Instructional Summer Staff Positions
Program Offerings
Instructional staff positions are available with the following programs:
* Most instructional staff arrive on site the Thursday before the students arrive and depart the site the Saturday after the students leave.
Position Descriptions
Instructor
Training & Compensation
All instructional staff participate in a two- to three-day training session on site prior to student arrival.
In addition to the stipends listed above, instructional staff for Civic Leadership Institutes in all locations and for the Taking Action course in Baltimore are provided with room & board and are required to live on-site for the duration of the program. (Instructional staff for the Taking Action course in Evanston are not provided with room or board.) Instructional staff are responsible for their own travel to and from program sites.
Commitment & Expectations
Civic Education Project (CEP) summer programs are quite intense, and all staff positions require a significant commitment. Once hired, staff are expected to spend sufficient time prior to the summer reviewing staff handbooks and program and curriculum materials and preparing lesson plans and activities. Instructional staff arrive two to three days before program start dates and participate in a training session prior to student arrival. Once the sessions begin, our programs move at a fairly strenuous pace and can be quite consuming for students and staff alike. Following each program, instructional staff may have additional responsibilities for student evaluation, follow-up, and documentation.
In order to be successful, all staff should be committed to the goals of the program, attuned to the academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners, and understanding of the particular challenges of working with students in an intense environment. Summer staff should possess passion, energy, creativity, organizational skills, flexibility, teamwork, and the ability to troubleshoot, problem solve, and manage stress. Our most successful staff members not only appreciate the intensity of this kind of immersive experience, but also thrive within the community it creates.
Application & Hiring Process
Thanks again for your interest in the Civic Education Project. If you have questions about our summer staff positions or hiring process, or to check on the status of your application, please feel free to contact us.
Program Offerings
Instructional staff positions are available with the following programs:
| Program Title | Employment Dates* | Location | Grades |
| CTY Civic Leadership Institute: Baltimore | June 21 - July 14 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD |
10-12 |
| CTD Civic Leadership Institute: Chicago | June 28 - July 21 | Northwestern University Loop Campus Chicago, IL |
9-12 |
| CTY Civic Leadership Institute: San Francisco | July 12 - Aug 4 | University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA |
10-12 |
| CTD Taking Action: Session 1 & 2 | June 21 - Aug 4 |
Northwestern University |
7-8 |
| CTY Taking Action: Session 1 & 2 | June 21 - Aug 4 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD |
7-9 |
Position Descriptions
Instructor
Using a service and experiential learning methodology, instructors teach five hours of class daily, five days per week, for three weeks, to a single group of 12-18 students and help supervise an additional two-hour academic session in the evenings. The Civic Education Project provides suggested curricula and sets up all field experiences; with the help of teaching assistants, instructors prepare and facilitate all lesson plans and class activities and evaluate student work.
Given the pace of the program, the limited timeframe, and the intellectual demands of the students, instructors in the summer program must be veteran, master teachers. Successful teachers are experts in both subject matter and classroom communication and management. They are adept at using a variety of teaching methods, assessing student needs and progress, and differentiating instruction for the myriad abilities of gifted learners. Instructors should have experience teaching high achieving students in junior high or high school settings, as well as expertise in service-learning and/or experiential education.
Instructor positions are available for all Civic Leadership Institute and Taking Action courses. Instructional staff for all CEP courses (except for Taking Action in Evanston) are required to live on site, and room & board is provided. Instructors earn $2000 - $3000 per three-week session, depending on education, experience and course taught.
Teaching AssistantGiven the pace of the program, the limited timeframe, and the intellectual demands of the students, instructors in the summer program must be veteran, master teachers. Successful teachers are experts in both subject matter and classroom communication and management. They are adept at using a variety of teaching methods, assessing student needs and progress, and differentiating instruction for the myriad abilities of gifted learners. Instructors should have experience teaching high achieving students in junior high or high school settings, as well as expertise in service-learning and/or experiential education.
Instructor positions are available for all Civic Leadership Institute and Taking Action courses. Instructional staff for all CEP courses (except for Taking Action in Evanston) are required to live on site, and room & board is provided. Instructors earn $2000 - $3000 per three-week session, depending on education, experience and course taught.
