Learning Coach, Alpha - $120,000/year USD

About the role

The hardest part of this job is not teaching. You will spend the day with the same K‑3 students, guiding them through app‑based core learning, short structured‑literacy sessions, and daily routines such as morning launch, life‑skills workshops, lunch, recess, and closing. You diagnose gaps quickly, pull two‑to‑four students for targeted 15‑minute sequences, and watch the gaps close without waiting for referrals or committees. The role is full‑time, on‑site, five days a week at an Alpha campus.

Key Responsibilities

• Coach students through app‑based core learning: spot who is stuck, ask the question that unblocks them, and hold the daily goal.
• Run short structured‑literacy sessions with two to four students, diagnosing phonics or decoding gaps from running records and fluency probes, teaching a self‑designed sequence, and checking for transfer.
• Lead morning launch, life‑skills workshops, and check‑chart activities that keep six‑year‑olds moving.
• Drive students to their weekly app goals using school currency, leaderboards, and gamification.
• Stay with students through lunch, recess, and closing, meeting frustration and refusal with a plan for each child.
• Get every K‑3 student to their daily learning goals and close reading gaps that prevent independent progress.

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Nightly lesson planning for a full class; planning is narrow and diagnostic.
• Running a pull‑out caseload from a quiet intervention room; reading groups occupy about a tenth of the week and happen inside the day.
• Delivering a published curriculum or scripted program with fidelity to someone else’s sequence.
• Writing IEPs, 504 plans, chasing testing paperwork, or serving on curriculum committees.
• Leaving the classroom for a prep block while someone else covers your students; you are with them from launch to closing.

Basic Requirements

• Willingness to work on‑site at one of the listed campuses, with relocation support.
• At least 3 years of direct experience with children ages 4‑9 (teaching, coaching, tutoring, camps, youth programs, children’s theater, or similar).
• At least 2 years of recent (within 5 years) experience teaching reading in grades K‑3.
• Completed structured‑literacy training (e.g., LETRS, IMSE, Orton‑Gillingham, Wilson Reading System, Fundations, UFLI, CERI, Neuhaus, SIPPS, Really Great Reading) or a master’s in reading or literacy.
• Bachelor’s degree in any subject; a teaching certificate is not required.
• Comfortable spending ~90 % of the day guiding students through app‑based learning, workshops, and campus routines, and ~10 % on reading sessions.
• Willingness to work with all K‑3 students, not only struggling readers.
• Legal authorization to work in the US without visa sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice‑to‑have)

• Ability to hold a six‑year‑old’s attention with energy and engaging activities.
• Proven track record of keeping tired children returning to an after‑school reading program.
• Recognition from parents or peers (“parents asked for you by name”).
• Experience with reading platforms (Amira, Lexia, i‑Ready) or diagnostic assessments (DRA, DIBELS, AIMSweb).
• Specific example of a child whose decoding you fixed and how you did it.

Benefits

• Health coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Life and disability insurance
• Voluntary benefits, tax‑advantaged FSA, HSA, and commuter accounts
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off and parental leave
• One‑time relocation allowance

Compensation

The compensation level for this role is $120,000 USD per year, paid weekly.

Schedule

Full‑time, on‑site position, five days a week.

Location

Open campuses include:

• California – Beverly Hills, Malibu, Palo Alto, Piedmont, San Francisco, Santa Monica, South Bay (Los Angeles)
• Connecticut – Greenwich
• Illinois – Chicago
• Massachusetts – Boston
• New York – New York City
• Washington – Seattle

If you are interested in a different Alpha campus, you may apply and name your preferred location; the application will be routed accordingly.

About Alpha

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real‑world skills. The company hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members. Roles are designed for real student impact and offer six‑figure compensation for those ready to help build a radically better school experience. Alpha’s culture is fast‑moving, ambitious, and student‑focused, aimed at improving the education system rather than maintaining the status quo.