FAQs - Making Waves Academy

Where can I view open roles?

What kind of benefits does MWA offer?

Making Waves Academy offers a competitive compensation and benefits package this is nearly unparalleled in the San Francisco Bay Area. Highlights include:

Competitive compensation: salaries that are above market
Employees' children are eligible to attend our school after 12 months of employment
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits—with 100% of most premiums covered for employees and their spouse OR employees and their children
Professional development opportunities & tuition assistance program
Strong retirement plans: CalSTRS & 403(b)
Supportive work environment: strong leadership that provides the necessary support and resources, a positive school culture and a sense of community, collaborative opportunities with peers, and effective mentoring programs, particularly for new teachers.

For more details, visit our benefits and compensation page.

How often are applications reviewed?

We use different review processes to ensure thoroughness, efficiency, and fairness for all candidates.

1. Faculty Roles (Teaching Positions)

Process: We use a structured, scheduled timeline with predetermined milestones. This ensures a consistent and fair process for every teaching candidate.
Timeline: Applications are reviewed promptly upon receipt and candidates can expect to hear from our Talent Team within a week.

2. Non-Faculty Roles (Staff Positions)

Process: Applications are reviewed as they are received (rolling basis).
Timeline: You should expect to hear from our Talent Team about next steps within 1–2 weeks or less.

How long does the application process take?

At Making Waves Academy, we pride ourselves on a thorough recruitment process designed to find exceptional talent perfectly suited to support our school community.

As an applicant, you can anticipate an inclusive process that includes stages such as an initial screening, hiring manager interview, hiring task, panel interview, and reference checks.

Faculty Hiring Timelines - The teacher hiring process typically takes 4-5 weeks. Details about current faculty hiring timelines and application deadlines can be found on our Teach at Making Waves Academy page.

Non-Faculty Hiring Timelines - Our team reviews non-faculty applications on a rolling basis as applications are received. Typically, our multi-step process takes a few weeks; however, this is subject to change based on the number of applicants for a given role, mutual availability, and timely completion of tasks.

Can I submit an application to multiple positions?

How should I prepare for my initial interview?

Why do you have so many teaching roles posted?

Since it's often difficult to anticipate exact faculty openings, we post roles for all subject areas. As you browse our available positions, you will typically see two types of openings:

Active Searches (Immediate Openings) are known openings that we are actively looking to fill.

Resume Drops (Future Opportunities) are roles that are not in an active hiring process. Candidates are welcome to submit their application in the resume drop they are interested in. If and when that role opens, your resume will be reviewed by the hiring team, and we will contact you directly if your skills align with our needs.

What are the requirements for employment at MWA?

At Making Waves Academy, we look for faculty and staff who are passionate about educational equity and deeply committed to our mission and core values.

In addition, all employees must meet these mandatory requirements set by the state of California:

What is the Mandatory Employment Disclosure?
California law (Ed. Code 44939.5 & 44051) requires all schools to check the misconduct history of all new hires. This applies to all positions, including teachers and support staff.

What information is requested?
We must ask your former school employers if you were ever the subject of a:
Credible complaint
Confirmed investigation
Disciplinary action ...specifically regarding egregious misconduct (e.g., child abuse, sexual misconduct, or serious drug offenses).

Which employers are contacted?
We contact every school district, charter school, or private school you have worked for in the past.

What is required of me?
Full History: You must list all previous school employers.
Honesty: Omitting an employer or providing false info will disqualify your application.

Is my data private?
Yes. All records are kept strictly confidential by our People Operations team and used only for hiring safety.

Requirements for Teachers and Instructional Leaders

Bachelor’s Degree
California Single or Multi-Subject Teaching Credential in an applicable content area OR current/eligible enrollment in a CTC-approved educator preparation program
English Learner Authorization Certificate (CLAD/BCLAD)
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Certificate of Clearance (COC)
Teaching experience is ideal, but related work experience will also be considered

What credentialing is required?

Making Waves Academy requires that all teachers hold a valid California teaching credential for the subject area they will be teaching as well as an English Learner (EL) Authorization Certificate. Prospective teachers who do not currently meet these requirements must either be currently enrolled in a CTC-approved credentialing program or be eligible and willing to enroll upon employment.

To learn more about specific credentialing questions and situations, please review our Credentialing Frequently Asked Questions.