Employment

Join a Waldorf community with a harmonious, stable, and experienced faculty, a supportive Board of Trustees, and an engaged parent body. Alabama Waldorf School (nursery through 8th grade) is celebrating our 35th year. We are well established in the Birmingham, AL area, and are the only fully accredited Waldorf School in Alabama. Our school is faculty held, meaning all decisions are made under the direction of faculty consensus vote. We have just over 100 students, learning in a successful multi-age classroom model in both preschool and grades programs, which allows teachers to deeply nurture the whole child and develop strong, meaningful relationships with students, their parents/guardians, and family members.

Alabama Waldorf School established its curriculum utilizing the traditional Waldorf philosophy as defined by scientist, philosopher and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Waldorf education evolved from Steiner’s thorough understanding of human development and addresses the needs of children as they move through development on every level: physical, mental, and emotional. The mission of Alabama Waldorf School is to cultivate healthy, confident, compassionate learners who excel academically, socially, and civically. Our faculty and staff are guided by reverence for the developing child, courage for the truth, and the ability to continue to learn from one another.

We are seeking colleagues who will bring a passion for teaching and an enthusiastic commitment to join this community. Candidates must be committed to caring for and educating children in a lively and engaging way, recognizing that not all children learn in the same style.

All position inquiries begin with sending a resume and/or the position inquiry form to admin@alabamawaldorf.org and by taking a school tour. Please call 205-592-0541, or email enrollment@alabamawaldorf.org to schedule a Thursday tour at 9 am.

Becoming a salaried Waldorf teacher requires training in the Waldorf curriculum. All of our full-time faculty members are either Waldorf-trained, in training, or working alongside a team member who has Waldorf training.

Alabama Waldorf School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other classification protected by applicable law, in the administration of its hiring, educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid program, and/or other school-administered programs.

Download Position Inquiry Form

Current Opportunities

(updated February 2023)

Nursery Assistant Teacher, beginning Fall 2023

Preschool Teachers hold a classroom rhythm, prepare snack, maintain classroom’s cleanliness, and closely observe children’s needs, while giving them room to play and explore freely. Waldorf training and mentoring will provide methods and recommend materials. The Nursery class is a combined age class of 18 months - 3 years. Each class is held by two teachers with a maximum 7:1 ratio.

Minimum Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent
Acceptance, as a working hypothesis for teaching (not necessarily for one’s personal beliefs), the work of Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, as brought in Faculty studies, teacher presentations during in-school workshops and through other pertinent Waldorf training
Agreement with the school’s Policy & Procedure Manual
Experience working with children

Preferred Experience

Bachelor’s Degree or higher
Previous Waldorf experience or Waldorf certification
Experience working with the consensus model of decision-making

Hours, Compensation & Benefits:

School Day Hours 8:15 am – 1:15 pm
Minimum 25 class hours per week
$15-20K starting salary
Benefits available
Generally, school vacations include Thanksgiving week, 2 weeks Winter Holiday, 1 week Spring Break, plus other holidays during the year. Consult the annual calendar for specifics.

Kindergarten Floater, beginning Fall 2023

Our Kindergarten classrooms follow a daily rhythm, complete with free play, circle time, snack, story time, crafts, and lunch. Much time is spent outdoors. The Kindergarten classes are a combined age class of 3 - 6 years. Each class is held by two teachers with a maximum 11:1 ratio.

The Kindergarten Floater aides the classroom teachers by preparing snack, organizing and cleaning up painting, coloring, or other craft activities, clean up after snack in the kitchen and classroom, working with children tidy-up helpers. This position will also serve as an extra set of eyes on the playground, help with taking children to the bathroom, and may be asked to change diapers if needed in an emergency. On occasion, other responsibilities will include communicating with Administrative staff about immediate classroom needs, helping children with shoes, jackets, and other needs during transition times, and will possibly be asked to step into the classroom in case of teacher absence.

Minimum Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent
Acceptance, as a working hypothesis for teaching (not necessarily for one’s personal beliefs), the work of Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, as brought in Faculty studies, teacher presentations during in-school workshops and through other pertinent Waldorf training
Agreement with the school’s Policy & Procedure Manual
Experience working with children in an early childcare setting
Openness to suggestions from the teachers in the program
Willingness to learn by doing

Preferred Experience

Bachelor’s Degree or higher
Previous Waldorf experience or Waldorf certification
Experience working with the consensus model of decision-making

Hours, Compensation & Benefits:

School Day Hours 8:15 am – 12:30 pm
Minimum 21 class hours per week, plus weekly team meeting attendance
$12.73/hr
Benefits available
Generally, school vacations include Thanksgiving week, 2 weeks Winter Holiday, 1 week Spring Break, plus other holidays during the year. Consult the annual calendar for specifics.

Grades Main Lesson Teacher, First Grade Year 2024-2025

**This position is being hired for the 2023-2024 school year, as it includes a full-time one year apprenticeship working alongside our Grades Faculty Team

Main Lesson Teachers develop a classroom rhythm, teaching language arts, mathematics, sciences, history, mythology, geography, and visual arts. Waldorf training and mentoring will provide methods and recommend materials.The Grades Main Lesson teacher position is a commitment to the looping model of moving up a grade each year with the same class of students. This model allows teachers to deeply nurture the whole child and develop strong, meaningful relationships with students, their parents/guardians, and family members.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
Waldorf Teacher Training Certificate or willingness to attend Waldorf
Teacher Training
Acceptance, as a working hypothesis for teaching (not necessarily for one’s personal beliefs), the work of Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, as brought in Faculty studies, teacher presentations during in-school workshops and through other pertinent Waldorf training
Agreement with the school’s Policy & Procedure Manual

Preferred Experience

Master’s Degree in education, art, or related field
Previous Waldorf experience
Alabama Teaching Certificate
Teaching experience with children
Experience working with the consensus model of decision-making

Hours, Compensation & Benefits:

 School Day Hours 8:15 am – 3:15 pm
 Minimum 35 class hours per week
 $22-25K starting salary
 Benefits available, including healthcare
 Generally, school vacations include Thanksgiving week, 2 weeks Winter
Holiday, 1 week Spring Break, plus other holidays during the year.
Consult the annual calendar for specifics.

Substitute Teaching

We are in need of qualified substitute teachers for both our Preschool (18 months - 6 years old) and Grades 1 - 8 programs. Candidates interested in substitute teaching begin the process of applying by attending a school tour, offered every Thursday, 9 - 10 am, while school is in session. Substitute pay is $12.36 an hour. Program observation, an interview, and necessary background checks including TB test are required. Please contact Enrollment to schedule a school tour. Also, please fill out a position inquiry form and email this along with your CV or resume to admin@alabamawaldorf.org.