Overview
Before his entry into finance, Jeffrey Epstein taught at The Dalton School, one of New York City’s most prestigious private secondary schools. His brief teaching career at Dalton — approximately 1974 to 1976 — provided the social connections that launched his subsequent career at Bear Stearns and, ultimately, his entire financial trajectory.
The Dalton School
The Dalton School, founded in 1919, is located on East 89th Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. It is known for its “Dalton Plan” educational philosophy emphasizing individual learning and has one of the most selective admissions processes in New York City. Its alumni and parent body includes a disproportionate number of wealthy and prominent New York families.
Epstein was hired to teach mathematics and physics. He had studied mathematics at Cooper Union and New York University but had not completed a degree — an unusual credential for a Dalton faculty position. Various accounts suggest he was personable and intellectually engaging, qualities that made him appealing as a teacher despite his lack of formal academic credentials.
The Bear Stearns Connection
While teaching at Dalton, Epstein formed a relationship with Alan “Ace” Greenberg, the CEO of Bear Stearns — specifically through Greenberg’s son, who was a Dalton student. The connection gave Epstein an introduction to Bear Stearns, where he was subsequently hired in 1976.
The teaching career thus served not as a professional endpoint but as a networking gateway. Epstein’s ability to cultivate relationships with wealthy and influential people — which would define his entire career — was already evident in how he leveraged the Dalton connection.
Departure from Dalton
Epstein left or was separated from The Dalton School around 1976, by which time he had secured his position at Bear Stearns. The circumstances of his departure from Dalton have not been extensively documented in public sources.
Significance
The Dalton teaching episode is significant for several reasons:
- Origin of the finance career: Without the Dalton-Bear Stearns connection, Epstein’s entry into finance would have been far less certain
- Pattern of social cultivation: The way Epstein used a teaching position to network with wealthy parents foreshadowed a lifelong pattern — cultivating proximity to wealth and power through professional and social positioning
- Credential questions: Epstein’s employment at Dalton despite lacking a college degree suggests his persuasiveness and social intelligence made him credible in elite environments that would otherwise have required conventional credentials
Sources
Robert Kolker’s biographical reporting; Julie K. Brown’s background reporting on Epstein’s early career; Steven Hoffenberg’s accounts; biographies of Alan Greenberg; New York magazine profiles of Epstein.