JOB DESCRIPTION

Carlson Home teachers drive around instructing medically fragile students in their homes. Full-time home teachers generally work with 5 students each for three 100-minute sessions per week. Although we do have a handful of hospital-based classrooms, those positions rarely open up. Most of our hiring is for home teachers.

We sometimes hire part-time teachers, supplemental teachers who work with 2 Carlson students as needed in the late afternoon following their regular school day.

3/5 PAY FACTOR

Teaching full time for Carlson is immensely satisfying; however, there is one significant potential drawback. As a full-time teacher’s caseload shifts, he or she will be paid less. Only 3/5 of your salary is guaranteed. While most of our teachers carry a full student load for much of the year, occasional dips are to be expected as students come and go. Also, in September our enrollment usually runs rather low as the school year starts up. This can impact the accrual of years of service toward retirement. If this is a concern to you, then Carlson might not be the best fit for your career.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

It is important that our teaching candidates have a CLAD, BCLAD, or the equivalent. We generally give preference to applicants who speak Spanish and have strong high school math skills--Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 at a minimum. (Conversely, note that secondary math teachers will be asked to teach high school English!) Special Education credentials can be helpful depending on our current needs.

K-12, MULTI-SUBJECT VERSATILITY

Carlson teachers tend to instruct mostly elementary or mostly secondary students, but they are expected to teach K-12 as needed. We also have a group of teachers who work primarily with moderate to severe Special Education students. Carlson offers a minimum of two subjects, most often English and Math. Secondary students sometimes take History/Social Studies classes or required classes such as Health, Life Skills, or Intro to Computers.

Cum-carrying ("home") schools are mandated to provide students with their textbooks, and we also have a Resource Room at our North Hollywood office where teachers can check out textbooks and teachers' editions for core subjects, along with library books and other instructional materials.

DRIVING AROUND L.A.

Carlson teachers are asked to drive to various students' houses within an agreed-upon area of the district. This includes some surface street driving as well as some freeway driving and may cover a fairly wide range (1 primary and 2 additional local districts). LAUSD pays a small amount of gas mileage to teachers when they drive between students. Teachers must use good sense as they drive and park in a variety of neighborhoods. They're on their own for those street cleaning tickets!

GEOGRAPHY

Carlson's hiring needs are strongly influenced by geography. For example, if we need a teacher in the south end of the district and you live in the San Fernando Valley, you may not be what we're looking for despite your other qualifications. In this light, teachers who are interested in working for Carlson might want to check in with us every March until the right spot opens up. But any time you send us an application, we will file it for future reference and keep you in mind.

HIRING FREEZE

We were informed in Spring 2009 that we can no longer consider applicants who are not currently employed by LAUSD. The district is in the midst of laying off numerous personnel, so they hope to place some of those teachers in any openings that might be available. Previously, candidates with secondary single-subject and Special Education credentials were not affected by the freeze, but that is no longer the case. If you are from out of district, you should wait and try contacting us in the fall or next spring to see if anything has changed.

NOTE

The information on this page is subject to change without notice and is not to be construed as constituting any sort of offer or denial of an interview for employment. It is intended for general reference only. Please contact Margaret Olivares-Gilkyson at mxo1790@lausd.net for the most current information regarding Carlson's hiring needs. (Remember that your contact will be Ria Lindauer if you are interested in a supplemental teaching position.)