Employment

Living in New Hampshire

To learn more about travel and tourism in New Hampshire visit www.visitnh.gov

For more information about New Hampshire, from state government to town profiles, business and industry to art, entertainment, shopping and more, visit www.nh.gov and www.nh.gov/nhinfo

Where to Look

EdJobs NH - www.edjobsnh.com is a job listing website maintained by The NH School Administrators Association.

SchoolSpring - www.schoolspring.com is used by many districts and contains multiple listings often not found elsewhere.

NEA-NH - The NH Chapter of National Education Association maintains a job listing at www.neanh.org.

NH Department of Education - These sites can also be accessed through the NH Department of Education website. www.education.nh.gov

Newspapers - Jobs for school psychologists are generally advertised in daily and weekly newspapers. Both print and online editions are worth checking, as listings may differ.

• The Manchester Union Leader provides broad state coverage
• Boston Globe includes southern New Hampshire in its employment coverage.
• Many districts focus their advertising on newspapers that serve their local region, including Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth, Keene, Laconia, Upper Valley (Hanover/Lebanon), Littleton and Dover.

When to Look - While positions may be advertised year round, most new positions begin to be advertised in late March or April. This coincides with the approval of school district budgets at District meetings in March. Positions will continue to be announced throughout the spring and summer, and sometimes into the fall.

Becoming a School Psychologist in NH

School psychologists are certified by the New Hampshire Department of Education, Bureau of Credentialing. There are 5 paths to certification as an educator in NH, known as ‘alternatives.’ Alternatives I and II will apply to most individuals seeking certification.

• Alternative I is for individuals graduating from an state approved graduate program in NH.
• Alternative II is for individuals graduating from a state approved graduate program in a state other than NH.
• Alternative III is for individuals who have gained the appropriate skills through education and experience that does not fit Alternatives I and II.
• Alternative IV is for individuals seeking certification in a ‘critical shortage area.’ School psychology has been a critical shortage area in recent years. NHASP recommends that Alternative IV  be utilized only for individuals who have completed all of their training, except for the Internship, which would be completed under the Alt IV Certificate and as part of their training program.
• Alternative V is for obtaining a teachers certification and is not applicable to school psychologists
  

In March 2020, Governor Sununu signed legislation that created a new license for school psychologists under the NH Board of Psychology (BOP). Please visit the BOP page for updated information on this license. All DOE credentialed school psychologists in NH at the time the law was signed were automatically granted this license.  New applicants will need to apply directly to the BOP. This license is not required to practice school psychology in NH, but is required for school districts to seek Medicaid to Schools reimbursement for school psychology services.  

Steps to Certification in NH

1. Review the certification standards for school psychologists in NH, section 507.08
2. Identify the alternative appropriate for your training and experience
3. Complete NH educator credentialing form www.education.nh.gov

School Psychology in New Hampshire

Working as a school psychologist in New Hampshire offers the potential for great variety in your work and the ability to have direct impact. Many school districts are small, often serving a single town or city. You may be the only school psychologist, or one of a few, serving a district. Others serve large cities such as Nashua and Manchester, offering the opportunity to live and/or work in major metropolitan areas. Whether rural or urban, school psychologists get to work closely with children, families, staff, and administration. The school psychologist is valued for the special skills and unique perspectives we bring to working with children.

Job responsibilities will vary with the needs and practices of the school or district. Some rely heavily on the traditional evaluation and placement model. Others provide greater opportunity for the school psychologist to provide a more comprehensive range of services, consultation, direct behavioral and counseling interventions, problem solving teams and data informed decision making, program development and traditional evaluation. Many schools are developing and implementing RTI/Problem Solving models of instruction and intervention, as well as PBIS and other models for emotional/behavioral RTI. School psychologists play an important role in many of these schools in the planning, data collection and implementation processes. School psychologists in New Hampshire are also filling positions as special education directors, principals, superintendents and other administrative roles.

Employment

Most School Psychologists are school district employees, generally paid and covered by the teacher’s contract. Some school psychologists are on administrative or individual contracts, while others are employed by private regional consortiums that may provide a range of services to a variety of school districts. The NH Department of Education has listed School Psychology as a critical shortage area, which makes New Hampshire a good place to look for a position.

Click here to explore NH Staffing and Salary reports, including minimum and maximum salary and number of steps within each compensation level.

Contracting Considerations

The NASP Credentialing Committee released an article on Considerations for Contract Services in School Psychology. This paper can be found here: NASP Contracting Paper. General NASP resources, including this document, can also be found on the NASP Resources and Publications page

Contact us

If you have other questions or would like to learn more about school psychology in New Hampshire and about living here, contact Jonas Taub, NCSP.