Our Hiring Process
01. The Phone Call
We start every interview process with a phone screening to insure applicants have strong communications skills, are enthusiastic, and are well spoken. If this initial phone call goes well, applicants are invited to participate in a formal interview.
02. The Interview
During the formal interview, applicants are asked about their background, education, and relevant experience. Applicants are also asked technical questions regarding their field of expertise. If we find that an applicant's education and experience meets Spark's standard, this applicant is invited to participate in a mock tutoring session.
03. The Mock Session
The goal of the mock tutoring session is to get a feel for applicants' pedagogy, teaching and communication styles. These mock tutoring sessions are typically split into two parts:
- During the first part, applicants have been informed of the topics to be covered and teach the evaluator the material. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate applicants' teaching styles during an ordinary session, while discussing a subject they are very familiar with.
- During the second part, applicants are asked to teach material on a topic not previously disclosed; this gives us an opportunity to evaluate how applicants react to "curve ball" questions and discussing material they might be less familiar with.
Over the years, we have found these mock tutoring sessions to be especially effective in identifying outstanding tutors.