Program Instructor

Close Up Foundation; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meals provided

Transit subsidy or parking

Phone reimbursement

Paid sick days

Health and dental insurance

Paid training (120 hours)

Public Service Loan Forgiveness access

Graduate credit opportunity

Job summary

Close Up Foundation is seeking an in-person Civic Program Instructor to guide middle and high school students through history, government, and current policy topics in Washington, D.C. The role centers on experiential education using the capital as a living classroom.

You will lead workshops for groups of 25 students, facilitate discussions, and coordinate visits to monuments, museums, and government institutions, with occasional travel to NYC and Philadelphia to enrich learning experiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Proven public speaking skills demonstrated in an interview teaching sample.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with diverse student groups.
• Strong organizational skills and adaptability to dynamic program requirements.
• Authorized to work in the United States for any employer.
• Passage of a post-offer criminal background check as required by federal regulations.

Responsibilities

• Lead weekly workshops for middle and high school students as part of civic programs.
• Guide issue-centered discussions and deliberations; accompany students to sites and meetings with policy experts.
• Provide a supportive and inclusive environment for diverse perspectives and respectful discourse.
• Coordinate with program leaders and support roles as needed, including care for students who need assistance.

Skills

Public speaking

Communication

Organizational skills

Work authorization (US)

Background check compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree (political science, history, education, social science, or related field)

Job description

Company Overview

Close Up is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civic education organization that aims to inform, inspire, and empower young people to become active participants in our democracy. We believe a strong democracy requires engagement by all citizens. Therefore, we seek to reach youth from all communities and all backgrounds , regardless of race, religion, gender, socioeconomic level, or academic standing. Since 1971, we have partnered with schools nationwide to serve more than one million students and educators through experiential programs in our nation’s capital and in local communities, professional development for educators, and curriculum and resource design.

Position Overview

Civic program instructors are passionate about history, politics, government, current public policy issues, and experiential education for diverse students in grades 6-12. They lead daily program components for groups of students from across the United States, using our nation’s capital as a living classroom.

Note

This is an in‑person position.

Responsibilities

Each week, Close Up’s civic program instructors are a catalyst for engaging middle and high school students from across the country in experiential programs in Washington, D.C. (with opportunities to travel to New York City, Philadelphia, and other historical sites for day trips or local programs). Throughout each day, they hop on and off buses, guiding students through all program lessons and site visits in the D.C. area and other program locations. They lead an assigned “workshop” of 25 students over the course of the week as they have issue‑centered discussions and deliberations; visit historical sites, monuments, museums, and government institutions; and attend meetings with policy experts and elected officials with the goal of empowering students for a life of active citizenship. Some weeks, an instructor may take on a support role for a program to help care for students who aren’t feeling well or help the program leader with other tasks. Instructors are responsible for fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where students can explore multiple perspectives and engage in respectful discourse across ideological differences.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet all criteria for this role.

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in political science, history, education, social science, or a related field).
• Proven public speaking skills,showcasedthrough a brief teaching sample during the interview.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and connect with diverse groups of students.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to adapt to dynamic program requirements.
• Authorization to work in the United States for any employer.
• Passage of a post‑offer criminal background check according to federal regulations for working with students.

Compensation and Benefits

The initial contract period is from February 1 until June 25, 2027. At the conclusion of the initial contract period, there may be an opportunity to join the Foundation in a full‑time/full‑year role. Compensation includes:

• An annualized salary of $41,592.
• All meals while working on student programs.
• Mass transit subsidy or free garage parking.
• Cell phone reimbursement (up to $50 per month).
• Paid sick days.
• Medical and dental insurance with low‑cost premiums, vision coverage, and no‑cost life/AD&D insurance.
• Paid training (120 hours) in Close Up curriculum, methodology, and programming, followed by ongoing professional development.
• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• The opportunity to earn a free graduate credit upon completion of the contract with an accompanying research paper.

Scheduled Hours

The civic program instructor schedule does not follow traditional working hours. Each week mirrors the student program schedule to which an instructor is assigned, generally a 50‑hour week.

• Program schedules typically run from 8am through 10pm, and programs usually start in the late afternoon on Sunday and conclude on Thursday night.
• Most programs are based in Washington, D.C., but there are opportunities to travel to New York City, Philadelphia, and other cities in the United States.

Close Up Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Work Conditions and Physical Demands

Standing: Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time.

Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and leading activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and make fine discriminations in sound.

Visual acuity: Performing an activity such as preparing and analyzing data, viewing a computer terminal, or reading.

Environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside, potentially in extreme heat or cold, at times at a high noise level.