K12 Inc. is a for-profit education company which sells online schooling and curricula. They are an Education Management Organization (EMO) which provides online education that is designed as an alternative to traditional “bricks and mortar” education which is used for public school students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

This is probably the largest EMO in terms of enrollment and the company was founded by a former banker named Ronald J. Packard.

This review of K12 online education jobs will explain what this program is all about, pros and cons and some employee reviews.

Education management

K12 is a for-profit EMO and they do not operate a physical school but the online curriculum is provided for the home-schooled children and other schools and the organization was the largest EMO in the US in 2011-2012. The curriculum is offered at three levels which are:

• As a home-schooling alternative to brick and mortar schools for states and districts.
• As a supplement to classroom teaching to school districts
• As a private, online, homeschooling alternative to parents individually

Pros of working at K12

• Flexibility: This is the best part of working at KI2, as you will be able to create an ideal work space for yourself which gives you comfort
• No transportation cost: You are going to save the cost of transportation which always take a dent in the salary of the worker.

• Good pay with work of about 40+ hours a week: Many workers commend the good pay of K12 with the benefits that come with it as the pay is significantly high and this is among the reasons why K12 is different from other EMOs.
• Best place for you to work for the short term: K12 is a decent working environment for workers and it doesn’t matter how long you want to work here as long as the worker is going to offer quality services and work hard so as to meet the goals and objectives of the institution.

• Salary is competitive: The salary of this organization increases with time and they offer increments to hard-working personnel who deserves it. Although many workers may complain about their salary. 
• High horsepower, high speed, collaborative culture: this company embodies a true focus on women in leadership and they provide opportunities for women whether they are employees or online teachers. The organization focus on instruction quality and student engagement and the culture is the strongest here.

Cons of working here

• Long Hours: You are going to work long hours here as it is not a 9-5 jobs and it may take you sometime before you adjust to it. The CEO works on weekends and they may get challenging at times for some workers.
• Poor Pay as time goes on: The pay is good from the start and it may not increase as expected and this is due to some other benefits which are enjoyed and they may or may not be deducted from the salary.

• Micromanaged Company: While working here the manager will closely observe or control the work of the employees and it is regarded to have a negative connotation and this is mainly because of the fact that there is lack of freedom in the workplace.

• Lack of communication from management: The communication between the employers and employees are not always as smooth as there may be some misunderstanding between both parties.
• Tech failure: the tech may not work sometimes but there will always be a manager or tech support to help out.
• Good place for people right out of college alone: Because the pay does not increase over time as expected which means people with increasing family responsibilities may find it difficult to cope financially over time.

Hiring

K12 is a federal contractor, a drug-free workplace, and an equal opportunity action employer. If you are a qualified applicant, you are going to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, protected veteran status, or disability. If you don’t see the position that you are looking for, you can introduce yourself.

There is a belief by K12 to build careers not just filling jobs and you can take a few moments and introduce yourself to K12 through a video interview. You should also complete your videos within the 24 hours that you create your profile. You may also be asked to submit an additional video based on the interview process.

Benefits include:

• Life insurance
• A flexible spending account 
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance 
• Health savings account
• Supplemental life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Mental healthcare 

• Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• 401K plan
• Adoption assistance 
• Family medical leave 
• Performance Bonuses
• Professional Development
• Wellness programs
• Gym Reimbursement
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Sick leave
• Paid holidays
• Bereavement leave
• Employee discount
• Employee assistance program 
• Mobile phone discount
• Diversity program
• Tuition Reimbursement

Some of the other benefits of working with K12 are: Round-trip airfare, Accommodations or accommodations allowance, Teacher training, and professional development, Health insurance, End-of-contract bonus

Reviews from past and current employees

The following review were left by current and former employees online;

• I have been working at K12 part-time and I can say the Flexible works hours are a big plus but the catch is Low pay and increasing expectations without raises. Also, there are no opportunities for job growth.

• There is Great work experience for teachers to enter the online education space but unfortunately, they have lost their way. Lost the ability to combine the best of education with sound business practice as it is now just a business with no regard to the betterment of education.

• Boring: This job provided me with a very different, and yet interesting experience but the job is somewhat repetitive because you are doing the same thing pretty much every day. Therefore, after a period of time, it became boring.

• The Micromanaged schedules, no room for growth, empty promises, and lack of understanding of human life. They hire with the promise of greatness and you leave every day stressed.

• I worked for K12 at one of their virtual schools from the 2010ish school year until recently. It was a wonderful place to work at first, I felt incredibly lucky to work there. Then management changes happened. You were expected to be available 24 hours a day to respond to families and admin. You work from home, but you are CONSTANTLY working. There is zero work-life balance.

• I worked at K12 full-time (More than 5 years). Good culture and mission! They believe in helping children with an alternative education to learning. Always come up with fun employee activities.Tremendous growth almost too much and was in danger of losing track of true mission.

Q&A about K12 online education jobs

• What is the vacation policy at K12?

You accrue PTO depending on how many hours you work. Once you accrue 80 hours, you stop accruing time until you use it up. You accrue 5 paid days of vacation after working six months, and can earn up to 5 days of sick leave over a year. Vacation time cannot be rolled over into the following year.

• How long is the hiring process?

It varies from anywhere between 1-4 weeks from application to completion of the hiring process. After you apply, someone will contact you within a week if your application is considered. You can be contacted by phone or email. They will set up a phone interview. You might need to go to the headquarters for further interviews if required. The onsite interview sometimes involves a lot of role playing with “you are” and “I am” scenarios. If your interview is successful, you are usually offered a job within a week.

• What tips or advise do you have for someone going for an interview with K12?

Arrive on time and well dressed. Be professional and present your case with confidence.

• Do you feel proud telling people you work for K12?

Some people are proud while others are not. For the most part, people love working as teachers. They don’t like the bureaucracy and politics.

• What are the working hours?

8:00 am -5:30 pm for the most part. There are people who work later depending on their job title.

For more Q&A about K12, click here. 

Bottom Line

K12 is one of the biggest EMO. It offers an alternative to traditional public school education to many kids in the United States. This is a good place for a new teacher to start as it offers relatively good pay and a somewhat flexible working environment. They offer god benefits and there is room to grow.