1) Who is eligible for the Summer Fellowship Program? Eligible Teachers are those who:
3) Where are the sponsors that offer Fellowships? IISME recruits sponsors from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties. The majority of Fellowships are offered in the Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose Area. 4) When would I learn if I earned a Fellowship? Top If you have already applied for a Summer Fellowship in a past summer, all you need to do to re-apply, is log back into http://iisme.org, click on Summer Fellowships, then click on Application. Your entire application will appear in a list of nine pages. IISME encourages all returning applicants to review all nine pages and make sure all information is current and completely answered. You MUST submit page 9 of the application, the Teacher Agreement form, in order to be considered for the summer of 2010. IISME will issue an emailed document to your administrator upon submission of a 2010 Summer Fellowship Application. IISME must receive a returned email stating your Administrator's support of your participation in the program in order to complete the application process. 6) How can I edit my current application? If you have already applied for the Summer Fellowship Program, you can always update your online application by logging into http://iisme.org, clicking on Summer Fellowships, then clicking on Application. You can select any page and make changes. Just be sure to click the submit button on the bottom of the changed page. Your application will automatically update as soon as you submit your edits. If you have a change of address or contact information please call or email in addition to updating the website; you should contact Shari Liss at sliss@iisme.org or (408) 553-3179. 7) When can I expect to hear from prospective employers? Fellowship Sponsors will begin posting Fellowship Projects in March of 2010. The interview and hiring process will begin in March and can last all the way through June. Although we encourage Fellowship Sponsors to begin interviewing in early March, this timeline, although helpful to teachers, is not always feasible for Fellowship Sponsors who may post projects and interview teachers well into May, and even early June. Once the Fellowship Sponsors begin to post Fellowship Project Descriptions, you can log into your account, click on “Positions Available” and explore the options. Once you have identified some positions that appeal to you, you can express interest in a Fellowship. By expressing interest in a particular Fellowship, IISME staff will be alerted that you are interested in that project, and will forward your Interest Statement and resume along to the person coordinating interviews for that particular position. By expressing interest in specific Fellowships, you will greatly increase your chances of being selected for an IISME Fellowship. 8) How much do I get paid for my summer work? The Summer Fellowship pays $900/week for the eight weeks, so your gross pay will be $7,200 for the summer. In addition, each teacher receives a $1,000 grant for completing an Education Transfer Plan and an Impact Report detailing the impact of the Summer Fellowship Program on his/her teaching practice during the following school year. 9) How many hours do I have to work? Each fellowship is eight weeks long. Each week will be 40 hours of work. Teachers get 10% of their paid time to work on IISME related activities, including developing their Education Tranfer Plan and attending IISME meetings. 10) What are the dates of the Fellowship? The Fellowships run approximately from June 21, 2010 to August 13, 2010. This is somewhat flexible as we recognize that different school districts have different school schedules. Although the exact start and end dates can be worked out with your Fellowship Sponsor and IISME, each teacher is required to work the full eight-weeks. Any variations of the starting and ending dates from those given above MUST be cleared through the IISME Office in advance. 11) What is an Education Transfer Plan? In addition to working on an industry or research project, each IISME Fellow is required to develop a specific plan for transferring the IISME experience back to education. This Education Transfer Plan could be a lesson or unit in a specific content area or one that integrates different disciplines, a classroom project, a staff development day or faculty meeting presentation, a pre-planned field trip to an industry site, or a unit on career exploration. Veteran Fellows (teachers who have held an IISME Fellowship previously) have the option of proposing an alternative ETP to IISME’s Education Director. Each Fellow is expected to spend close to 10% of his/her IISME time developing this plan and it is advised that the Sponsoring Mentor be involved in the process as the Mentor will be asked to sign off on the final product. 