & Training roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN concentrated?

Most real opportunity is still institution-based rather than remote ed-tech. In the local posting sample, education accounts for about 55% of category postings, education administration programs about 15%, colleges and universities about 10%, primary and secondary education about 5%, and nonprofit organizations about 5%. The named employer mix is broad rather than dominated by one institution, with KinderCare Learning Companies, Chicago Public Schools, and Depaul International among the most active employers, and hiring remains fragmented across employers. Skill demand shows where applications actually get traction. Classroom management appears in about 35% of local postings, while lesson planning and curriculum implementation each appear in about 15%, and curriculum development and student assessment each appear in about 10%. Separate local signals also flag special education, Canvas LMS, Blackboard, and instructional design as important differentiators. In practice, that pushes the best odds toward K-12 classrooms, early-childhood programs, and institution-based curriculum or LMS roles instead of broad untargeted applying.

Which employers are hiring the most Education & Training talent in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Recent postings show the most activity from KinderCare Learning Companies (175 postings), Chicago Public Schools (125 postings), Depaul International (100 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Education & Training roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 5% are remote and 5% hybrid, with 95% on-site. Use the Remote filter above to see only remote openings.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

Browse Illinois openings by job title

• General Manager: 203 open roles statewide
• Senior Manager: 74 open roles statewide

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