Part-Time Founding Teaching Position · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language, Hebrew language and literature, Jewish education, second language acquisition or applied linguistics, or Israeli studies · Native or near-native Hebrew fluency required; outstanding non-native fluency considered; you can teach entirely in Hebrew · Teaching credential (particularly IL) preferred — U.S. licensure or Israeli te'udat hora'a equally valued · 3+ years of secondary (grades 6–12) teaching experience preferred, ideally including Hebrew as a second language; high school (grades 9–12) teaching experience highly preferred · Jewish day, independent, or faith-based school experience is a plus. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you a passionate Hebrew educator who believes language is the gateway to culture, identity, connection, and belonging? Do you inspire students to communicate confidently in Hebrew while fostering meaningful engagement with Israeli culture, Jewish heritage, and the broader Jewish world? Are you excited to help build a dynamic, student-centered Hebrew language program within a rigorous college-preparatory environment? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
THE DREAM TEAM
Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college-preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state-of-the-art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture-builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator https://www.davischicago.org/idealeducator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.
To thrive here you are:
- Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
- You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
- A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
- Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
- Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
- Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro-Israel school.
WHAT DAVIS CHICAGO NEEDS
Davis Chicago is hiring a part-time Hebrew Teacher to help make modern Hebrew a living language at the school: real spoken proficiency, real Israeli culture, real joy. Sections span the placement-based Hebrew levels offered to the founding class. Davis School Chicago has also posted a full-time Hebrew Teacher https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/davischicago/d0444d33-3f66-4c61-9935-572c4310c9ad role. We post both because a founding year has to fit the people we find: the full-time role completes its load beyond Hebrew, with Jewish Studies sections, Israel education, and schoolwide advisory programming depending on your strengths, and the part-time role is Hebrew alone. Apply to the one that fits; if you are open to either, apply to both.
WHO THRIVES IN THIS ROLE
- Warm, Relational, and High-Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
- A Proficiency-Driven Language Teacher – Lives in the target language and gets students speaking.
- A Bridge to Israel – Brings…