At Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), we believe in recognizing the value of your past work experience. Whether you're new to FCPS or returning after some time away, this page helps explain how we determine your placement on our salary scales based on your professional background and education.

Step Placement for New and Returning Employees

When you are offered a position with FCPS, our Human Resources (HR) team will extend a job offer containing the details of your offered position, such as title, location, start date, salary grade, and salary placement. Every position is categorized within a specific salary grade on the appropriate salary scale. Within each salary grade, steps may indicate levels of pay progression based on your years of service (if steps are approved within the budget). 

Here's how HR will initially place candidates:

• New to FCPS? If you are just beginning your career, you will typically start at Step 1 as a new hire. However, we may award additional credit based on your relevant professional experience and education.
• Returning after a break? If you’re coming back after one year or more away, we’ll consider both your previous FCPS service and relevant outside experience to determine your placement.

Types of Experience We Consider

We know experience comes in many forms, and we want to credit you as fairly and consistently as possible. Here's how we review your professional background for experience credit consideration:

• Direct Experience:  Experience in the same role or level (e.g., teacher to teacher, instructional assistant to instructional assistant) may receive full credit, up to 100% of the time worked.
• Relevant Experience : Experience within the same industry or adjacent industry where your knowledge and skills add value to the new position may receive partial credit based on how transferable the knowledge/skills are.
• Indirect Experience:  Experience where some knowledge and skills add value to the new position, may be considered, but not always credited.
• Military Service : Up to 2 years of credit for non-job-related experience with a DD Form 214 (also known as the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty).
• Non-related Experience:  Unrelated, unpaid, temporary/hourly, or substitute work, unless mentioned in the job description, is not credited.

Please note: These guidelines are used to support consistency and fairness; however, final determinations are made at the discretion of Human Resources, in alignment with FCPS’ internal compensation practices and policies.

Considerations for Teaching/Instructional Roles

If you're applying for an instructional role (like a teacher), your experience credit may include:

• Full-time teaching in K-12 public or private schools
• Full-time teaching in a private school if the subject taught is also taught in FCPS
• Full-time, contracted substitute teaching (benefits-eligible substitute teachers)
• Full-time teaching in a college or university, as long as it wasn’t part of a degree requirement
• Full-time teaching at accredited preschools
• Full-time teaching in a military academy or volunteer organization (e.g., Peace Corps) if the subject taught is also taught in FCPS
• Career & Technical Education (CTE) experience
• Instructional assistant, public health training assistant, or public health attendant experience working for FCPS (IA/PHA/PHTA experience outside of FCPS will not be considered).
• Some roles (e.g., school counselors, therapists, transition teachers) may receive specialized credit

For more information regarding salary guidelines for instructional roles, please refer to Regulation 4611 (Salary Guides-Teachers) and Regulation 4625 (Experience Credit-New and Former Teachers).

Considerations for Classroom Instructional Support (CIS) Roles

If you're applying for a CIS role (like an instructional assistant, PHA, or PHTA), your experience credit may include:

• Full-time experience in classroom instructional support positions in K-12 public or private schools

• Full-time, paid experience in an educational or child-centered setting, such as a classroom aide, paraprofessional, tutor, or childcare provider, that directly supports student instruction or learning.

• Relevant experience that might involve working with children, supporting instructional activities, or providing behavioral or academic assistance.

For more information regarding salary guidelines for classroom instructional support roles, please refer to Regulation 4626 (Experience Credit—Classroom Instructional Support Employees) and Regulation 4613 (Salary Guides—Classroom Instructional Support Employees).

Education and Salary Placement

Your education level can play a role in your starting salary. Advanced degrees may impact your salary grade/lane or step placement. For your education to be considered, it's important that we have your transcripts at the time you apply for a position. You can upload them to your candidate account in BrassRing when working on your application.

• For teaching/instructional positions , we offer six education “lanes”: BA, BA+15, BA+30, MA, MA+30, and PhD. Placement is based on the degree and graduate-level credits you have completed at the time you are offered a position. For more information regarding education and salary placement for teacher-scale personnel, please refer to Regulation 4621 (Salary Guidelines Beyond a Bachelor’s Degree).

• For  operational or administrative positions , advanced degrees over the minimum qualifications required for the position may grant you an additional step placement. Placement is based on the degree you hold at the time you are offered a position.

Looking for more information about careers with FCPS? Explore the webpages below for details and helpful resources.