teacher

elementary school teacher

fund manager

fellow

english teacher

BASIS.ed

I worked for one of three campuses in San Antonio, TX as a "specials teacher" which is basically PE, music, drama, art, engineering etc. There really was no such thing as a "typical" day while teaching. Especially as a specials teacher, the schedule is different every day, and specials teachers often get the majority of recess, lunch and dismissal duties. Since BASIS does not offer subs, I often had to fill in for other teachers in subjects I had zero experience in i.e. Martial Arts, Engineering etc or even subjects I've studied i.e. Math, Latin, English. You would never have the same lunch or planning periods (if you even got one that day) as a specials teacher, and when you had to fill in the gaps for other employees, there were days you did not get a break or planning period at all due to subbing in addition to your usual class load.

Often teachers and administrators did not consider specials to be "real classes", so they would often pull students out of the classroom for testing or extra help, but how can you grade a student that is never in the classroom? This hurt the student's grade in specials, but then specials teachers would get slack for not submitting grades or not just giving the student an easy A. I heard of the other campuses in the area and how wonderful their administration is, however, that was not the case at our campus. Our Head of School was especially difficult, and we lost nine employees in less than a year (talk about no sense of job security). Some were terminations, most were teachers who worked for BASIS years before and confirmed “This is not the same BASIS I started working for.”  The change in administration really hurt the campus culture and made our campus the weakest compared to others in the area.

One of the big points they try to convince you of being a benefit to working at the school is that there are always two teachers in the classroom, a SET and an LET. Since there were supposed to be two teachers in the room, they would often have class sizes over 30 (well beyond what the state maximum is), however many LET's considered specials to be a break or planning period for themselves. Even if they were helping students one on one during specials class, it still left the SET alone in the room with 30+ students! Besides it being illegal, that is an extremely large and difficult number to work with. Does not really give the children a chance to get the individual attention they deserve. 

Often work days were WELL over eight hours, you were expected to check emails 24/7, and since planning periods were skimp you had to take ALOT of work home with you if you wanted to give the kids a good lesson. Work and life balance were absolutely abysmal. What's worse is that you are given five days for the whole year. No sick days, no personal days, just 5 TOTAL for the whole year. Did not matter if you have a doctor's note or were in the hospital, you only get 5. Once you hit the 6th missed day, they deduct from your check. There is no paternity leave and maternity leave came out of your disability. 

Extra-curricular activities would be given a stipend at the end of the semester, and there were two semesters we never received any sort of stipend for our extra work. There is an end of the year bonus, but it is all based on who the Head of School likes the most. The people who got the highest bonuses at our campus were PE teachers. Not core subject teachers, not teachers who prepared students for state testing, not even the teachers who went above and beyond all year long. Coaches were the HOS' favorites and they got the benefits. Of course, when everyone found out this information, we were then threatened with termination if we discussed bonuses with each other. Again, it just felt like your days were numbered and you could get canned at any time for any reason.

Worst of all was the accommodations for special education students. BASIS claims to have 504’s and IEP’s in place to help the students, but usually you would not receive an education plan until February, unless the student already had one from a previous school year. All the IEP’s and 504’s were very generic across the board. You could tell if it came from another school because the accommodations were more feasible and relatable to the students’ needs. If our campus came up with the 504 or IEP, it was a generic type of plan that often included ignoring bad behavior and letting the student leave the classroom when they needed a break. Unfortunately, our campus handed these out to students with behavioral issues, and the students who had disabilities or learning deficiencies were overlooked. We were supposed to have aides who specialized in special education and were to be in the classroom with the student during instructional time, but again for specials teachers, this never happened. Most of, if not all the teachers had no experience dealing with special education needs, and this put a large strain on your class period. It was very clear that we did not have the support we needed, nor did the students have the accommodations they deserved.

So, if you are not certified and want to get your feet wet in the field of education, this might be a good place to start (at least half the staff I worked with did not have a teaching certification). If you can handle this system, any other campus should be a breeze. Majority of teachers only worked here a year or two to gain experience or finish certifications, then they would move on to something better. If you are certified or have experience as a teacher, don't waste your time here. Get into the public school system.