Teaching assistants (TAs) work closely with instructors, attending and assisting with daily class sessions and supervising an additional two-hour academic session in the evenings. TAs contribute to the academic program in ways ranging from researching and photocopying class materials, to supervising students on field experiences and facilitating reflection sessions, to assisting students with individual and small group projects, to giving feedback on student work, to preparing lessons and leading a class.
TAs are typically beginning teachers, recent college graduates working in the education and nonprofit fields, graduate students, and exceptional junior- or senior-level undergraduate students who are looking to gain experience facilitating classroom-based service-learning. Qualifications include previous teaching or tutoring experience, relevant experience with service or experiential learning, and the ability to lead in a mature and responsible manner.
TA positions are available for all Civic Leadership Institute and Taking Action courses. Instructional staff for all CEP courses (except for Taking Action in Evanston) are required to live on site, and room & board is provided. TAs earn $1000 - $1250 per three-week session.
TAs are typically beginning teachers, recent college graduates working in the education and nonprofit fields, graduate students, and exceptional junior- or senior-level undergraduate students who are looking to gain experience facilitating classroom-based service-learning. Qualifications include previous teaching or tutoring experience, relevant experience with service or experiential learning, and the ability to lead in a mature and responsible manner.
TA positions are available for all Civic Leadership Institute and Taking Action courses. Instructional staff for all CEP courses (except for Taking Action in Evanston) are required to live on site, and room & board is provided. TAs earn $1000 - $1250 per three-week session.
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Training & Compensation
All instructional staff participate in a two- to three-day training session on site prior to student arrival.
In addition to the stipends listed above, instructional staff for Civic Leadership Institutes in all locations and for the Taking Action course in Baltimore are provided with room & board and are required to live on-site for the duration of the program. (Instructional staff for the Taking Action course in Evanston are not provided with room or board.) Instructional staff are responsible for their own travel to and from program sites.
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Commitment & Expectations
Civic Education Project (CEP) summer programs are quite intense, and all staff positions require a significant commitment. Once hired, staff are expected to spend sufficient time prior to the summer reviewing staff handbooks and program and curriculum materials and preparing lesson plans and activities. Instructional staff arrive two to three days before program start dates and participate in a training session prior to student arrival. Once the sessions begin, our programs move at a fairly strenuous pace and can be quite consuming for students and staff alike. Following each program, instructional staff may have additional responsibilities for student evaluation, follow-up, and documentation.
In order to be successful, all staff should be committed to the goals of the program, attuned to the academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted learners, and understanding of the particular challenges of working with students in an intense environment. Summer staff should possess passion, energy, creativity, organizational skills, flexibility, teamwork, and the ability to troubleshoot, problem solve, and manage stress. Our most successful staff members not only appreciate the intensity of this kind of immersive experience, but also thrive within the community it creates.
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Application & Hiring Process
- Before you complete the application, please be sure you have thoroughly reviewed all of the information on our web site about our programs and available staff positions. Once you are ready to apply, complete the online Summer Staff Application. In the application, you will be asked to supply contact information for three professional references, and upload a current résumé reflecting your education, employment, and volunteer experience, and apersonal statement of no more than 500 words, articulating why you are interested in these positions and what skills or experiences you bring to the program. Please note: It is not an option to save and return to the application to complete at a later time. You will be notified via e-mail once we have received your completed online application, résumé, and personal statement. Due to a high volume of applicants, we are unable to review incomplete applications.
- Summer staff consideration begins February 1, 2012, and continues until all positions have been filled. Applications are reviewed on a rollling basis as they are received, so candidates are encouraged to apply early to ensure full consideration. We typically consider applicants in the following order: returning staff members, new administrators, new instructors and new lead facilitators, followed by remaining instructional and residential positions.
- Candidates receiving further consideration will be invited to participate in a phone interview beginning in mid-February. Candidates may also be asked to submit additional materials, including lesson or activity plans, official undergraduate and graduate transcripts, copies of teaching certifications and additional references.
- Most hiring decisions will be made by the end of April, although the hiring process often continues into May and even June as additional positions become available. Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as all positions are filled.
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