Science Communicator Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

Program: Science Instructor Opportunities

Location: On-site at partner schools; varies by assignment

Teaching Mode: In Person

Grade Levels: Elementary, Middle, and High School; varies by assignment

Schedule: Typically 1–4 instructional service hours per week after school

Program Length: Commonly approximately 10 weeks per assignment

Start Dates: Opportunities become available throughout the school year

Compensation: Typical compensation of $50+ per completed instructional service hour, depending on assignment scope, experience, location, schedule, and agreed compensation

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Concorde Education is seeking independent instructional contractors to provide engaging, hands-on science enrichment services for K–12 students.

This is a potential independent contractor assignment, not an employee position. Contractors may choose whether to apply for, accept, decline, or ignore available opportunities.

Assignments vary by school, grade level, schedule, curriculum, available materials, available technology, and program objectives.

Concorde may provide curriculum guidance, lesson-plan suggestions, activity ideas, instructional resources, or program objectives. Contractors may use their professional judgment to adapt instruction within the assignment scope and applicable site requirements.

ASSIGNMENT SCOPE

Depending on the accepted assignment, contractors may:

• Plan and facilitate engaging, age-appropriate science enrichment sessions;

• Introduce students to scientific concepts through safe, hands-on experiments, demonstrations, investigations, and project-based learning;

• Adapt activities based on student experience levels, site requirements, available materials, and program objectives;

• Guide students through observation, experimentation, data collection, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry, where applicable;

• Maintain a safe, respectful, inclusive, and age-appropriate learning environment;

• Communicate assignment-related needs or significant concerns with Concorde and school staff, as appropriate;

• Complete a brief session completion form after each scheduled session; and

• Follow applicable site safety, visitor, technology, emergency, and student-protection procedures.

EXAMPLE PROGRAM TOPICS

Assignments may include topics such as:

• Everyday chemistry using safe household materials;

• States of matter and simple chemical reactions;

• Kitchen science and food chemistry;

• Cleaning science and how soaps and surfactants work;

• Simple machines, force, and motion;

• Engineering and design challenges using common household materials;

• Environmental science, recycling, ecosystems, energy, and sustainability;

• Observation, experimentation, measurement, and the scientific method; and

• Scientific reasoning, problem-solving, and STEM exploration.

Specific content, curriculum requirements, experiments, and instructional resources vary by assignment.

QUALIFICATIONS

Preferred qualifications include:

• At least 60 college credits, where required by the applicable assignment or site;

• Experience teaching, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, or leading activities with school-age students;

• Comfort explaining age-appropriate science concepts through engaging, hands-on instruction;

• Strong communication, organization, and classroom facilitation skills;

• Availability to provide services for the accepted assignment schedule and communicate schedule issues as soon as reasonably practicable; and

• Familiarity with classroom technology, Chromebooks, web-based educational platforms, or related instructional tools.

Preferred backgrounds may include educators, science teachers, STEM professionals, college or graduate students studying science or education, tutors, camp counselors, engineers, healthcare professionals, makers, hobbyists, and others with relevant instructional or scientific experience.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Assignments may utilize school-provided science materials, classroom supplies, Chromebooks, educational technology, curriculum resources, lesson plans, experiment guides, and other instructional resources where available.

Contractors may use their own instructional methods and materials when appropriate, safe, age-appropriate, lawful, and consistent with the assignment scope and site requirements.

Purchases requiring reimbursement must be approved in writing by Concorde before they are incurred.

COMPENSATION

Compensation varies by assignment and agreed contractor terms. Many opportunities pay $50+ per completed instructional service hour with students.

Contractors may propose their desired compensation rate when applying. When proposing a rate, contractors should consider the overall assignment scope, including anticipated preparation, planning, commute, materials, schedule, and other business considerations.

Concorde may accept the proposed rate, decline the application, or provide a counteroffer based on the budget for the specific assignment.

Unless otherwise approved in writing, compensation is based on completed instructional service hours with students.

Payment for completed services is generally made by direct deposit on the fifteenth day of the month following the month in which services were completed, unless otherwise stated in the accepted assignment terms or required by applicable law.

APPLICATION AND ONBOARDING

Applicants selected to move forward may be invited to create a contractor profile and complete any required onboarding steps.

Applying, interviewing, receiving an invitation to create a profile, creating a profile, or completing onboarding does not guarantee selection, placement, or future assignment opportunities.

Potential assignments are subject to assignment fit, agreed compensation, completion of required onboarding, applicable background-check review, Fair Chance or pre-adverse action procedures where required, site-specific clearance requirements, and final written confirmation from Concorde Education.

Some assignments may require background-check authorization, fingerprinting, agency clearance, site-specific documentation, identification badges, or other compliance steps before services may begin.

Applicants should not provide criminal-history information unless and until requested through the appropriate legally compliant process.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Concorde Education considers contractor applicants without regard to any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law and is committed to respectful, inclusive, and student-centered programming.