I have taught at and worked in admin for other Charters, and have taught and worked in admin for BASIS. I've worked at 3 different BASIS campuses in 3 different roles for a total of 6 years. The following review applies to all the campuses, roles, and years I have worked here. BASIS is easily the best school network I have worked for. 
For teachers: I thrived in their philosophy towards teaching which prioritized knowledge in a field of study over teaching certifications. The idea is that if you know your subject very well, then you can impart that specific knowledge to students better than a utility, all-purpose teacher. I loved the freedom in my lesson plans. I was able to come up with fun and innovative ways to teach some objectively boring concepts. I also had the freedom to reteach and review content as necessary. I cannot say the same of other charters I have taught for where the focus was on rigid and unbending weekly schedules that disallowed for reviewing concepts with students. Other Charters are also usually adamant that you follow their curriculum to a T and cannot deviate or come up with your own ways to teach the content. So if you value freedom and flexibility in how you deliver your content, then I would say BASIS is right for you. If you prefer having a preset curriculum that you have to deliver, then this network is not for you. something that might scare some people away is the PTO because at face value, it looks awful, but it really is pretty good: you are technically only given 5 PTO days throughout the year, but you are given every school break (all federal holidays, Wednesday before- Monday after thanksgiving, 1 week fall, 2 week winter, 1 week spring, a Friday-Monday in April, maybe some others that I'm forgetting) and any partial day that you work does not count against your PTO. You will still be paid for a full day's work even if you have to take off a couple class periods early for a dentist appointment or whatever. Also, those 5 days (or however many are left) get paid out to you at the end of every year.

If you are looking to work in admin, I can tell you that the specifics (objectives, goals, priorities, etc) of your job are clearly communicated from the outset. While there is always a sense of "helping the school, even if it is not explicitly stated in your job description," there is not the expectation that we all "wear many hats" as it were. You will not be expected to do the work of multiple people or multiple departments. There are of course stressful times throughout the year, but the culture and atmosphere is one that truly prioritizes your health, both mental and physical. I have 2 kids and I have never had a supervisor tell me I couldn't take off early because I had to pick them up, or tell me that I had to come in even though my kids are sick. Every admin team I have been a part of has been very flexible in meeting the needs of its employees. Salaried admin are given the ability to leave early if necessary without it affecting their pay (provided that any urgent projects or deadlines, etc have been taken care) and hourly employees are given the option of overtime so long as they get it approved ahead of time. Also, as an hourly employee I've been allowed to adjust my hours almost at will. Just this last week, I wanted to take Friday off, but wanted to keep my PTO, so my boss let me work a 4-10 schedule without any hesitation or hassle. There is also no forced overtime, nor is there "off-the-clock" OT. If you are in the building, you are getting paid for it. To contrast the PTO situation for staff versus teachers: staff do not get all of the same breaks as teachers, nor do we get the summers off, but we are given 18 days off that reset every July.

As a new teacher, this is not what I dreamed when I desired to be a teacher.  This is NOT a normal school. 

First off, myself and the other new hires were lied to about our job descriptions upon hiring. The Learning Expert Teachers(LETs) new hires were told we would be teaching ONE subject in ONE classroom with the Subject Expert Teacher(SET). Then just days before the school year began LETs were told to pick out a cart… Instead of a classroom like everyone who goes into education dreams of, LETs are given a cart to wheel around the building from class to class with all your supplies. LETs are given all the background work, expected to do reading and math interventions, manage behaviors, track student data, fast bridge test students, and mostly of all deal with the high maintenance parents. Do not expect to plan and deliver instruction in a classroom if you are hired to be an LET. There is minimal support for students that have special needs. IEPs are not followed. There’s kids with autism and other undiagnosed disabilities with nothing being done to help them besides admin telling you to do interventions with them during specials. LETs travel with their students to different rooms all throughout the day. LETs get the blame from parents and administrators whenever anything goes wrong. The LET position is NOT a normal teaching job by any means. If you accept the LET position expect to primarily manage student behaviors and high maintenance parents with no support.

Next, I genuinely felt terrible all year for the kids in my class and others because the environment in this building is so stressful and chaotic. This school has 5-10 year olds transitioning throughout the building with their materials every hour, which is so unbelievably developmentally inappropriate and creates so much unnecessary stress for students as well as teachers. Everything about this place is very chaotic and unproductive. Each class has at least 30 students with four classes per grade level this makes transitions throughout the day and dismissal a nightmare. Kids barely get 12 minutes to eat lunch because this place is such a circus. Students constantly loose their supplies and who can blame them.

