Instructor of English

Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

• Serve as an instructor of English at a preparatory school with very diverse students who are preparing themselves to be competitive for admission to West Point.
• Instructs advanced, standard, and fundamental English; covers grammar, rhetoric, composition, verbal skills, research methods, logic, and literature while adapting teaching methods to maximize student comprehension and academic success.
• Selects, adapts, and employs the most effective classroom teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, and demonstrations, to meet student needs and department-approved course objectives.
• Prepare thorough lesson plans; develop comprehensive, rigorous assessments; and provide detailed feedback to all assessments.
• Administers and grades departmental quizzes and tests, evaluates student work on a daily basis, and provides supplementary instruction and assistance as required.
• Maintains good order and discipline within the classroom and during academic activities, upholding the philosophies and standards of the institution.
• May be required to teach elective courses (e.g., short story, drama, poetry), sponsor or coach athletic teams, or serve as a chaperone for student trips to cultural or historical events.
• Attends and participates in professional development meetings and seminars to broaden teaching knowledge and share experiences with colleagues.
• Counsels a cohort of students, both individually and in group settings, on academic, military, and personal matters, using file reports and test results to inform recommendations.
• Provide students with instruction outside of classroom hours, as the workday permits.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Appointment to this position may be subject to a two-year trial period.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: All U.S. Citizens

This is a full-time permanent appointment in the Excepted Service.

In order to qualify, you must meet the requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Instructor of English:

A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) that included or was supplemented by major study in English, composition, or in a closely related field. (Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application package.)

-OR-

B. Combination of Education and Experience: I have a combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to a major in education, or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position, such as English Composition or another closely related field, plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the four-year course of study described in A above.(Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application package.)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience designing and implementing instructional strategies to develop student proficiency in reading comprehension, written communication, and critical literacy skills. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

-OR-

Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. (NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)


You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's) in the following four areas:

1. Teaching: Demonstrated ability, potential, and desire to teach bright, motivated students who need additional preparation to be ready not only to succeed but also thrive in the challenging environment of the United States Military Academy.
2. Relationships: Evidence of ability, potential, and desire to establish productive, inspirational relationships with students and collegial, professional relationships with colleagues.
3. Support: Ability, potential, and desire to support and assist diverse students inside and outside the classroom, in order to help them achieve their full potential; support students by serving as a role model.
4. Academic accomplishments: An earned bachelor's degree or higher in English, composition, or a related field; ability, potential, and desire to master the subject matter of the USMAPS English program.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application package will be made to determine your eligibility, qualifications and quality ranking for this position. Your application package (Cover letter, curriculum vitae (CV) or resume, academic transcripts, references, and narrative addressing the four KSAs.) will be evaluated by a faculty search committee and final selection will be made via interview by the selecting official.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process.

If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All applicants are required to submit a complete application package.

Application packages must include:

1. Cover Letter

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume

• If you submit a resume, it must be limited to a maximum of 2 pages.
• Your resume or curriculum vitae must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. No personal photos.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

3. Academic Transcript(s)

• This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience.
• If you meet this requirement based on education, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible.
• For additional information see: Transcripts and Licenses.

4. List of three (3) References

5. Narrative addressing each four KSAs

Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s), which may not be required for all applicants:

1. If you are a current Army employee serving on a permanent excepted service appointment, your application MUST include the document(s) which prove your eligibility such as a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action. The Proof of Eligibility document describes what document(s) are required to prove your eligibility.

• Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).

2. You MUST submit documents verifying your veteran's preference or military spouse preference if you are claiming these preferences. These documents may include, but are not limited to:

• For Military Spouse Preference (MSP) claims you must submit a copy of your sponsors Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, Marriage Certificate, and MSP PPP Checklist
• Proof of Military Service & Veteran Status: Submit your DD-214 (Member-4 copy showing character of service), VA Civil Service Preference Letter, SF-15 (if claiming 10-point preference), and/or active duty mobilization/demobilization orders as applicable.

3. If you are currently serving on active duty:

• A statement of service from your unit commanding officer (CO) identifying the branch of service, period(s) of service, campaign badges or expeditionary medals earned, type of discharge, character of service, and the date you will be separated or be on approved terminal leave. A certification that the individual is expected to be discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date of the submission of the certification. 5 USC 2108a:(2)
• If you supply a statement of service at this stage, your preference/eligibility will be verified by a DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) upon separation from the military.
• For more information about Veteran's Preference, please click this link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide-for-hr-professionals/.

Note: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Next steps