First, to find a plethora of job openings, check out The House Parent Network' job listings. Neil and I started there, and learned a lot just from checking out the various websites listed along with the job postings.
Second, narrow out those that interest you, and send them each a cover letter, and separate resumes for you and your spouse. We highlighted our work, school and volunteer experience that dealt primarily with children, youth and young adults, as well as any counseling experience we had.
Third, after hearing back from those that are interested, you'll get their individual applications or questionnaires, and you can begin setting up first interviews with some (some may be ready to set up interviews right away, while others may wait until they've reviewed the application).
Once you begin setting up interviews, you'll want to take a bit of time to prepare for them. One of the organizations we talked to told us, "Interviewing for a house parent position is unique, because it is less about us interviewing you, and more about you interviewing us." About half of our "first interviews" were really just an opportunity for us to ask them questions. After having gone through several first interviews, Neil and I have have come up with a simple system that we use to prepare for each:
- We first made a spreadsheet with the areas that we are interested in learning about from each organization.
- Prior to each interview, we would review all the information we had on a particular organization (from the job posting, their website, etc.) and would fill in all the information we found into the spreadsheet under that organizations title.
- We would then simply create a list of questions based off of the blanks that were left under their column.
The items included on our spreadsheet are listed below:
- Name
- Location
- Girls, Boys, Both (Type of homes)
- Christian (Yes or No)
- Weekdays (A typical daily schedule)
- Weekends
- Holidays
- Summers
- Pay
- Benefits
- Housing
- Transportation
- Work Days (How many days on & how many off)
- Vacation
- Children Allowed (One's own children)
- Pets Allowed
- Visitors Allowed
- Number of Homes on Campus
- Assistants in the Home (many include a 3rd person such as an intern or a "youth couselor" in the home)
- Children per Home
- Average Duration of Stay
- Ages Accepted
- Child Counseling
- Family Counseling
- School
- Equestrian Program (Yes or No)
- Additional Activities Available
- Training
- Church Attendance
- Campus Size
- Year Founded
- Position Available (When is the org. looking to fill the position)
- Application Process
- Primary Contact
- Website
After completing the first interview, you'll likely set up a second interview with another individual such as the director of the organization, or the director of a specific campus (for larger facilities). This interview is more like a traditional interview where they will ask more pointed questions, but Neil and I have found this to not be too difficult, because many of the questions that one organization asks in an interview, another organization has already asked on a questionnaire or application.
Finally, most will want you to come visit before they make their final decision. This is a final opportunity for them to assess you, and for you to assess the organization to see if you each are a right fit for each other.
The whole process is pretty standard for an interview process, but I thought this still may be helpful to those interested in the field since this is a rather unique position to apply for. Sorry to those that are not interested in the field, as I realize that this may be a rather dry read for you.
Always the teacher,
Jenna
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