Finally, the unprofessional and abuse that goes on in this building defies your wildest imagination. I have seen LETs yelled at in the hallway in front of their students and colleagues. I have experienced constant disrespect from the administration at this school and I have witnessed many others go through the same thing. This is a very toxic work environment where it is not unusual to see teachers crying because of administrations abuse and a lack of support for behaviors. There is blatant favoritism at this school but nobody is safe from the unprofessional mood swings. Even the bonus that everyone worked for is distributed based on favoritism.

Overall, it is a sink or swim mentality for the employees and students. I would not advise anyone work here or send their kids here. There is a high teacher turnover rate for a reason. Myself and all of my coworkers were hired on the spot because this school cannot keep people so they are desperate. This place is so toxic they can’t even keep monitors. This is truly a horrible school. I would never send my child to a basis school and all of my ex-coworkers feel the same. I sat in my new hire training with 15 other teachers and that was my first red flag…


The workplace culture at BASIS values the autonomy of instructors. BASIS teachers not only have the opportunity to teach lessons creatively and according to their own strengths, but they can also expect their management to trust in their curricula and allow them a great deal of freedom in planning and managing classes. On a typical day of school, BASIS teachers will enter their classroom, prepare for classes, execute lessons while adhering to a schedule, and perform duties on campus as necessary. Provided that teachers plan thoroughly and in advance, they can expect a smooth series of transitions as well as the ability to oversee them independently.

Although BASIS management respects teacher autonomy, they are nevertheless committed to offering and communicating their support. BASIS administrators have teaching experience, and in turn, understand the various needs and complications associated with teaching. They are always willing to listen, mentor, and provide assistance. Likewise, when not teaching, faculty at BASIS are kept available to provide unplanned assistance as necessary. On a day that I lost my voice due to illness, for instance, our staff ensured that I had aid for my classroom in the form of fellow teachers being present. Consequently, BASIS demonstrates an exceptional blend of academic independence and eagerness to support.

Given the ability for teachers to tailor lessons according to their own skill-set, executing lessons dynamically (as well as the corresponding positive interactions with students) are the most enjoyable aspects of working for BASIS. Similarly, the process of creating an entire curriculum is an immensely positive experience for those who are academically or intellectually inclined. Regarding difficulties, employment at BASIS (like many teaching venues) presents a number of parties in need of various tasks at many times throughout a typical day or week. For that reason, the greatest challenge at BASIS is likely the high volume of requests and deadlines from managers, co-workers, and students alike. Young students in particular are not likely to realize a teacher's inability to be at every place at every time, and as a result, the stress of managing tasks can occasionally be overwhelming.

Nevertheless, even stressful experiences at BASIS have taught me key skills in time management, problem-solving, and communicating in such a way that is fast, effective, and honest. While a great deal of patience is recommended for anyone purusing a career in teaching, the intellectual and stimulating environment at BASIS.ed is likely to shape teachers into more controlled and responsible manifestations of their potential.

As a veteran teacher, I have experienced manifold differing work environments requiring differing pedagogies, ranging from experiential to cooperative learning and everything in between.  While all of these can be effective, I found it odd that a district would adopt a pedagogy, expect every teacher to become an expert in it (using the square peg in a round hole belief), then discard it within two years.  It was counterproductive for both students and teachers.  However, it is endemic in the United States' educational system.  

When I was hired by BASIS Prescott, I asked what pedagogical style BASIS required of its teachers.  I was told, "Teach however you want.  Just make sure the students are learning and growing."  

And this is the broad BASIS philosophy.   Teach well, work hard, and everything else will fall into place. 

At BASIS Prescott, you will find a workplace where your colleagues are your friends, and diversity is a hallmark.   You will work harder than you have at any other school, but you will be rewarded thrice over.   You will be respected by your students if you work harder than them (and these kids work exceptionally hard) and if you value their diligence and perseverance.  BASIS is all about results and relationships.  

If your students are performing at a very high level (just being at BASIS places them far above their peers in other schools by virtue of expectations), then you have done your job.  Paperwork will always be at a minimum versus other schools; so too the requirement for lesson plans.  In fact, lesson plans are never required.    Again, the only expectation is that you are a good colleague and teacher.  

