Guide II K-2 $120,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
- On-site at an Alpha School campus (Chicago, IL · Miami, FL · Palo Alto, CA · Piedmont, CA · San Francisco, CA · Santa Monica, CA · Lake Forest, CA · Greenwich, CT · Boston, MA; relocation support provided)
- $120,000/year, paid weekly. Day-one health, dental, and vision benefits
- School-year schedule with structured hours
The most supportive thing you can do for a 6-year-old who scored 99% is refuse to call it 100%. If that instinct feels wrong to you, stop reading. If it feels obvious, if you believe kids rise to the standards you hold them to, this role was built for you.
Alpha isn't a traditional school. Students learn academics through adaptive software that meets them where they are and moves at their pace. There are no lectures. No worksheets passed out to 25 kids at the same level. Instead, every child works through personalized learning apps while you, their Guide, coach them through the hard parts: staying focused when the app gets tough, pushing past frustration, celebrating real mastery instead of participation.
Your mornings start with motivation sessions: reviewing each student's progress in their learning apps, setting daily goals, and finding the right lever for each kid. Maybe that's a leaderboard challenge, school currency, or a quiet conversation about what they're capable of. Afternoons shift to life skills workshops where you teach public speaking, focus, and how to give and receive feedback through hands-on, project-based activities. You'll run mastery-based assessments (Test2Pass) where kids prove they've internalized the skill, not just sat through the lesson. Along the way, you're coaching emotional regulation, resilience, and problem-solving with consistent structure and warmth.
The Guides who thrive here become Lead Guides, coaching teams of Guides while still working directly with their own cohort. The path from "I changed these 15 kids' lives" to "I'm building the team that changes hundreds" is real and visible. If you've never considered traditional education but believe what happens between ages 4 and 7 shapes everything that follows — apply.
What you will be doing
- Running daily motivation sessions with K-2 students: reviewing Coachbot analytics, setting individualized goals, and using Alpha's motivational model (school currency, leaderboards, 1-on-1 coaching) to drive 100% goal completion
- Delivering one-hour life skills workshops on public speaking, focus, giving/receiving feedback, and time management, all hands-on and project-based, following Alpha's curriculum playbook
- Coaching emotional regulation, resilience, and problem-solving alongside Reading Specialists who handle literacy instruction
- Administering Test2Pass mastery assessments where students demonstrate they've internalized each life skill before moving forward
- Building genuine relationships with each student by learning their interests, strengths, and sticking points so your coaching is personal, not generic
What you will NOT be doing
- Lecturing from the front of a room or delivering academic instruction. Students learn academics through adaptive apps, not from you.
- Writing curriculum from scratch. Alpha provides the life skills curriculum and lesson plans; your job is to bring them to life.
- Passing kids who haven't demonstrated mastery. If they scored 99%, you coach them to 100%.
- Babysitting kids on computers. Every minute is structured around active coaching, motivation, and skill-building.
- Managing parent relationships or school-wide operations. That's the Campus Lead's domain.
Key responsibilities
Coach a cohort of K-2 students who love school, advance through adaptive learning at twice the traditional pace, and master essential life skills.
Candidate requirements
- Bachelor's degree in any field
- At least 3 years of experience working with children ages 4–7 (education, afterschool programs, coaching, camps, or similar)
- Experience managing groups of young children with both structure and high engagement
- Compelling storyteller and energetic speaker who can hold the attention of a room full of 5-year-olds
- Demonstrates continuous improvement based on feedback
- Willing to work in-person at an Alpha campus (Chicago, IL · Miami, FL · Palo Alto, CA · Piedmont, CA · San Francisco, CA · Santa Monica, CA · Lake Forest, CA · Greenwich, CT · Boston, MA; relocation support available)
- Legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship
Nice to have
- Background in youth athletics coaching, summer camp leadership, or afterschool program coordination where you were responsible for both engagement and outcomes
- Performance experience (theater, public speaking, improv) that translates to commanding a room of young kids
- Experience with adaptive learning platforms or ed-tech tools in a classroom or tutoring setting
- Track record as a high performer yourself, academically, athletically, or professionally, that you channel into holding kids to the same standard
You will be working for
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
Crossover's skill assessment process combines innovative AI power with decades of human research, to take the guesswork, human bias, and pointless filters out of recruiting high-performing teams.
Chat-style screening interview.
Cognitive aptitude test.
Prove real-world job skills.
Interview with the hiring manager.
Pass proctored test.
Accept job offer.
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