Senior Seminar Teacher/ College Counselor

The Soulsville Charter School (Memphis, TN)

The Soulsville Charter School is seeking a full-time Senior Seminar Teacher/ College Counselor for the 2020-2021 school year.

The Soulsville Charter School (TSCS)’s mission is to prepare students for success in college and life in an academically rigorous, music-rich environment. Located in the inner-city neighborhood of Soulsville, USA, in Memphis, TN, TSCS is adjacent to the site of historic Stax Records, where the Stax Museum of American Soul Music now celebrates and preserves the Stax story.  TSCS began with sixty sixth graders in 2005 and now serves 660+ students in grades 6-12 with about a third of the students living in the Soulsville community and 86% receiving free or reduced price lunch.   TSCS is a tuition-free, public charter school that is about changing kids’ life trajectories.

The Senior Seminar Teacher/ College Counselor will be a member of the College and Alumni Support Team (CAST) which manages all aspects of students’ successful transition from high school to postsecondary. 

Primary responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Co-teaching a year-long senior seminar course that will guide seniors through the postsecondary and financial aid application processes
• Working one-on-one with seniors and families on postsecondary applications (70-85 seniors/year divided between two counselors)
  • Leading in-depth, individualized discussions with students and their families about college/postsecondary options, financial aid, and fit for long-term success
  • Assisting students with identifying and applying for scholarships
    • Overseeing the school-wide support of college and scholarship applications (teacher recommendations, transcripts, resumes, etc)
    • Promoting the school to a wide variety of colleges and universities by developing and sustaining relationships with college representatives
    • Planning and chaperoning college trips and helping students identify and apply for fly-in programs
    • Leading parent workshops on the college process, financial aid (FAFSA workshop, etc.), and transition to college/postsecondary

In addition, the Senior Seminar Teacher/ College Counselor will also lead an advisory of 10-14 students throughout the year in TSCS’ character education and summer growth experiences curricula.

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for applicants who are committed to a high standard of excellence and able to thrive in a charter school with an ambitious agenda. We want you to bring your expertise to create a world-class college counseling program for our school that meets our students where they are and takes them to where they need to be. The ideal candidate will have these key assets and attributes:

• Commitment to the growth and development of young people and passion for helping students to reach their potential
• A minimum of two years of experience:

-       Teaching and/or

-       College admissions (on the college or high school side)

• Demonstrated ability to provide services to a population of high school and college students primarily from low-income, first-generation college-bound, and minority backgrounds
• An interest in and knowledge of the current research and data in college access and success for first generation, low income, and/or students of color
• Understanding of difficulties associated with transitioning from high school to postsecondary for our student population
• Strategic thinker
• Self-starter with strong entrepreneurial drive: takes initiative; comfortable operating in growth mode; can operate self-sufficiently, but also collaboratively as part of a team
• Superb written and oral communication skills
• Ability to run a program to meet specified goals
• Ability to work on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays when necessary and occasionally supervise overnight travel to colleges and universities
• Demonstrated belief in the mission of The Soulsville Charter School