In return, you will earn the respect of the student body and your teaching peers.  The management is simply amazing in every conceivable way, including providing support to its teachers.  

BASIS Prescott is by far the best school for which I have worked in my teaching career.  Your job is to work as hard as you can and provide as much support to your students as possible.  The dividend is working for the best school system in the United States with a wholesome and amazing student body.  You will happily be left free of the extraneous paperwork so common in schools, plus you will work with colleagues whose desire to be the best will equal yours.  In short, you will be doing what teachers are supposed to be doing: helping students to reach their potential.

Finally, I am a teacher who has the pleasure of forming lasting relationships with students who will go on to accomplish  great things in their lives.  

And what more can a teacher ask?

If you have an advanced degree and got into scholarship and teaching because you love the life of the mind, you might have gotten an MA thinking you'd work at a community college, maybe even a PhD thinking you'd be a prof. Since community colleges everywhere have turned themselves into vocational schools emphasizing plumbing, HVAC and  entry-level computing jobs since the 2008 Great Recession, they need almost no regular academics full-time anymore, preferring to get part-timers to handle their English and Math these days. And the PhD glut is so bad that there are 400 to over 1000 candidates for any given 4-year assistant-prof slot. Enter a place like BASIS: accelerated charter school that teaches two years above grade level, which means that if you teach high school juniors or seniors, you've ideally got the intellectual equivalents of normal college frosh and sophs. Not a bad option...if you can break in. Once a teacher makes it to the high-school level at BASIS, they tend not to leave, so spots don't open up very often. Middle school, on the other hand...turnover is massive at the middle-school level because that's where BASIS builds up its elite high-school students who are such fun to teach. But to get that cadre there is a LOT of heavy lifting involved, lots of attrition, lots of grinding away with huge class sizes filled with chaff that has to be winnowed out. It's the poor middle-school teachers who have to do that job so the high-school teachers can sit there like fat cats and enjoy the good life. It's not fair--indeed, it's criminally exploitative, because while a high-school teacher might have 80 or max 100 students total to deal with, the horrifically overworked middle-school teacher doing all the real work will have over double that student load--and because they're little kids ranging from 5th-7th grade (8th is a bit better, so doesn't really count) it will be much more difficult to manage each individual student (and of course their whiny parents, especially in 5th & 6th grades). So you have double the student load, AND each individual student is more difficult to deal with--you do the math.
The way to approach BASIS is to get some high-school AP experience elsewhere and then apply  when there happens to be the rare high-school BASIS opening. You'll get more AP courses at a BASIS campus than anywhere else, so it'll be worth the jump from whereever you're jumping. But don't do middle school. Let some other poor sucker be the serf.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Many of the students at BASIS are some of the most gifted students I have been around. A lot of the faculty is made up of people who really want to change education. I loved this aspect of BASIS Plano. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
BASIS has a brand, and staying on brand is keeping up the BASIS image. BASIS will often talk about the " BASIS curriculum." The fact is that BASIS has a template to follow, but little to no resources for teachers to utilize. Trying to keep up with the demands becomes very difficult without access to computers and books is a challenge.      

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
BASIS is a cult built around an idea. An idea that does not meet reality. There is no doubt that, over time, reducing the student population to the very best will juice the numbers.  BASIS wants teachers to teach within a robotic approach and does not have places for anybody who steps out of that box. Challenging the lack of resources, the lack of student structure will place you squarely on the outs. Teachers with little to no experience will struggle at BASIS. You must have the experience to adjust to the BASIS way quickly.  Students run the show at BASIS and will not face discipline for disruptive behavior. Leadership's answer to student behavior would be to email the parents. This was a dead-end strategy, and students would exploit the lack of discipline. BASIS Plano has a leadership crisis with a revolving door of teachers, staff, and administration. BASIS is all about indoctrination around the BASIS brand, which uses fear and intimidation to keep staff in line. I was sold on the idea of building something. This was not the reality I found.            

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Chaotic. Microsoft Teams is going off all day. Meetings, so many meetings. Many great students! So many caring kids who want to take the next step. However, in this day and age, so many students do not care, and the constant challenges of trying to keep up with BASIS demands, with students who do not care, are dragging down the students' ability to perform well.