12) Can I improve my chances of being placed in a Fellowship? Yes. The online application you complete provides the first impression to Fellowship Sponsors, so taking time to complete all sections thoroughly and accurately is key to being placed. We recommend that you answer each of the Personal Statement questions in Word first and use spell check, to ensure that there are no typos before copying and pasting your responses into the online application form. In addition, once the Fellowship Sponsors post their Fellowship Projects, you can log into your account, click on “Positions Available” and explore the options. Once you have identified some positions that appeal to you, you can post Statements of Interest in specific Fellowship positions. When you express interest in a particular Fellowship, IISME staff will be alerted that you are interested in that project, and will forward your Interest Statement and resume along to the person coordinating interviews for that particular position. By expressing interest in specific Fellowships, you will greatly increase your chances of being selected for an IISME Fellowship. Applicants can also maximize their chances of being selected by checking email frequently, responding to inquiries immediately and keeping their summer schedule open as long as possible. 13) Is the process competitive? Yes. IISME receives well over 400 applications for fewer than 200 Fellowship positions. Remember to be proactive and market yourself in the best possible way. FAQs For Mentors and Coordinators 1) What is the cost of a Fellowship? Bay Area Fellowships cost $11,500 if the Sponsor hires the teacher directly or $13,000 if IISME is the Employer of Record. The difference in cost covers teacher benefits such as payroll taxes, Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance. The cost for Sacramento Area Sponsors (with IISME serving as the Employer of Record) is $12,000. Click here for a cost breakdown. 2) Why do Fellowhip Sponsors pay IISME in addition to paying teacher stipends? Why should I pay this extra amount instead of hiring a teacher directly? This Professional Services Fee of $3,300 is included in the cost quoted above, and it is used to provide time-tested support services that ensure that the Fellowship is “not just a summer job,” but a valuable professional development experience for teachers. We create a professional support network to help teachers improve their teaching practices, and this network keeps them focused on transferring the work experience you provide into updated curriculum and improved pedagogical practice. Sponsors pay the teachers’ stipends and also cover about 85% of IISME’s costs of providing educational services to teachers throughout the summer and school year, teacher and Sponsor recruitment, program evaluation, and administration. Top 4) What kind of teachers apply to the IISME Summer Fellowship Program? Approximately 400 teachers apply each year and approximately half are high school science, math or technology teachers. Others teach K-8 or community college. (The 5) What if IISME can’t find a teacher with the qualifications I need? That should not be a problem if you adhere to IISME's recommended timeline. However, if it happens, we will work with you to determine if you can adjust the project requirements. If you can't and we are unable to recruit a teacher suited for your project, then you are not obligated to proceed with the Fellowship. 6) What kinds of projects are appropriate for teachers? IISME teachers have been successful in a variety of areas within an organization: community relations, engineering support, finance, information technology/MIS, marketing, quality assurance, research, software development, training and web development. Review the sample Fellowship descriptions on the IISME website to get a sense of the level and scope of projects teachers can undertake. 7) The project I’ve identified will only take six weeks. Is that okay? Yes, as long as IISME is aware of the modified schedule and the teacher you select agrees up front. (Short assignments are usually very attractive to teachers.) 8) How will my department and I benefit from this teacher’s work? In 2009, 94% of IISME Mentors said they and/or their departments benefited from their teacher’s contributions. Mentors value the teachers’ fresh perspectives, strong interpersonal skills, initiative, and sense of professionalism. Teachers are mature, seasoned professionals with a strong work ethic. Many teachers develop ideas that improve a Sponsor’s current practices or benefit the bottom line. 9) How much of my time will mentoring a teacher take? This varies by individual and by difficulty of the work assignment. Most Mentors can screen, interview and select teachers in a total of 4-5 hours. Arrangements (telephone, computer, desk, security badge, etc.) then need to be made for the teacher’s arrival at the worksite. We ask Mentors to attend a one-hour orientation session at the start of the program. During the Fellowship, Mentors typically meet with their teacher at least once or twice per week to monitor progress. It helps if there are other team members who can work with the teacher. At the end of the summer, Mentors are asked to complete an evaluation that takes about 5-10 minutes. 