Heads up: they are now expecting 5 yrs exp with no training
Pros
Flexible - you can set your own schedule. They now require at least 2 days per week to stay active. Diverse Environments - You can teach at a different school every day if you would like. This allows you to observe different approaches and discover which schools you like being at the most. Helpful Staff - Some staff are pretty helpful and friendly, if you find a good school to be at. Some staff just ignore you. Some staff can be rude and/or have unrealistic expectations for a sub. It just depends. Good Temporary Job - Overall it is a solid temporary job, as it is not too stressful or demanding. The work environment is also good, if you like being around students. No Messy Colleagues - Because you work as a lone teacher most of the time, (unless you take an assistant job) you don't have to deal with nosy or messy colleagues who want to know every detail of your life or who can impact the quality of work you do, which can be refreshing.
Cons
Unrealistic Expectations - On my previous interview with Kokua, all they asked were basic background questions like do you have a college degree, can you complete a background check, and shared info about the pay. The laxness essentially matched the experience I had working there. The pay was modest at $100/day at that time. It's now $125/day which is still below living wage but better. There was no pre-job training, no lessons, and no information shared on how to be in the classroom. I basically just had to figure that out on my own as someone with no background in education. But it matched the interview process. Now, fast forward a few years, and the interview process has changed. They now magically expect you to sound like you have 5 years professional education experience for a job with no health, sick day, or vacation benefits, low pay, and no actual training. No Benefits - No overtime, no health benefits, no sick day or vacation days. You just don't work that day and lose the money. No training - Never subbed before? Don't expect them to help you, though they WILL expect you to sound like the expert, as phony as that is. It's all about presenting the image of being a reliable source, not actually being one. I'd recommend researching techniques like - redirection strategies: - call-and-response, proximity, nonverbal cues, positive reinforcement - how to handle disruptive vs disengaged students -classroom management techniques: - walking around the classroom - monitoring - checking in Sloppy Communication - The official office phone number doesn't seem to work. No one ever actually answers when you dial. It goes to voicemail. Why put it then? Once again, it's about the image. Instead, you will be emailed or can email them. Their email doesn't seem to work either--emails do not get responded to. The only time you have an opportunity to communicate is with the hiring people, and only during the interview period. That is pretty limiting if you have a question they can't answer, or some after the interview period.
