Prospective Tutors
We are always looking for qualified tutors. Our needs depend on the year and the tutorials we are offering, but in addition to our anticipated schedule, we are also on the lookout for new and innovative offerings. If you have an idea for a tutorial to pitch to us, please let us know!
Current Openings (Updated February 2012)
We are currently looking for math and chemistry tutors for 2012-2013, both for one or two sections. Please read this page about teaching at New Hope, explore our web site, and get in touch with us (see application process below)!
On Teaching at New Hope
Since 1999, New Hope Tutorials has provided small-group classes for students who are homeschooling. We have a high school and middle school program and cover most subjects taught in a traditional high school curriculum and several at the middle school level. We follow the public school calendar and our tutorials meet twice a week for an hour and a half each (three hours a week) in Boxford, MA, at the campus of Boxford Congregational Church. We have had recent college graduates, seasoned classroom veterans, retired teachers, homeschooling parents, private sector workers, academic leaders and scholars, and everyone in between teach for us. we have a number of strong Gordon connections -- the Headmaster is a Gordon grad, the Assistant Headmaster is an adjunct professor in the history and foreign language department, and a number of our tutors have been drawn from the Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell community.
The work is part-time, independent contractor employment, and tutors are compensated per student. Our high school program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, with five 1.5 blocks from 8am until 4:40pm, and our middle school program meets Mondays and Wednesdays (with a bit more variety in the schedule). We are entrepreneurial in that tutors are encouraged to build their student base, and we are most interested in candidates who would like to be with us for several years (though no commitment beyond one school year is required). We are an ecumenical Christian organization grounded in the Nicene faith. All tutors (and staff) must subscribe to the Nicene Creed (the broadest and most basic definition of Christian orthodoxy) and be active members of their local congregation. We do not have such religious standards for our students, and though the vast majority are Christians, we have had students from outside the Christian tradition.
Our core program consists of twice-weekly year-long tutorials in traditional high school (and some middle school subjects), but we also encourage interested teachers to present topics for briefer workshops and mini-tutorials (lasting from six to twelve weeks). Recent offerings include a workshop for young inventors (involving constructing lego-based programmable robots), a hands-on history workshop for middle school girls ("Girls Making History"), art and writing, and history through film. Let us know if you have an idea you would like us to consider!
Application Process
The general process for applying to teach at New Hope is:
- Apply online (using our tutor application form). Feel free also to email Headmaster Chris Westrate directly regarding your interest.
- Send your resume to Headmaster Chris Westrate.
- Secure three references (have them use our online tutor reference form).
- If we feel that you could be a good match for us, we will conduct a phone interview with you, lasting approximately 20 minutes.
- The next stage is a live teaching demonstration. We will schedule a time for you to come an teach a real tutorial, usually about half a block (roughly 45 minutes) of one of our tutorials.
- After the teaching demonstration, we will be in touch with you within two weeks regarding a hiring decision.
Qualifications of a Tutor
- All New Hope tutors are required to sign the New Hope statement of faith (see our About page), which is simply the Nicene Creed. We are intentionally ecumenical and seek to employ tutors from a variety of Christian traditions. Currently and recently on staff we have had those from the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and independent churches.
- All New Hope tutors need to be actively involved in their local congregation. The spiritual reference will confirm this.
- Building on these first two qualifications, we seek spiritually upright men and women of strong Christian conviction and character. We believe that all truth is God's truth and that even if you are teaching a subject that may not seem directly connected to Christian faith, nonetheless you are providing a model of servant leadership in an educational setting.
- Expertise in your subject area and competence in ancillary disciplines are necessary. We naturally expect you to have a strong understanding of the theoretical and practical knowledge of your particular field you are hoping to teach. But as we know that knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, we desire also knowledge in related fields. For example, if you are interested in teaching Spanish, we would expect at least a college major in the language, but hopefully also knowledge of ancillary fields, such as linguistics or history.
- Pedagocial depth and experience. Teaching is a difficult endeavor requiring years of practice to hone. As such, we expect prospective tutors to have some experience in a classroom setting. While we prefer candidates with several years' experience in an educational institution, some of our best tutors have come to New Hope with little more teaching experience than leading Sunday school or being a teaching assistant. Related to your own experience teaching is an understanding of general pedagogical principles as well as those pertinent to your particular field.
