Thrive Education Partners is seeking an experienced California Special Education Teacher in Ventura County for a full-time private education opportunity based in Thousand Oaks.
If you're an experienced special educator who loves the teaching itself but is looking for an alternative to managing a full classroom, this role offers something very different: the opportunity to focus deeply on one student , build an individualized academic program, and work alongside a collaborative team while earning $75,000–$110,000 annually as a full-time W-2 employee .
We welcome qualified educators from across Ventura County who can reliably commute to Thousand Oaks, including educators in Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, and surrounding communities.
Great individualized instruction starts with understanding the whole learner: where a student is academically, how they learn best, which underlying skills or learning differences may be creating barriers, and what supports will help them move forward. In this role, the educator will use that understanding to establish meaningful goals, thoughtfully adapt grade-level content, design targeted instruction, and help the student make clear, measurable progress over time.
The ideal candidate is an experienced special educator who can recognize why a student is struggling, not simply that they are struggling. This person should be comfortable adapting curriculum, breaking complex skills into manageable steps, providing explicit and systematic instruction, and adjusting their approach in real time based on student response.
This is a full-time, year-round position and the educator is the one teacher at the center of the student's week. The family is looking for someone who will stay, and a commitment of at least two years is the goal. The educator will work in close partnership with the family, an established team of support professionals, and Thrive's Educational Manager.
Student Profile
You'll work with a warm, social, and engaging middle school student who benefits from individualized special education instruction and a thoughtful, relationship-centered approach. The student is a strong visual learner who notices patterns quickly, takes real pride in work completed independently, and has interests, music above all, that can be used creatively to make academic work engaging and meaningful.
The student benefits from support in areas including communication, processing, self-regulation, and academic skill development. Retrieval takes time, and how material is presented—including print size, contrast, spacing, and how much appears at once—changes what the student is able to read and do.
The family is seeking an educator who can provide access to age-appropriate, grade-level concepts through carefully adapted instruction, meeting the student at their current access point while maintaining meaningful expectations for growth.
Academic priorities include grade-level content across core subjects at the student's access point, structured literacy, foundational mathematics, and direct instruction in executive functioning.
Strong relationships matter in this placement. The student responds especially well to educators who are warm and encouraging, communicate clearly, remain steady through moments of frustration, and demonstrate genuine confidence in the student's ability to learn.
What You'll Do
Take day-to-day ownership of a personalized academic program across core subject areas.
Adapt grade-level concepts, curriculum, and materials to create accessible, age-appropriate instruction.
Design engaging, multi-sensory learning experiences responsive to the student's strengths, interests, and learning profile.
Identify foundational skills that need additional support while continuing to introduce meaningful new academic content.
Establish baselines and monitor measurable academic progress.
Incorporate opportunities to strengthen independence, communication, executive functioning,…