Hiring a Preschool Teacher: advice

[Jazminsdaycare]

Hi there,
I was just curious if anyone had some advice for me
I am interviewing teachers this week for my preschool program and I am new at this
Do I have them fill out an application?
If so, does anyone have a suggestion?
Also, do I need a contract?
Again, does anyone have a suggestion?

And what should I look for?
I plan on just having her do MGT for 3 hours a day Mon-Fri
I have a couple teachers coming by this week to meet the kids and I will show them my set up and talk with them
What do I ask? what do I look for?
I am thinking I can have them look at my set up and see if the kids can listen to her and see how they respond to her
My day care room is set up like a center already and I was thinking of telling the teacher that I pick to let me know what she needs and let her run the show when she starts teaching Is this good to do? or should I be more in charge?

My last question is, Do I pay for this visit? Or do I treat it like an interview?
I have 3 candidates
thanks in advance

[kendallina]

I've done a lot of hiring (and some firing of mistake-hires) as a preschool director and honestly, it takes some practice. I think it's great that you're doing a 'working' interview so you can see them with the kids and no, I don't think you'd have to pay them for that (we didn't and we were a large, state funded center).

Did you have them submit a resume? Yes, they should complete an application that lists references, past employers, etc.

Besides the obvious things to look for (enjoys children, gets down on floor with them [if that's the kind of thing you're looking for], seems happy with the children) I'd look for someone who is professional, eager to please you and wants to learn (or is already confident and capable with a similar teaching philosophy).

Also, if you're looking for someone that can take over things, then I would definitely make sure that you agree with how they'd do things or that you would find someone open to learning and then training them.

If you see any hint of a red flag during the interview process, trust your gut! This is the mistake that I made too many times.

Lastly, in my opinion, one of the most important things is to set clear expectations. Be firm and clear with them of what's expected (i.e. this isn't a sit on your butt kind of job). It's similar to when we're interviewing potential families.
Hope that helps a little! Good luck!

[AmyKidsCo]

I have NO experience in this, but maybe ask them where they see themselves in 5 years. You don't want to hire someone and have them leave in 6 months for their dream job as a flight attendant or whatever.

[Jazminsdaycare]

I have NO experience in this, but maybe ask them where they see themselves in 5 years. You don't want to hire someone and have them leave in 6 months for their dream job as a flight attendant or whatever.

::::::::

and if they say they have always wanted to be an exotic dancer, it's a "no"
::::::

good advice!
I need someone for at least one school year

[Jazminsdaycare]

I've done a lot of hiring (and some firing of mistake-hires) as a preschool director and honestly, it takes some practice. I think it's great that you're doing a 'working' interview so you can see them with the kids and no, I don't think you'd have to pay them for that (we didn't and we were a large, state funded center).

Did you have them submit a resume? Yes, they should complete an application that lists references, past employers, etc.

Besides the obvious things to look for (enjoys children, gets down on floor with them [if that's the kind of thing you're looking for], seems happy with the children) I'd look for someone who is professional, eager to please you and wants to learn (or is already confident and capable with a similar teaching philosophy).

Also, if you're looking for someone that can take over things, then I would definitely make sure that you agree with how they'd do things or that you would find someone open to learning and then training them.

If you see any hint of a red flag during the interview process, trust your gut! This is the mistake that I made too many times.

Lastly, in my opinion, one of the most important things is to set clear expectations. Be firm and clear with them of what's expected (i.e. this isn't a sit on your butt kind of job). It's similar to when we're interviewing potential families.
Hope that helps a little! Good luck!

O.K. this is great
thank you

[daycare]

You need to read nannydes article on hiring staff.

I have 4 staff for my home based preschool. I run the show A to Z.

I train my staff to teach the way I want my program ran. I don't want someone making a fool of me. My program had been very successful and I have been given extremely wonderful feed back from professional evaluators.

Make sure you have good insurance and make sure you have workers comp ready to go.

Legally they have to fill out an application
I conduct 3 interviews.

1 they full out application and we talk about their experience.
2 I check references. They pass I invite back for a working interview
3 they discuss with me the importance of the job and full details of it. It's not glamorous but it's rewarding.

If I like everything and them seem to fit I hire them on a 30 day probation.

[Blackcat31]

You need to read nannydes article on hiring staff.

Here is NannyDe's article on the staff assistant.

Its a multi-part series

https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/the-day-care-home-staff-assistant.htm