Freelance Curriculum Developer Job Description

by Lee Grayson Google

Curriculum developers, also called instructional coordinators, oversee curriculums and teaching standards for school districts and other entities. They work with teachers and school administrators to implement new teaching techniques to improve the quality of education, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Developers must master the content area, understand how people learn, and have the ability to create learning content using knowledge from both these areas. Textbook companies, school districts, large businesses and government departments use curriculum developers, many of whom work as freelancers.


Freelance curriculum developers might have a range of duties, depending on the employer. The BLS reports that in addition to overseeing the development of curriculum, they might evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum and teaching methods by analyzing test data, and ensure that schools meet local, state and federal standards. They might also choose textbooks and other educational materials and develop procedures to ensure that teachers implement the curriculum correctly. Freelancers are usually hired on a project-by-project basis. Many find work by joining scholarly organizations. For example, the Association for American Historians lists assignments for history developers, while the National Council of English Teachers offers postings for developers with language and communication skills.


Most employers require that freelance curriculum developers have a minimum of a master's degree in a field related to teaching methodology or business training development, according to the BLS. The job requirements for an online college history class development project, for instance, typically list a higher education degree in history in addition to credentials from an accredited teaching institution in writing curriculum. Some employers prefer to hire specialized subject-area majors, such as developers with coursework emphasizing either U.S., African, South American or European history.


Schools, online education companies and publishers look for freelance curriculum developers with practical, on-the-job experience, including long-term employment in schools or experience as a trainer. Many firms also prefer to hire developers with significant classroom teaching experience. Most look for experience directly related to the curriculum content creation. For example, employers might require a language arts developer to have experience teaching literature in order to create curriculum content for that subject area.


Pay for freelance curriculum developers varies based on the developer's experience, the client's budget, and other factors. Publishers typically budget a specific amount for curriculum development and pay the developer after completing the project. That means working over a period of several days, weeks or a month for a single paycheck. Longer projects pay monthly or quarterly, but developers have the ability to negotiate some flexibility in when they submit work and receive payments. Large publishers hire developers on behalf of schools or textbook companies and tie pay to the client's final acceptance of the curriculum materials. The BLS reports that instructional coordinators in full-time positions earned an annual median pay of $58,830 in 2010, but freelancers take home considerably less income. Freelancers also work without health or other full-time employment benefits.

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