10) How many hours per week is my IISME Fellow expected to work? IISME Fellows work full-time (40 hours per week) unless alternate arrangements are made with IISME. Ten percent of the IISME Fellow's time will be devoted to professional development activities focused on supporting teachers to transfer the summer work experience to the classroom. Teachers spend this time attending IISME meetings and developing an Education Transfer Plan (ETP) under the guidance of IISME staff and their Peer Coaches. Part of this "10% time" will be spent at occasional lunch meetings with their Peer Coach or other Teacher Fellows. In addition, all Fellows must attend the IISME Mid-Summer Meeting in mid-July. The teachers may also have the opportunity to visit other Fellows at their worksites or attend IISME-sponsored training classes during the summer. Time for these activities can be paid or unpaid and is at the discretion of the 11) Am I expected to help the teacher with his/her Education Transfer Plan? No, the teacher is solely responsible for creating strategies for bringing the summer work experience back to school. You are asked to read and sign off on it in August. If you can help the teacher brainstorm ideas or provide resources to develop or implement the ETP, GREAT! 12) Do teachers get paid for the July 4 holiday? For sick days? We encourage Sponsors to pay teachers for the July 4 holiday. Teachers do not expect to get any paid sick leave or vacation from their IISME Sponsors. 13) What happens if my teacher doesn’t work the full 8 weeks? If the teacher has completed your project and you have agreed that s/he end the Fellowship early, that’s okay with IISME. Just let us know. At the end of the summer, IISME sends Sponsors information about any credit or outstanding balance on their payments to IISME. 14) Can I work with my teacher longer than 8 weeks? 15) Do teachers fill out timesheets? If your organization has designated IISME as the Employer of Record, then IISME issues and collects timesheets. Mentors will be required to approve them. If your organization has hired the teacher directly, please check with your Human Resources department about the payroll process. If IISME is the Employer of Record, then IISME issues a paycheck four times during the Fellowship. It is the teacher’s responsibility to submit the approved timesheet to IISME for payment. If your organization has hired the teacher directly, check with your HR department for payment schedule. Teachers also receive a grant after the summer (half upon submission of their Education Transfer Plan and the balance after submitting an Impact Report). No matter which organization is the Employer of Record, IISME will distribute these grants. 17) Are teachers allowed to work flexible hours or telecommute during their Fellowship? Yes, as long as you approve the arrangements. We do not recommend, however, that teachers telecommute for a large portion of their Fellowship. One of the benefits of IISME Fellowships is the opportunity they provide for teachers to experience an industry work setting or research lab. If IISME is the Employer of Record, Sponsors need to notify IISME of any alternate work schedule prior to the start of the Fellowship. Sponsors are required to pay IISME the cost of any overtime worked by the teacher in excess of eight hours in any day or forty hours in any week, or any time on the 7th day in a workweek, in accordance with state and federal law. 18) Can I extend an offer for regular employment to my Teacher-Fellow? No! IISME’s mission is to help retain good teachers in education and strengthen their ability to reach students. Please do not take our teachers from the classroom. If a Teacher-Fellow initiates this discussion, please remind him/her of IISME’s mission and notify an IISME staff member. Top19) Can I invite my Fellow back for a second summer? Yes, it is often very attractive to a teacher to return for a second summer. The training time is reduced and teachers feel a sense of accomplishment at being invited back. We do limit teachers to two consecutive summers at the same Sponsor. 20) Do I get to evaluate my teacher and the IISME program? Yes, we will ask you to complete a quick evaluation at the end of the summer. However, if you have concerns or problems with your teacher before then, please notify IISME immediately. 21) What is an IISME Peer Coach? To ensure that IISME Fellows stay focused on converting their summer experiences into classroom instruction, IISME appoints a small cadre of Peer Coaches each summer. These Peer Coaches, veteran teachers who have held at least two Fellowships previously, facilitate Community Group meetings for small groups of IISME teachers working at the same Sponsor or teaching the same subject. They help plan IISME’s Mid-Summer meeting for teachers and troubleshoot problems at the summer work site. IISME will tell you which Peer Coach has been assigned to your teacher(s) and provide his/her contact information. 22) What happens when the Fellowship is over? Your official mentoring obligation ends. However, we hope your relationship with your teacher continues. 23) Doesn’t IISME help teachers leave teaching for industry jobs? On the contrary, IISME Fellowships help retain teachers in education. A 2001 IISME Teacher Retention Study showed that teachers who have held an IISME Fellowship stayed in teaching at more than twice the rate of their peers in the state and nation. |
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