Special education tutor job FAQ for Arkansas teachers

A part-time, remote W-2 job with SpecialEdResource: live, one-on-one online tutoring for students with IEPs, 504 plans and learning differences, one student at a time. See the full job

Yes. Arkansas is one of the 14 states where SpecialEdResource can currently employ tutors: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Where you live is what counts, not which state issued your license. This site’s listing is for Arkansas; teachers in the other 13 states use the same application. What you need to apply

All subjects, from pre-K through 12th grade, plus adult learners. SpecialEdResource hires special education teachers of any subject and grade level.

Students with IEPs, 504 plans and learning differences. Our students attend public, charter and private schools or learn at home. Some students are nonspeaking and communicate with AAC or other supports, and some have multiple or more significant disabilities.

You have subscribed online resources and SpecialEdResource-created resources to work with, plus a full team that supports teachers and families. You also have a real person you can text or email when something comes up. We are truly a family that works hard to support one another.

SpecialEdResource handles info gathering. You handle your own scheduling, which is flexible. Once you take on a student, sessions recur at the same times each week. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit. You also handle most of the communication with families, by email. Planning is your part too: you choose and adapt materials for each student, because every child differs.

Yes. You decide which students you want to work with. Before a match, you see the student’s age, grade, disability category, recent work and the family’s goals, plus the student’s availability and deep details of their interests. If a match doesn’t work, SpecialEdResource rematches.

How many students you start with is very flexible and mainly up to you. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit.

No. You don’t write IEPs or attend IEP meetings.

Only if requested.

Zoom. You provide:

• a laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone (your own; SpecialEdResource does not provide one);
• internet of at least 25 Mbps download;
• a quiet room; and
• a USB headset, which SpecialEdResource strongly recommends.

This is tutoring, not classroom teaching: you work with one student at a time, in live online sessions that usually last 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 1 hour, as a part-time W-2 employee of SpecialEdResource. Training is paid, and licenses and special education certification from any US state are welcome.

Starting pay: $23/hour, W-2. All tutors can earn a 10% performance bonus in any pay period when they tutor at least 10 hours and turn in session notes on time. Notes count as on time when they’re turned in within 48 hours after each session. Pay and schedule

Twice a month, on the 5th and 20th, by direct deposit.

W-2. You’re an employee: SpecialEdResource withholds federal income tax, Arkansas state income tax and your share of Social Security and Medicare, pays the employer’s half (7.65% of your pay) and carries workers’ comp. You get a W-2 each January and don’t file quarterly estimated taxes for this job.

You're paid for tutoring time. Prep and notes are not paid separately; the session rate covers them. For the notes, SpecialEdResource provides AI summary tools that make note-writing mostly copy and paste.

Yes. No-shows are always paid.

Yes. Training and onboarding are both paid. Platform training takes about an hour.

Raises above the starting rate are based on performance, going above and beyond, and results with your students.

No. Health insurance isn't provided for part-time roles at these hours.

Our greatest need is weekdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern). Evening and weekend tutors are welcome too: tell us when you can teach. You don’t need to cover every grade, subject or time. Once you take on a student, sessions recur at the same times each week. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit.

At least 5 hours of weekly availability. Tutors with us work 5 to 25 hours a week. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit.

No. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit.

Sessions usually last 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 1 hour. On average, a student meets with their tutor 2 to 3 times a week.

Most students keep meeting through summer and school breaks.

Yes. Tell us as far ahead as you can (usually a week is plenty). Occasional time off carries no penalty.

Four things. You need to:

• hold a special education certification;
• hold a current teaching license from a US state, or one you’ll renew before you start;
• live in one of the states where we can currently employ tutors (Arkansas is one; the full list is above); and
• be comfortable with the role’s $23/hour W-2 pay terms.

No. The requirement is special education certification and a current teaching license, both from any US state. Your license doesn’t need to be from the state where the student lives. We check licenses before the first interview.

On its Educator Licensure Area page, Arkansas’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) lists them in a table of “Current Professional Educator's License Categories Issued by the State of Arkansas”: Special Education, K-12 (code 258); Special Education Hearing and Special Education Visual, each K-12 (285 and 284); Special Education Resource endorsements for elementary grades K-6 (530) and for English, math and science in grades 7-12 (427, 428 and 429); Early Childhood/Special Education Integration, B-K (252); and Pre K Special Education (519). This is DESE’s list. Our application asks whether you hold a special education certification. For SpecialEdResource, Arkansas licenses in Special Education Resource (K-6 or 7-12), Pre K Special Education, Early Childhood/Special Education Integration (B-K), Special Education Hearing and Special Education Visual count as special education certification. We check licenses before the first interview. Arkansas special education license guide

Use the public site of the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS), the AELS Public Site. It says: “Educator licensure data may be searched for any Arkansas-licensed educator by entering known public information, such as the educator’s last name and first name.” It adds: “The public view shows applicant information, professional license effective and expiration dates, background check information and licensure areas.” Looking up an Arkansas license

You can still apply, as long as you’ll renew it before you start. The application’s license question says:

Answer Yes if your license is current, or if it has expired or is inactive and you’ll renew it before you start. We check licenses before the first interview.

