Building Your Dream Team: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you an aspiring microschool founder or in the early stages of operation, looking to add instructors who share your passion for education? The success of your microschool hinges on the quality of your team, so finding educators who align with your vision is crucial. In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through the process of building your dream team of like-minded instructors.

Step 1: Define Your Vision

Before you start searching for instructors, take a moment to clarify your microschool's unique educational philosophy and approach. What values and qualities are important to you? Visualize the perfect team that shares your passion. Write down your ideas as you can use them to your marketing materials in the future.

Step 2: Create a Compelling Job Description

Craft a job posting that reflects your microschool's mission and culture. Highlight key responsibilities, expectations, and any specific skills or qualifications required. Your job description should attract educators who are enthusiastic about your mission, and becoming part of your dream team. If you don’t know where to start, look at other microschools for ideas, or search the internet for the terms “microschool job description” or the like.

Step 3: Leverage Your Community

Tap into your microschool community to find potential instructors. Educators who are already aligned with your mission can be a valuable resource. You can also spread the word among your network, and ask them to help you discover like-minded candidates as you begin building your dream team.

Step 4: Utilize Online Platforms

Consider using social media, and education-related forums to reach a broader audience if your local connections aren’t bringing you the candidates you’re hoping for. Online platforms can help you connect with passionate educators who may not be in your immediate network, or potential hires with skills you are unable to find in your community.

Step 5: Review Resumes and Portfolios

Once you’ve started to get letters of interest (or applications, if you’ve set up a form to gather info about potential candidates),  begin to evaluate resumes and portfolios to identify educators with relevant experience and a teaching style that aligns with your microschool's vision. Look for candidates who demonstrate a commitment to your educational philosophy. If you create an application process, you can even include questions that get potential candidates to talk to aspects of your vision and mission statement, and how they would work to support them.

Step 6: Observe Candidates in Action

After conducting interviews, invite shortlisted candidates to your microschool to teach a lesson or spend time with the students. This will allow you to see how well they fit with your educational approach and connect with the children. Consider having candidates spend a day or even a week, depending on their availability to really see if the candidate is the hire for you.

Observe their teaching style, classroom management, and interaction with students. Assess their ability to adapt to your microschool's teaching philosophy and foster a positive learning environment. Take notes, review them after the visit, and most importantly, trust your gut about who is a right fit for your microschool.

Step 7: Check References

Contact references to ensure that candidates are compatible with your microschool. Ask questions about their teaching abilities and how they work with students. This step is vital in making an informed decision.

Step 8: Select the Dream Team

After carefully evaluating candidates and observing them in action, it's time to make your final decision. Choose the instructor(s) who best align with your vision and mission. Trust your instincts when it comes to the best fit with your school’s cultural and community.

Step 9: Onboarding and Training

Develop an onboarding process that includes orientation and training programs. Align new instructors with your microschool's mission and values, and emphasize the importance of ongoing professional development. Be sure to collect the appropriate clearances from your new hire, according to what is required by your state or country. Also consider offering a provisional contract - allowing the new hire to work for a month or two, in order to make sure it is truly a best fit for everyone. This can help alleviate challenges with needing to let go a hire when things don’t work out as you thought they would.

Step 10: Fostering a Collaborative Culture

Encourage teamwork and collaboration among your instructors. Create a supportive and innovative culture within your microschool that inspires your team to work together towards your shared goals. Making new hires part of your team will help ensure they help your microschool and thrive over the long haul.

Conclusion

Building a dream team of instructors at your microschool is a critical step in growing your microschool. It's not just about hiring educators; it's about finding individuals who share your passion for education and your vision for the future. As you embark on this journey, remember that choosing to add a team member should also be part of your budgetary process. Make sure that you’ve got the funds to pay your instructors well, because hiring the right team members can be an investment that pays off in the long run.

If you're looking for comprehensive guidance on all the cycles a microschool founder needs to consider in operating a viable microschool, including budgeting and team building, consider joining our Microschool Builders CONNECTION community in CIRCLE. It's an excellent way to learn more about the intricacies of running a microschool and get expert guidance on how to tackle those concerns. It's one way we are here to support you in your mission to create an exceptional educational environment for your students.