Special Education Teacher

Job Description

Job Description

If you believe the best learning happens through trust, consistency, and individualized support, this is an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of two exceptional students and the family who loves them.

We're seeking an experienced special educator to become the full-time teacher for two brothers in a personalized, home-based program paired with a hybrid tutorial. This is a full-time role of 35 to 40 hours a week. You'll be the consistent adult in their school day, running direct one-on-one instruction at home on some days and serving as their dedicated one-on-one support at their hybrid tutorial on others. Across both settings, you'll build the relationship, hold the routine, and carry an individualized plan that helps each brother grow in confidence, independence, and real-world skills.

This role is equal parts educator, coach, and steady presence, and ABA sits at the center of it. The family believes deeply in ABA and has seen behavior slip when a teacher did not follow the plan, so consistency with a behavior plan matters here as much as strong instruction. You'll personalize teaching, adapt learning from the family's hybrid program, and provide the individualized, ABA-informed support that lets each student make meaningful academic and personal progress. Because one student needs significant behavioral support, this role is best suited for an educator who is grounded in ABA and confident supporting challenging behavior, with a strong special education background. A BCBA is preferred. And you won't do it alone. Thrive employs and manages the role and provides BCBA-led coaching and support all year, so you are always backed by a behavior expert.

Student Profiles

You'll work with two brothers who are beginning a new chapter in their education through a hybrid, home-based program. Both joined their family from Armenia, and both grow most with an adult who leads with warmth and reads them well.

The younger brother is a social, aware, and intentional kid who is motivated most by relationships and connection. He has Down syndrome, autism, and ADHD, and he does best with highly individualized instruction, predictable routines, and an educator who can guide him through transitions and behavioral moments without becoming reactive. He thrives with flexibility, calm leadership, and consistent expectations. He communicates with sign language and some speech, and pairing signs with new words noticeably strengthens how well new learning sticks.

His older brother is easygoing, hardworking, and genuinely enjoys learning, with remarkable adaptive skills and a quick memory for routines. He is nonverbal, has an intellectual disability and right-sided hearing loss, and communicates with an AAC device and gestures, so the adult who works with him faces him, sits on his hearing side, and moves one step at a time. He responds well to calm, encouraging adults and flourishes with predictable routines and positive reinforcement. He works hard, sometimes past the point of frustration, and does best with an educator who recognizes when he needs help regulating and gently guides him back.

The brothers have distinct personalities and learning needs, which makes this an engaging and deeply rewarding role for an educator who enjoys personalizing instruction, building real relationships, and celebrating progress in all its forms.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the primary educator and consistent presence for two brothers in a personalized, home-based educational program.
• Plan, prepare, and deliver highly personalized one-on-one instruction tailored to each student's learning profile, strengths, interests, and goals.
• Collaborate with Thrive's Educational Manager to make curriculum decisions, adjust scope and sequence, and continuously refine each student's educational plan based on progress and emerging needs.
• Serve as each student's dedicated one-on-one support during their hybrid tutorial program, providing the academic, behavioral, and executive functioning support they need to fully participate, engage with peers, and access instruction throughout the day.
• Monitor student progress and continuously adjust instruction, pacing, and supports to maximize academic, behavioral, and social growth.
• Implement individualized, ABA-informed teaching strategies with fidelity, consistently following each student's behavior plan and recognizing that behavioral consistency is just as important as academic instruction.
• Foster confidence, independence, executive functioning, communication, self-advocacy, and real-world skills through individualized support.
• Maintain proactive, professional communication with the family, hybrid tutorial team, and other service providers, ensuring everyone is aligned on student progress, behavioral strategies, accommodations, and next steps.
• Partner closely with the family, Thrive team, and BCBA to monitor progress, problem-solve challenges, and celebrate growth.

What Makes Someone Successful

This role is about much more than academic instruction. Success requires an educator who understands that meaningful learning and behavior support go hand in hand. You're comfortable viewing behavior as communication, and you respond with consistency, curiosity, and confidence.

You'll thrive in this role if you:

• Are grounded in ABA and believe in it, and follow a behavior plan consistently even when the day is hard. A BCBA is preferred, and an RBT or strong hands-on ABA background is also welcome
• Are confident supporting challenging behavior: you read early warning signs, keep a calm and regulated presence, de-escalate without power struggles, and never get pulled into a standoff
• Prevent hard moments before they start with predictable routines, clear expectations, and individualized supports, and understand behavior as communication
• Have a strong special education background, or substantial experience supporting students with behavioral, developmental, and learning differences across complex profiles
• Are comfortable with nonverbal communication and adaptive tools like AAC and sign language, and can adapt instruction for a student with hearing loss
• Build trust quickly while balancing warmth with clear, consistent boundaries, and find genuine fulfillment in helping students build confidence, independence, and self-regulation over time

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Professional experience implementing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or other evidence-based behavior support approaches with fidelity in educational, clinical, or therapeutic settings.
• Special education teaching experience.
• Confidence supporting students with moderate to significant behavioral needs while maintaining a calm, consistent, and proactive approach.
• Strong individualized teaching skills with the ability to adapt instruction based on each student's learning profile, progress, and behavioral needs.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with experience partnering effectively with families and multidisciplinary teams, including BCBAs, therapists, and other educational professionals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active TN special education teaching license
• Experience implementing individualized behavior intervention plans (BIPs) and collaborating closely with BCBAs.
• Experience providing one-on-one instruction in private, home-based, therapeutic, or other highly individualized educational settings.
• BCBA credential or coursework is highly preferred but not required for candidates with substantial ABA implementation experience.

This Role Is a Great Fit If You...

• Thrive in highly individualized learning environments where no two days look exactly the same.
• Enjoy building deep, trusting relationships with students and families.
• View behavior as communication and are energized by helping students develop new skills and greater independence.
• Are flexible, collaborative, and excited to be part of a multidisciplinary team.

This Role May Not Be the Right Fit If You...

• Become easily flustered by challenging behaviors or are uncomfortable providing direct behavioral support.
• Prefer highly scripted instruction with limited flexibility or personalization.
• Are uncomfortable working closely with families in a home-based educational environment.
• Prefer working independently rather than collaborating regularly with parents, BCBAs, therapists, and the Thrive team.

• Location: Nashville, TN (in-home) and Hendersonville, TN (homeschool tutorial)
• Schedule: Monday–Friday approximately 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (flexibility for enrichment & extracurriculars) 2 - 3 days/week at home providing direct instruction (academics + functional) and the other 2 - 3 days/week supporting the students at the homeschool tutorial.
• Start Date: Mid August preferred
• Employment Type: W2 Employee, Full Time

Benefits

Compensation

• $70,000 - $85,000+/yr, commensurate with experience, credentials, and placement scope
• Compensation is negotiated directly with the family; Thrive advocates for fair market rates on your behalf

Work Environment

• One-on-one or small-group instruction -- no classroom management overhead
• Deep, ongoing relationships with students and families rather than high-volume throughput
• Opportunity to teach the way you believe learning actually works

Support

• Personalized matching -- Thrive vets families thoroughly before introductions, so your time is spent with qualified, serious clients
• Dedicated placement coordinator throughout the process
• Access to Thrive's educator network, resources, and ongoing placement opportunities
• Long-term career development: many of our educators build lasting careers across successive placements

A note on selectivity

We're selective about who joins the Thrive network, and that's intentional. The families we work with have high expectations, and we only make introductions when we're confident in the match. If you're accepted, that means something.