In Arkansas, DESE’s reinstatement page says: “An expired license may be reinstated by completing the requirements for renewal.” Those are the usual renewal steps (below): the online application in AELS with the $75 fee, new background checks, and the professional development DESE asks for. A license that was expired when you renewed it runs from the renewal date through December 31 of the fourth year from the year of renewal (State Board rule, 6 CAR § 180-501(d)(2)). If you are retired from ATRS or 62 or older, Arkansas also offers the Lifetime Teaching License (below). For your own requirements, contact DESE’s Office of Educator Licensure at 501-682-4342 or ade.educatorlicensure@ade.arkansas.gov. Renewing or reinstating an Arkansas license

Online in AELS, during the license’s fifth year. DESE’s renewal page says: “The standard, five-year Arkansas Educator License has a beginning date of January 1 of the year it is issued and an expiration date of December 31 of the fifth year.” It adds: “Educators may begin the renewal process at any time during the fifth year of their educator license.” The State Board’s licensure rule (6 CAR § 180-502(a)) allows a renewal application “no earlier than January 1 of the year of expiration of the license.” DESE also says: “Paper applications are no longer accepted.”

$75. DESE’s renewal page says: “Your $75 application fee shall be paid at the time of application unless the school district will be paying.” It adds: “All fees are nonrefundable.” The new background checks have their own fees, listed on DESE’s background check page for licensed educators.

For an Arkansas renewal, yes. DESE’s renewal page says: “New cleared background checks are required for renewal.” They are Arkansas State Police and FBI fingerprint checks and a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check. The State Board’s rule (6 CAR § 180-502(b)(2)) asks for checks completed “within the twelve-month period before the date of the application for renewal”.

Not for this job. Licenses and special education certification from any US state are welcome. If you want an Arkansas license as well, DESE’s Licensure by Reciprocity page explains it: “Reciprocity means the recognition of a teaching license from another state or country based on the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) licensure rules and/or the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement for Educator Licensure.” It adds: “Licensure in another state or country does not mean licensure in Arkansas will automatically be granted.” DESE asks applicants to request a reciprocity packet by email, at ade.educatorlicensure@ade.arkansas.gov. Licenses from other states

Apply online in AELS; there is no fee. Under the State Board’s rule (6 CAR § 180-207), you need a current or expired Arkansas standard license, and you must be at least 62 or retired from teaching under ATRS. DESE’s Lifetime Teaching License page says: “There is NO FEE for a Lifetime Teaching License” and “No annual professional development (PD) is required for licensing purposes.” The rule adds: “A teacher holding a lifetime teaching license is not required to renew his or her teaching license.” If you are under 62, you upload your ATRS retirement letter; if you are 62 or older, you upload proof such as work in an educational setting while licensed, as DESE’s page lists. Background checks are needed too, if none are on file from the last 12 months. SpecialEdResource accepts an Arkansas Lifetime Teaching License as a current teaching license. The Lifetime Teaching License

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) says in its 2025/2026 Member Retirement Planner (page 3): “Unless you are the Normal Retirement Age, you will have a mandatory four-month termination separation period from any ATRS covered employment beginning on your effective retirement date. You may work outside of ATRS covered employment. However, you cannot engage in any substitute, part-time, or full-time work, or be paid for any work or professional development training, by any ATRS covered employer for four months.” That period is counted from your effective retirement date, which is always the first day of a month, not your last day of work. SpecialEdResource is a private company and does not appear on ATRS’s list of participating employers (June 30, 2025). If you are still in your separation period, ATRS asks you to check with it first: its ATRS Member Handbook 2026-2027 says “you should always contact ATRS for guidance if you are considering working during your termination separation period.” If you retired from ATRS by disability, ask ATRS before taking any job. Confirm your own situation with ATRS at (501) 682-1517 or info@artrs.gov.

Our ATRS return-to-work guide

It is ATRS’s termination separation period, and it is about work for ATRS covered employers. ATRS’s Working and Retirement page says: “ATRS covered employers include Arkansas public schools (including charter schools), education related state agencies, and some colleges, universities, and post-secondary higher institutions.” If you took an age-and-service retirement and were not at ATRS’s Normal Retirement Age when you retired, ATRS bars work for those employers during your four-month termination separation period. That period is counted from your effective retirement date, which is always the first day of a month, not your last day of work. For a July 1 retiree with the separation period, ATRS’s Retirement FAQ says: “May return to covered employment after October 31”. ATRS’s Normal Retirement Age is 65 with at least 5 years of service, or at least 60 when your age plus your years of service add up to 98 or more. With 28 years of service, ATRS allows a full age-and-service retirement at any age. That is not the same as Normal Retirement Age: if you retired that way before age 60, the four-month termination separation period applies to you. The ATRS Member Handbook 2026-2027 (page 27) says: “Most retirees will have a 4-month termination separation period, which begins on your effective date of retirement. During this period, you may not work for an ATRS covered employer.” On plans to go back to work for a covered employer, ATRS says: “You CANNOT HAVE ANY CONNECTION to the district by AGREEMENT OR UNDERSTANDING for future employment.” For age-and-service retirees, ATRS has had no earnings limit since 2009 on work for an ATRS covered employer after the separation period, or right away for those at Normal Retirement Age. If you retired from ATRS by disability, ask ATRS before taking any job. Confirm your own situation with ATRS at (501) 682-1517 or info@artrs.gov.

