Our Values

The core values of Guidepost reaffirm our aim to create thriving school communities. This journey requires curiosity and ambition, recognition of the nature of the children in our charge, and traveling together as a team. The five cardinal values that serve as our own guideposts are:

1. revere
   independence

   Montessori is a deep, sophisticated theory. But if it had to be boiled it down to just one key point, it would be to foster independence.

   Maria Montessori’s key insight was that childhood is a constant, healthy drive towards independence — and the only way to gain independence is to practice it.

   The journey is the child’s to make, and only he can choose to make it. We must give him the tools to learn, explore, experiment, and self-correct (the “guideposts” to follow), and then get out of his way.

2. guide and
   be guided

   Whenever a hard problem comes up — whether it’s an exceptional student, or a difficult classroom dynamic — our approach is to solve it with thoughtful collaboration.

   Guidepost schools are hubs of creativity and intelligence; the most valuable resources at any Guidepost campus are the minds and character of its staff.

   We have enormous confidence in our staff to play an irreplaceable part in this great work. And we have confidence that as a team, we'll achieve more than the sum of our parts.

3. partner
   with parents

   There can be no compromise in an educator's devotion to what's best for each child under her care. Above all, this requires the recognition that the most important people in a child's life are his parents.

   Whatever role we can play in a child’s life — and we believe as educators we can play a critical role, otherwise we wouldn’t be here — there’s no more valuable lever for educating a child than forging a meaningful partnership with that child’s parents. It is only with the parents' wholehearted help and involvement that we can accomplish our mission.

4. be your
   own compass

   Just as we're responsible for fostering a child’s growth, happiness, and success, we’re similarly responsible for fostering and renewing these things in ourselves.

   Be generous with yourself, and on the lookout for ways to gain energy from and take pride in your work. Be forgiving of yourself when you make mistakes, and supportive of yourself when you feel unsteady or insecure.

   In so doing, you'll not only tend to your own well-being; you'll also become a role model of adult independence and self-management for the children at Guidepost.

5. be a
   practical idealist

   Sometimes we need to go the extra mile to pitch in for an event, or put together a plan to tackle a thorny student issue. Our vision is not just a dream; it's a goal that demands work — and work that is often hard in ways that we don’t expect.

   Be a practical idealist. Have not only the vision, but also the drive to do all the things that go into making that vision a reality. Commit to responding to the unexpected, to adapting to facts on the ground, and to actively creating the place we want to work and live in: a community that nourishes each of its students, staff, and parents.

Pathway Membership: For Guidepost Montessori Employees Only

At Guidepost Montessori, we know that a flourishing school community starts with an exceptional team of educators. Each hiring season, we receive hundreds of applications from highly-qualified teachers and leaders around the world, and thanks to our in-house immigration sponsorship program, we pride ourselves on being able to select and hire the best of the best each year. Working at Guidepost Montessori is an opportunity to work with a truly global team of educators.

Often, employees come to us on a variety of temporary, non-immigrant visas, with the intention of returning back to their home country. We are pleased to sponsor temporary visas in order to hire the best people we can for our classrooms, though we do ask you make a commitment to stay for the full duration of your temporary visa.

For those employees who decide, after coming to the U.S., that they would like to immigrate to the U.S. long-term, we offer a merit-based green card sponsorship program called Pathway.

Our Commitment to You

Choosing where to do your life's work is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your life. This decision is magnified when the choice includes uprooting your life and leaving your home, your family, and your friends, to teach in the U.S. We know it's not a decision that can be made lightly.

To show our commitment to you and to your decision, and to show our appreciation for the value you bring to our school community, we offer each of our international employees an opportunity to apply for Pathway: a path toward U.S. citizenship and our way of demonstrating our long-term commitment to you as an employee of Guidepost Montessori here in the U.S. Once you are selected to be part of Pathway, we're committed to doing everything we possibly can to ensure you can stay in the U.S. long-term, for as long as you remain employed with us. This means that we proactively complete all filings necessary to pursue the ultimate goal of getting you a green card (which may also include pursuing an H-1B visa or other steps as part of the process).

Because this process is extremely time intensive and very expensive ($10,000 - $20,000 per person), we are only able to sponsor a limited number of employees each year.

How can you be selected to participate in Pathway?

Criteria for Selection

Pathway is a merit-based immigration sponsorship program. Membership selection is based on the following criteria:

• Length of service at Guidepost Montessori. We prioritize employees who have been with us for a longer period of time, both because of the commitment that demonstrates, and because it can take many years to move through all the steps of becoming a permanent resident.

• Reference from Head of School regarding classroom performance and good citizenship on campus. We want to know that you're an integral, positive force in your school community, and that the children you serve are thriving under your care and supervision. We want to know that you embrace the little things that make our schools special, like having a sense of personal pride in the school environment and culture, participating in community events and open houses, bringing a generally positive attitude, displaying leadership amongst your peers, etc.

• Commitment to Guidepost. The green card process is extremely expensive and time-intensive. Because we're committing to you, we want to know that you're committed to a career with us for the long-term and to being your best professional self at all times.

• Country of Origin. For certain countries of origin, the green card process can take a particularly long time, due to the long waiting list that exists for those countries. We therefore prioritize candidates who are from these countries (specifically India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines).

Application Process/Timeline

For some Pathway members, applying for an H-1B visa may be the first step of the process, since the H-1B is a dual-intent visa that allows for an easier transition to permanent residency. The H-1B filing date occurs annually on April 1. As a result, our application deadlines are designed to allow us to meet this date.

1. Submit Application. All applications must be submitted by January 31.

2. Register with Envoy. To make the immigration process as efficient and transparent as possible for you, we've partnered with an expert immigration firm called Envoy Global. Envoy will provide guidance and legal assistance throughout your immigration process. Once you set up an account with them, you'll be able to upload all your documents, contact your attorney with questions, etc., all from one centralized location on the Envoy web portal. All applicants must register with Envoy as part of the Pathway application process. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a link within one to two days to begin registration with Envoy. Please complete this registration immediately, or your application to Pathway cannot be considered complete.

3. Reference Check. The selection committee will contact your Head of School directly to request a reference. The selection committee may also follow up with you to discuss details of your application when necessary.

4. Sponsorship Selection. The selection committee will communicate final decisions before the end of February. All applicants will receive notification via email of the decision regarding their application. If you are not selected this year, you may apply again for selection next year. We certainly encourage you to apply each year until selected. If we could, we would sponsor everyone. In any given year, we do everything possible to maximize the number of people who are selected for Pathway.

What's Next?

Does Pathway sound like the program for you? If so, simply fill out this application by January 31, and complete the other steps listed above. We begin reviewing applications early in February.