Learning Pods 101: A Checklist for Teachers

Toni Marek -

The reopening of schools has been a hot topic for most of the summer, especially for families and teachers. But even with hiring freezes and health risks taking an ultimate toll on educators, there’s still an opportunity for teachers to find right-fit positions for the fall.

If you are not familiar with learning pods, these are small groups of no more than 10 children who may still be enrolled in school, but need additional support to complete their assigned coursework. This is where private, in-home teachers come into play.

While there are many variables to consider as you decide whether learning pods are the right move for you this year, our curated checklist will help you consider your desired working arrangement and learning environment.

Basic Information About Your Teaching Expertise‌‌

As you consider the type of role you’re looking for, you’ll want to consider your experience and expertise as a teacher, and a few factors you may not typically find on a resume. This section provides an overview of your priorities and preferences for learning pods.

Personal Information

  • Name
  • Form of preferred contact
  • Region you are interested in
  • Whether you are looking for part-time or full-time opportunities

Your Teaching Expertise

  • Do you have an Education Degree and/or Certification or one in progress?
  • What grade levels do you teach or are you comfortable teaching?
  • What languages do you speak and in what fluency?
  • What hobbies are you comfortable sharing with students?
  • Do you have any specific pedagogical skills? (i.e. Montessori, Reggio-Emilia, Singapore Math, etc.)

Extracurricular Activities and Teaching Enhancement

  • Do you have any skills with instruments, book clubs, arts and crafts, etc. to replace after-school clubs and specials courses?
  • Are you skilled in any enrichment activities, academic progress, socialization, social-emotional support, executive function, childcare, or other activities that parents may be looking for in a learning pod teacher.

Learning Environment Structure

  • Meeting in person
  • Meeting online
  • Hybrid: working out a schedule to meet only on predefined days.

Learning Pod Comfort-ability

  • A single household
  • Multiple households

Learning Pod Arrangement Structure and Learning Environment ‌‌

This section will allow you to prioritize your learning pod preferences and preferred learning environment once you start contacting families. Keep in mind that these may change depending on the families you are working with. Take a note of your requirements, non-negotiables, and what you are willing to compromise.

Duration of the Learning Pod

  • It can range from 2 to 3 months to the full school year

Note: Based on our data, families are looking for pods to last at least the first semester, if not the full school year. ‌‌‌‌

Weekly Schedule

  • How much time will you require to prepare?
  • How much time do you need for a break?
  • Are you going to provide recreational activities? If so, how much time are you willing to commit to extracurricular activities?
  • Are you going to be looking to work with other learning pods?

Note: Some teachers are looking to work with one or more learning pods to make up a full-time position.

‌‌‌‌Learning Environment

  • Are you comfortable with parents being present in the “classroom?"
  • What are the materials and resources you need? (i.e. whiteboard and markers, a projector, and any other resources you may need).

Health and Safety: What Is Your COVID Risk Tolerance? ‌‌

The COVID Risk Tolerance helps you better understand the level of risk you are comfortable with in the learning pod - as well as an indication of your own practices outside of the pod. Learning pods are designed to reduce the risk of exposure to corona virus. However, the larger the group the more risk there is. This section will help you understand your needs on health and safety for you and the families.

Health and Safety Information

  • Are you comfortable presenting a Vaccination Record Check if required by the families?
  • Are you comfortable taking a COVID Test and sharing the results?
  • What are your face mask requirements?
  • Are you OK with the use of face masks?
  • How many students are you willing to work with?

Teacher Compensation and Benefits‌‌

Finally, this section will help you price your services for families with learning pods. Learn more about how to price your services for families here.

Note: It is good to do a little research on the average teaching salary and substitute teacher rates in the area to have a baseline to price your services.

Compensation and Benefits

  • If full-time, what is your desired salary?
  • If part-time, what is your desired hourly rate?
  • Healthcare coverage will depend on the families. However, you can negotiate a higher rate to cover your expenses. You’ll need to know the overall price of your current healthcare plan.

Other Benefits

  • Paid leave
  • Sick days
  • Food and refreshments
  • Transportation costs

At Selected, we are constantly looking for ways to provide support for our teachers, families, and schools. If there is anything you think we have missed in our checklist or you have any questions please email us at hello@getselected.com.