Academies College Readiness Teaching Assistants (Commuter Program Sites)

Location: Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; or Chicago, IL

Employment Type: Full-Time, Temporary, Non-Exempt

Compensation: $21/hour

The Organization:

At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving, diverse, and underrepresented students, including students of color from under-resourced communities, the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.

Our comprehensive and data-driven program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving underrepresented students, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities, with more to come. The organization has approximately 75 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.

The Program:

Summer Academy has long been the keystone of Thrive Scholars’ Six-Year Program, offering a signature summer experience through intensive college-preparatory courses taught by college instructors. Thrive’s current strategic direction builds on the success of Summer Academy to expand our impact by establishing community-based Thrive Academies in cities across the United States. We launched our first two Thrive Academies as commuter programs in Los Angeles and New York City in 2024 while simultaneously continuing to offer the residential Summer Academies for Scholars who are part of our Six-Year Program. We are gearing up to open a third Thrive Academy in Chicago and expect to continue extending our reach to other cities in the coming years.

The Students:

Our students are high-achieving and identify as underrepresented, including first-generation college-goers, students of color, and those from under-resourced communities, with an average high school GPA of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. They are eager to learn, inquisitive, and highly motivated to succeed. In general, they see themselves as good students who perform well in school and are determined to live up to that expectation. Students in SA 1/TA 1 are rising high school seniors, while students in SA 2/TA 2 are rising college freshmen.

The Position:

Thrive Scholars is seeking a College Readiness Teaching Assistant who can work with a faculty member to administer a college math or writing  course to our students preparing for the rigor of courses at selective institutions.  The math courses include a range from Statistic and Precalculus to Multivariable Calculus.  The writing courses are Introduction to Creative and Expository Writing and Introduction to Academic Writing. 

The uniqueness of this position lies in its dual focus on supporting students both inside and outside the classroom. Teaching Assistants will foster a sense of community with their assigned students, emphasizing belonging, connectedness, and resilience in a new environment. In practice, this includes creative ways to start the class period, developing shared meanings and motivational mantras to encourage resilience, and conducting personal check-ins with students who miss class. This role provides the opportunity to co-create and nurture a culture of safety that maximizes student engagement and learning.

College readiness teaching assistants serve as both teachers and mentors, combining instructional support with personal guidance.

A strong understanding of and commitment to Thrive Scholars’ ‘North Star’—Economic Mobility—is essential. Please review our position statement on economic mobility here