Quality afterschool teacher hiring guide

A great after school teacher is crucial for a successful after school program. Whether you’re a school-hiring contractors or interviewing new vendors, or a mobile enrichment business hiring new employees, getting the right teacher is crucial. Hiring a bad afterschool teacher equal’s angry parents, liabilities, and refunds. Weed out the good from the bad with some of our tips below.

Interview

Don’t hire someone based on an email or phone call alone. Unqualified candidates may send a good email or have a good phone interview, but always make sure you schedule an in person interview to make sure they are the right fit. Are they confident? Enthusiastic? Well groomed? You’ll never really know until you see them in person. Technology can be really helpful finding candidates, but nothing beats human interaction when selecting the best teacher for the job.

Call References

They seem wonderful in person and on paper they are perfect! They have passed your phone and personal interview. But why did they leave their last job? Why have they had so many jobs? Get the full picture and get the answers you need. Getting a 3rd party opinion to validate a candidate is an important step to ensure you are hiring someone qualified.

Background Check

You should screen any employee you hire, especially if they will be working with children. This means running a background check. Background checks usually include accessing state, county or federal agency databases for any criminal behavior. Other types of background checks can be implemented as well. Depending on the state you reside in, government programs may be available to assist with background checks. If not, there are many reputable online companies that can provide this service for you. There may be a cost, but it’s well worth it.

Conclusion

Finding the right teacher or contractor is not such a quick process. There are several steps to take before making a decision. There are important steps you can take to minimize liability and risk when looking for new teachers. When working with kids, it’s your job to make sure you put the right people in place for the safety of everyone involved. A little extra work filtering candidates at the beginning of this process will save you a lot of time and aggravation down the line.