Brooklyn Robot Foundry

Lead Teacher: Hyde Park After-School Robotics
(Part-Time)
Brooklyn Robot Foundry Chicago | Hyde Park, Chicago, IL | Part-time (6–8 hrs/week), in-
person | Weekday afternoons
Do you smile when you hear the word "robot"?
When you hear the word robot, do you smile? Do you get excited when you get to use your
hands to build things? Do you love being the person who gets a whole room of kids building, laughing, and figuring it out together? Then this is the perfect job for you!
We are looking for a Lead Teacher to run our robotics classes at a partner school in Hyde Park!
We are especially looking for people who are creative, DIY-lovers, great with kids, comfortable running a room, and deeply interested in learning more about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). We need people who can take a hot glue gun to popsicle sticks and cardboard and create something that physically holds up and looks totally awesome all while having a blast!
Our Lead Teachers come from all kinds of disciplines, including education, sculpture, carpentry, theater, and computer science. In this role you will run our classroom, supporting young builders as they learn basic engineering concepts and build their own robot, and directing an Assistant Teacher when one is assigned to your session. We will train you in all the unique skills, tools, and concepts needed for the position. We are brand new in Chicago. I'm Brittany, the owner, and we are just getting started in building up the program. You'll get real ownership over how our classrooms run and a front row seat to building a new business.
The schedule
This role is built around our classes at a partner school in Hyde Park. It's 6–8 hours per week
on weekday afternoons:
- Tuesdays: 2:30–4:30 pm
- Wednesdays: 1:45–3:45 pm
- Thursdays: 2:30–4:30 pm
Paid training starts the week of November 9, and classes begin the week of November 30. The schedule is consistent week to week once classes start.
As we add schools, launch birthday parties, and run school-holiday camps, more hours will
open up across Chicago in mornings, school holidays, and weekends. If you'd be interested in teaching on other days and are willing to travel outside Hyde Park, please let me know in your application. If this schedule is all you want, that's completely fine too.
What you'll do
<ul>
<li><ul>
<li>Lead robot-building classes, delivering the lesson and managing the pace and flow of each session</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Run classroom management, including behavior, transitions, and keeping the group together</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Direct the other staff in the room: who brings in the cart, who checks kids in, who handles materials, and who runs pack-out</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Own child safety for your session, including attendance and headcounts, supervision, dismissal, and starting incident response if something happens</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Serve as the on-site point of contact for school teachers, staff, administrators, and</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>families</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Keep the on-site teacher cart organized and stocked, and get materials set up and</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>packed away each class</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Learn how to build each of our projects (we teach you)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Troubleshoot robot issues (we teach you this too!)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Keep classes running on time and within their agreed-upon time limit</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Encourage kids and build their confidence</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Bring improv energy into the classroom</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Stay positive and fun under pressure</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Model how the room runs so Assistant Teachers can learn to lead it</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Escalate anything you can't resolve on site to me, and report feedback and any issues after each session</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
What we're looking for
Required:
<ul>
<li><ul>
<li>You enjoy working with children</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>You love making things with your hands (woodworking, sculpture, crafts, set</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>construction, sewing, baking, cooking: all of it counts)</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Extremely reliable. Kids and schools are counting on you being there.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Patient and friendly</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Flexible</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>You take direction well and you also speak up when something needs fixing</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>You like having fun</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>You believe in diversifying the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>classroom</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Able to lift 35 pounds</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Able to walk 1.5–2 miles per day</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Reliable transportation to Hyde Park (transit is fine; class materials are kept on site)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Graduating high school senior or older</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Preferred not required:</li>
<li>- Teaching or leading a classroom of kids</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Running a group on your own as a camp counselor, coach, youth program leader, or teaching artist</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Working with circuits</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Crafting or making things three-dimensionally</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Availability for weekend birthday parties or school-holiday camps,</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Our teachers come from all kinds of backgrounds: education, sculpture, carpentry, theater,
improv, and computer science. You do not need an engineering degree. You need to be the
kind of person who can take a hot glue gun to popsicle sticks and cardboard, make something that actually holds up and looks awesome, and have a blast doing it.
Compensation: $22/hour, paid for all hours worked including class time, setup and pack-up, travel between sites, and paid training.
<ul>
<li>Paid training and paid onboarding before your first class</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Paid monthly build sessions so you stay current on every project we teach</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Mileage and parking reimbursed when you drive between sites for work</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>CPR/First Aid certification provided at no cost to you</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Background check and fingerprinting costs covered</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>Paid leave accrual per Chicago ordinance</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><ul>
<li>First access to additional hours as camps, parties, and new school sites come online</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Where you'll work
Classes take place at a partner school in Hyde Park.
Interested in applying?
Send your resume to <a href="mailto:brittany@brooklynrobotfoundry.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">brittany@brooklynrobotfoundry.com</a> with the subject line "Lead Teacher, Hyde Park".
Along with your resume, please answer these four questions in the body of your email. This
doesn't need to be a formal cover letter. I'd rather read something real and short than something polished and generic generated by AI.
1. Why do you think you'd be a good fit for this?
2. What's your experience working with kids?
3. What kinds of things do you like to build or make? (Pictures very much encouraged!)
4. Can you commit to the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday schedule, and are you
available for training the week of November 9? Let me know too if you have any morning or weekend flexibility.
Pay: $20.00 - $22.00 per hour
Expected hours: 6.0 – 8.0 per week
Benefits:
<ul>
<li>Flexible schedule</li>
</ul>
Application Question(s):
<ul>
<li>Are you available during the hours of 1:00pm-6:00pm?</li>
</ul>
Education:
<ul>
<li>High school or equivalent (Preferred)</li>
</ul>
Shift availability:
<ul>
<li>Day Shift (Preferred)</li>
</ul>
Willingness to travel:
<ul>
<li>50% (Required)</li>
</ul>
Work Location: In person

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