The four-month separation period

Yes, but substitute teaching for an Arkansas public school is work for an ATRS covered employer. If you took an age-and-service retirement and were not at ATRS’s Normal Retirement Age when you retired, ATRS bars it during your four-month termination separation period: “This includes substituting, part-time and/or full-time employment with any ATRS covered employer.” That period is counted from your effective retirement date, which is always the first day of a month, not your last day of work. ATRS’s Normal Retirement Age is 65 with at least 5 years of service, or at least 60 when your age plus your years of service add up to 98 or more. During that period you also may not apply for that work or arrange it for later: ATRS’s Working and Retirement page says “You CANNOT APPLY for a job with an ATRS covered employer during the termination separation period.” Arkansas law, as amended by Act 107 of 2023 (§ 24-7-502(a)(6)(B)), says that during the separation period a retiree shall not “Render any compensable services to or on behalf of” a covered employer. Placed by a staffing company: ATRS’s Employer Handbook lists substitute teaching among the services an outside company can supply on a school’s premises, and we found no ATRS text on this case. As we read them, that bar and ATRS’s retirement application, which bars paid service for a covered employer “with or without a contract”, appear to reach such a placement. Ask ATRS before you accept one. For age-and-service retirees, ATRS has had no earnings limit since 2009 on work for an ATRS covered employer after the separation period, or right away for those at Normal Retirement Age. If you retired from ATRS by disability, ask ATRS before taking any job. Confirm your own situation with ATRS at (501) 682-1517 or info@artrs.gov.

For this job, the license rule is the same for everyone. The application’s license question says:

Answer Yes if your license is current, or if it has expired or is inactive and you’ll renew it before you start. We check licenses before the first interview.

In Arkansas, as we read the State Board’s licensure, professional development and background check rules (6 CAR Parts 180, 183 and 194), none ends a license when you retire. A standard license runs to December 31 of its fifth year and is renewed in AELS like any other. Retired teachers can also request DESE’s no-fee Lifetime Teaching License (see the license answers above). After you retire: your Arkansas license

If you are under full retirement age for all of 2026, SSA’s limit is $24,480 for the year. Above it, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn over the limit. If 2026 is the year you reach full retirement age, a higher limit applies: $65,160, counting only earnings in the months before you reach full retirement age, and SSA withholds $1 for every $3 above it. Either limit counts your wages from every job, not only this one. SSA’s earnings test is for Social Security retirement, dependent and survivor benefits. If you get Social Security disability insurance, or a widow(er)’s or child’s benefit because you are disabled, ask SSA before you take any job. These are SSA’s 2026 figures. In your grace year, a monthly test may apply instead of the yearly limit. SSA’s operating manual says “Do not count bona fide pension payments.” As we read it, that covers an ATRS pension. At $23 an hour, $24,480 is about 1,064 hours of tutoring in a year; at $25.30 an hour, the rate in a pay period when you earn the bonus, it is about 968 hours. The $25.30 figure holds only if every pay period earns the bonus; in a pay period that does not, every hour is paid at $23, so the real figure falls between the two. Available hours depend on student demand and schedule fit. Check your own case with SSA. Arkansas teachers and Social Security

ATRS says Arkansas public-school employees take part in Social Security. In an update on ATRS and Social Security, ATRS’s executive director wrote: “In 1951, our Legislature approved Act 248 which provided that all public-school employees in Arkansas would participate in Social Security.” ATRS’s Retirement FAQ adds: “ATRS retirees have the double benefit of both ATRS lifetime benefits and Social Security benefits.” It also says: “ATRS does not reduce its benefits once you become eligible for Social Security.” To check your own earnings record, ask SSA. Arkansas teachers and Social Security

On SpecialEdResource’s hiring site, hiring.specialedresource.com, where every Apply button on this site leads. The application takes about two minutes, and a resume is required (PDF or Word, up to 10 MB). Apply now

If your answers meet every requirement, your next step is a short phone call with our AI assistant. You get a phone number and a personal code right after you apply, on screen and by email, and the call takes about 10 minutes. Prefer to talk with a person? Press 0 when the call starts. The call is recorded, and a person on our hiring team reviews it and makes every decision. The steps after that: team review, two interviews, a short mock lesson and the hiring decision. Your first interview is with Erin, and the second is with Luke Dalien, one of SpecialEdResource’s founders. How hiring works

Yes. Hiring includes a background check, paid by SpecialEdResource. License and background checks usually take 3 to 5 business days.

From hire to your first session could be a week or two.

studentsuccess@specialedresource.com