Lead Elementary Teacher at Guidepost Montessori in Chicago

Do you want a career in education like no other?

We are looking for individuals passionate about elementary education, deeply aligned with the belief that children are profoundly capable, and looking to deepen their understanding and knowledge of Montessori pedagogy. If you want a career in education that is founded on a passion for knowledge and a life-changing commitment to unlocking each individual child's potential, this is the school for you.

Changing the world is in our DNA. Our organization was founded to do just that—a group of educators and likeminded individuals had caught a glimpse of what could be possible in education, and wanted to bring it to the world. Education today is filled with false alternatives. We disrupt them all. Our vision is a classroom where children plumb the depths of human knowledge and aspire to the height of intellectualism—and do it all at their own self-direction. Do you believe that there is critical, life-shaping knowledge that children desperately need—but also believe that they need to be in the driver’s seat when they pursue it? Then Guidepost is the place for you.

We’re rooted in the Montessori tradition, which means we believe in an open-ended, free work period, where children choose what to work on and work at their own pace. We bring structure that through a coaching-based approach of helping children plan their own goals for the week and use us as adults as their guides and accountability partners to help them hold themselves accountable to their own choices and aspirations. We also recognize that when approaches like that go wrong, children don’t learn. So we’ve invested years in extensive curriculum development to ensure rich and comprehensive curriculum across mathematics, geometry, literature, grammar, biology, chemistry, physics, art appreciation, handwork, and more. And we have an accredited teacher training program to teach that curriculum to our “guides” along with the skill of running a classroom in a way that is at once fully individualized and fully engaged and productive. That training program will earn you a diploma that is recognized world-wide.

This approach takes work to learn, so you’ll need to come in with that attitude. But anything worth doing is worth working for, and the people who thrive with us are the ones who know that. It will pay off, both with a classroom that brings you pride, and a career that brings you a future, with a growing organization and all of the opportunities that offers.

This is a full-time position, 8 hour paid day, 40 hour work week, salary depending on experience, and must be flexible to work between the hours of 7am - 6pm. We also provide immigration assistance and visa sponsorship to guides coming to us from other countries.

We'd love to talk to you if you:

• Have a demonstrated passion for one or more subject matters, preferably in conjunction with a related B.A. or advanced degree.
• Have experience with elementary-aged children, and put in the effort and thought to get to know each child as an individual.
• Come to us ready to put in the work and the practice time to learn each of our specialized learning materials and our particular curriculum, as well as the Montessori approach to managing an open-ended work period and individualized child progress.
• Will actively earn the trust of parents and utilize them as by far the best source of information about their children.

If this sounds like you, complete the application below!