Mentorship, Projects, Discovery Labs & Student Growth

 

Inspired Learning Academy is looking for a Student Success Coach who can mentor students, facilitate engaging learning experiences, and help create an environment where young people grow in ownership, confidence, responsibility, and follow-through.

 

This is not a traditional teaching job.

 

At ILA, we believe the foundation of academic success — and life success — is Mastery of Self. Students need more than content delivery. They need adults who can help them build the tools, habits, self-awareness, resilience, and presence required to direct their own lives.

 

We are looking for someone who brings warmth, energy, structure, and charisma — someone who can hold the attention of a room of middle schoolers, build trust with high schoolers, and coach students toward meaningful growth in a high-challenge, high-support environment.

 

About ILA

Inspired Learning Academy is a small hybrid microschool for grades 6–12 in Allen, Texas operating since 2017. Students attend on campus Tuesday–Thursday and work remotely Monday/Friday. We serve capable students who benefit from a smaller, more intentional environment where they can rebuild confidence, take ownership of their learning, and grow through meaningful work.

ILA is different from traditional school. We are not built around lectures, compliance, or one-size-fits-all pacing. Students work in small cohorts, receive mentorship, participate in hands-on exploration, pursue passion projects, and gradually build the capacity to manage themselves, communicate well, recover from setbacks, and create work that matters.

 

About the Role

The Student Success Coach will work with students ages 11–17 through mentorship, Discovery Labs, Passion Project support, guided Quests, Learning Labs, workshops, and 1-on-1 coaching.

You do not need to be a core subject expert. You may help students stay engaged in academic classes, but your primary value is coaching students toward ownership, confidence, and follow-through.

You will start with approximately 4–5 mentees and may take on more over time depending on experience, training, and fit. Parent communication will be part of the role, with initial communications reviewed as you learn ILA’s voice and systems.

 

What You’ll Do

Mentor and coach students

You will meet 1-on-1 with students to help them reflect, plan, follow through, and grow in responsibility.

This may include:

• holding regular mentor meetings

• helping students identify goals and next steps

• reviewing progress and patterns

• documenting mentor notes and observations

• communicating with parents, with review and support at first

• helping students learn from mistakes and develop stronger habits

 

Facilitate engaging learning experiences

You will help lead or support student-facing experiences that require energy, presence, and adaptability.

This may include:

• Discovery Labs

• Passion Project Learning Lab

• student Quests

• Career Exploration

• workshops on growth, communication, focus, resilience, or responsibility

• middle school hands-on exploration

• project planning and progress check-ins

You should be able to bring a group to attention, set expectations, tell a story, ask strong questions, manage energy, and keep students productively engaged.

 

Guide Discovery Labs and project work

Discovery Labs are hands-on, choice-based exploration blocks, especially for middle school students. Students use prepared bins with materials, task cards, challenge levels, and cleanup expectations to build, test, create, investigate, or problem-solve.

In this role, you may help students choose a lab, get started, stay focused, work responsibly with materials, submit evidence of learning, and clean up well.

You may also guide students through Passion Project or Quest work by helping them clarify next steps, find resources, document progress, and move toward a meaningful product, presentation, or capstone.

 

Support the culture of ILA

ILA’s culture is relational, intentional, and growth-oriented. You will help create a school environment where students are known, challenged, supported, and expected to grow.

You may participate in:

• Change-up, our weekly all-school community meeting

• Learning Labs

• mentor meetings

• student reflection

• project showcases

• parent communication

• school events

 

What You Will Not Primarily Be Doing

This role is not centered on:

• lecturing at a whiteboard

• delivering a scripted curriculum

• grading stacks of traditional homework

• managing a large classroom

• acting as a therapist or clinical support provider

• simply supervising students while they “do work”

Your role is active, relational, and coaching-oriented.

 

The Kind of Person Who Will Thrive

You may be a great fit if you are:

• warm, energetic, and steady

• comfortable with both middle and high school students

• especially strong with middle school energy, humor, resistance, and impulsivity

• charismatic enough to hold a group’s attention

• playful without losing structure

• confident leading workshops or group experiences

• comfortable with ambiguity and a flexible microschool environment

• good at coaching students without taking over for them

• able to balance kindness with high expectations

• interested in student ownership, personal growth, and human development

• comfortable using AI tools and willing to help students use them responsibly

 

You do not need to have held this exact kind of role before. Strong candidates may have experience in:

• academic life coaching

• Heroic Coaching or personal development coaching

• youth coaching

• athletic coaching

• personal training

• camp counseling

• tutoring

• mentoring

• theater, speech, debate, or performance

• project-based learning

• homeschool or microschool environments

• outdoor education or enrichment programs

A teaching background is welcome but not required.

 

This Is Probably Not a Fit If You…

• dislike middle school energy or attitude

• need a highly scripted, predictable environment

• want a traditional teaching role

• prefer lecturing over coaching

• are uncomfortable holding a room of students

• struggle to balance warmth and authority

• tend to rescue students instead of helping them build capacity

• are uncomfortable communicating with parents professionally

• are not interested in using AI tools

• need full-time salary, benefits, or year-round employment

 

Schedule, Compensation & Built-In Breaks

This is a part-time, school-year 1099 independent contractor role designed for someone who wants meaningful, in-person work with students while maintaining flexibility outside of school days.

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Expected schedule:

• On campus Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM

• 1–3 hours/week offsite for preparation, documentation, communication, school events, or follow-up

• School year runs approximately late August through late May

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Compensation:

• Approximately $3,000/month stipend, based on experience

• Paid monthly for 10 months

• The monthly stipend remains consistent across the school year, including scheduled school breaks

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Built-in school breaks include:

• one week fall break

• one week Thanksgiving break

• two weeks Christmas break

• one week February break

• one week April break

 

This role may be a strong fit for someone who wants a consistent part-time school-year rhythm, meaningful work with students, and regular time off throughout the year.

 

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Closing

At ILA, students are not just completing assignments. They are learning how to become people who can manage their attention, make wise choices, communicate clearly, recover from setbacks, and pursue meaningful work.

We are looking for an adult who wants to help build that kind of environment — someone with presence, warmth, energy, and the ability to coach students toward real growth.

 

Education:

Bachelor’s degree (required)