About Primer

Our goal is simple: help the next generation of kids be more ambitious, more creative, and learn to think for themselves. To do that, we're building a new kind of education company - an engine to help kids reach their potential.

We started Primer because standard schooling can’t possibly make space for every kid’s curiosities. But the internet can. When you join a club on Primer, or enroll in an online-offline Primer Microschool, you step into a whole world of ideas and projects, questions and conversations. You’ll meet new friends who share your interests and work together on challenges or in classes to sharpen your skills. Our goal with Primer isn’t to teach you everything under the sun—it’s actually the opposite. We want you to go deep on whatever it is that drives you. Because we think passion is the surest path to learning. And the world could use more of it.

Just as we're not taking a traditional approach to education, we're not looking for traditional thinkers. We're working on Primer because we believe it's the most important work of our lives, and we're building a company where you can do the best work of your life.

tl;dr‍

Apply to build your dream school on Primer:
- Time commitment: 12 months, full-time or part-time
- Fellowship stipend: up to $7,000/mo full benefits
- Location: San Francisco, or remote with semi-frequent trips to SF

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Today, we’re opening applications for our first Primer Fellows program.

We believe that kids are remarkable – and that the current education system is underestimating them. To change this, we need your help.

The kids on Primer are insatiably curious and wildly passionate, and we’re looking for three educators (loosely-defined!) to help nurture their energy by incubating totally unique learning experiences on a topic of their choosing on Primer.

How we got here

We created Primer to build a space where kids are taken seriously and educated in a way that allows them to thrive in a complex world, rather than pass tests. Where they learn how to think instead of what to think.

We’re not in the business of recreating school online. We’re building new tools to enable internet-native learning in ways that were never possible before.

These tools power interest-based clubs that enable kids to explore their curiosities and make real stuff alongside other kids who share their passions. They’ve blown us away with their work in both Primer-created and kid-created clubs around art, storytelling, chess, gaming, coding, cooking, naturalism and more.

We’ve always known that we could create the most impact by opening up these tools to the amazing community of educators and experts around the world. Today we’re launching the Primer Fellowship to make that happen.

If you’ve been dreaming of using technology to help build the school of the future – consider this your invitation.

Where we’re going

We hope to find fellows that are excited to lean into their own expertise and passions and explore ways to build great programming around them.

Over the course of the next year, we’ll help you create and grow an immersive space on Primer. By the end of twelve months, we hope you’ll have built a vibrant, profitable community you’re proud of that helps kids grow not just as students but as humans. One might even think of this like getting to build their own school – focused on a single subject – from scratch.

On that note, we’re ready to be surprised. If there’s anything we’ve learned since starting Primer, it’s that curiosity and joy of learning spreads fast. We’re totally open-minded about what you’d want the focus of your space to be. In fact, the more unique the better!

Sound like it might be up your alley? Here's how to apply—we can’t wait to hear from you.

What should my proposal look like?

In any format you’d like, please pitch us the space you’d like to create on Primer. At a minimum, the pitch should include:

• The topic you are interested in diving deep on.

• How you intend to engage learners.

• The kind of community you want to create.

• What makes this space unique.

• Your desired time commitment.

• Why you want to create this space and why Primer is the right place to do it.

• Feel free to also include work samples that give us an idea of your style, past work, or inspirations.

Email your proposal to fellows@withprimer.com.

FAQ

What will I do during the fellowship?
If your proposal is selected, your fellowship will be focused on bringing it to life. You’ll be given access to the full set of Primer tools to launch your own Primer Club. Depending on the specifics of your proposal you can expect to be: creating content, building curriculum, interacting with kids live in Rooms, giving us product feedback, helping inform the product roadmap, and more.

‍How long is the fellowship?‍
The fellowship will last for one year, but we’d love to work with fellows who plan to continue running their communities independently beyond that.

‍What’s the time commitment?
We’re open to fellows that can commit both part-time and full-time. We’re not dogmatic, but assume that the minimum commitment is roughly 15 hours/week.

‍What’s the stipend look like?
Compensation will fluctuate based on time commitment, but up to $7,000/mo full benefits.

‍Where do fellows need to be based?
We have a preference for fellows who can either live in the Bay Area or are willing to make semi-frequent trips to San Francisco.

If this sounds like you, fill out the application below with a bit about yourself and we'll take it from there! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email us at jobs@withprimer.com.