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David Ward, speech-language pathologist

Find open educational interpreter jobs in Michigan schools here, with the EIPA rules, exception process, and pay data that shape who gets hired.

The 4.0 rule, by grade band

Michigan writes its school interpreter standard into rule R 393.5026 of the Qualified Interpreter General Rules. The rule splits schools into two environments.

Pre-kindergarten through grade 6. You need an Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) score of 4.0 with an elementary endorsement. If your first 4.0 came after August 31, 2016, you also pass the EIPA written test or a similar test the state adopts.

Grade 7 to age 26. An EIPA 4.0 with either endorsement qualifies you, with the written test required for a 4.0 first earned after August 31, 2018. Other routes at this level include a Michigan BEI 2, a standard level 2 or 3, and a deaf interpreter credential with state certification.

MDE's Resource for Deaf/Hard of Hearing (RDHH) spells out the practical result on its EIPA requirements page. An interpreter with a secondary endorsement alone cannot take an elementary assignment.

Substitutes and exceptions

The same rule sets lower floors for substitutes. A long-term substitute in a secondary setting may hold an EIPA 3.5. For absences of 20 school days or fewer, a short-term elementary substitute may hold a 3.5 as well.

For regular positions, Rule 27 lets a district request a one-year exception after it has exhausted its search, reported that search to the state in writing, and gone 14 days without a qualified candidate from the state. The interpreter must show an EIPA of 3.5 or higher earned within the past 24 months, plus 12 hours of educational interpreting training in the past 12 months. RDHH explains that you and the district each file an application with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

Finding openings

RDHH keeps a statewide job postings page for K-12 deaf and hard of hearing work. Educational interpreter openings appear there beside jobs for teachers of the deaf, teacher consultants, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and paraprofessionals. Employers submit a request form, and a post can take up to five business days to appear.

RDHH's service directory lists DHH programs and contacts for each intermediate school district (ISD), so you can see which regions run DHH services before you apply.

Pay

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 940 interpreters and translators employed in Michigan in May 2025, earning a median of $45,310 a year. Those figures blend school jobs with every other setting, spoken-language translation included.

The listings on this page are Michigan's open educational interpreter postings.