The only "charter" part about BASIS is chartering money from the state to their parent corporation. Beyond a joke! Administration has no experience in leadership and it truly feels like they're just playing school, not actually running one. I morally could no longer be associated with a place that has no regard for student or staff well-being. They only care about numbers. One teacher told me that they felt like all they were being used for was a "warm body" but BASIS is so desperate they'd probably even hire you after rigor has set in. You'll more than likely get hired on the spot because the turnover rate is so high! The job consists of being a full-time teacher and a part-time substitute. BASIS uses their teaching staff to cover when other teachers are out. So an upper school Chemistry teacher with a PhD might end up subbing for a 1st grade PE class. Seriously. Classrooms are BURSTING at the seams! My smallest class was 31 students and largest was 35. Between two grade levels, I had 163 daily students. In one trimester, I graded almost 3,000 papers. Most of grading is done at home, on the weekends, since there is absolutely no time during the school day. Planning periods are usually spent just trying to get the printer to work or, you guessed it, subbing! I could write a thesis about all of the issues that I encountered, however, the biggest concern that I have is with the SPED department. 504s and IEPs are not being met. Students who should have small group testing are turned away, due to lack of staff. I've had a student run into my classroom and cower in the corner and heard of many other SPED students who run and have even made it outside! BASIS is failing these students and the federal law. There's an article that I read in Fortune that states, "Education only works off of free labor from teachers. If teachers would stop working for free, it would collapse." 
We all fall down...

● Work-life balance
This is a terrible company with poor management and high expectations. The managers provide no direction and when you attempt to innovate new policies you’re knocked down. You’re forced to work hours unpaid as hourly workers at times and there is no time for family or personal time. You will work on days off and weekends and you will be reprimanded if you do not respond to parents, even on your unscheduled work days/weekends. I have seen administrative workers ridiculed verbally and forced out of their positions. It is a toxic environment, which I saw first hand. Which is why they lost 11 of the 20 administrative staff members  (not teachers) Deans, Directors, Coordinators all gone. Privileged parents play a role in the toxicity, BASIS leadership plays a bigger role. Prepare to dedicate your LIFE to work!!

● Pay & benefits
Compensation does not equal the amount of work you put in and raises are practically nonexistent. You’re not allowed to take half days for PTO. But, the medical and  dental are paid by the company.

● Job security and advancement
Job security is good of the parents like you. If the parents/boosters/donors don’t like you then it will be hard to stay employed and even harder to advance. But, they would rather promote from within. Training was slightly mediocre and not meant for advancement.

● Management
The CEO was actually a stand up person. But, it’s the school by school management that could use a revamp. Vulgar and harsh words, disrespectful at times. Toxic work environment with untrustworthy leaders. Workers literally brought to tears and resignation by treatment of management.

● Culture
The are more days spent defending your job than doing your job. The culture could use some evaluation.

● Overall
The company could use an evaluation of school-by-school leadership. Privileged parents dictate your future, you will buy your daily work provisions!!!

Do not expect to be cared for as a teaching professional here. Head of Schools and admins run this place like a business. It's all about how many heads in chairs and how much money they can make off of naive parents. They take advantage of everyone- parents and ESPECIALLY teachers. Do not expect to have a voice, and do not expect to be appreciated for your hard work, dedication, and time that you put in here. Teaching is a difficult job as it is, but working here is just not the answer. There are so many other places (and careers) where a person can feel valued. No matter how much you try to make sense of things and do your job to the best of your ability, it will not matter. Bringing issues to HR is a JOKE if you decide to go against your admin. It's like a club, and once you get an admin position, you can do no wrong and cannot be corrected. There is such a high teacher turnover rate. Teachers quitting or being fired at almost a monthly basis. The students are suffering the most, and being fed to the wolves every time a good teacher decides to leave. They even have you fill out surveys every semester just to get feedback and they do absolutely NOTHING about it. This place has the potential to be a really great school for so many students, but it will never be because they refuse to take care of their awesome and CERTIFIED teaching staff. They are left with unprofessional, uncertified teaching staff and administrators and this company should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for how they have ALLOWED people to be treated by admin teams and staff members. Parents should really consider putting their children in a different school, and this place deserves to have NO teacher who ACTUALLY cares about children and their craft.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 5 salaries reported	$46,800 per year
Elementary school teacher 38 salaries reported	$45,237 per year
Fund manager 21 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour
Fellow 19 salaries reported	$34,026 per year
English teacher 13 salaries reported	$46,577 per year

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