Software Engineering Instructor Continuous

Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) at Per Scholas — Research Report

Introduction

The Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) role at Per Scholas is a high-impact teaching position for people who want to shape careers, not just deliver lessons. Because this is a continuous opening, it is one of those roles where timing matters less than readiness: strong candidates can move quickly when a need opens in New York, NY.

If you are researching how to get hired at Per Scholas, this role is especially valuable because it sits at the intersection of technical instruction, coaching, and workforce development. You are not only teaching software engineering fundamentals; you are helping adult learners build the confidence and job readiness needed to enter the tech industry.

Overview of Per Scholas

Per Scholas is a nonprofit workforce development organization focused on providing free technical training and career support to adults seeking entry into technology careers. Its model centers on preparing learners for in-demand roles through intensive training, employer-aligned curriculum, and job placement support.

In the broader market, Per Scholas occupies a niche that sits between bootcamps, community colleges, and employer-led training programs. Its competitors and alternatives include coding bootcamps, nonprofit upskilling organizations, and local workforce boards, but Per Scholas is distinguished by its employer partnerships and mission-driven focus on access and economic mobility.

The organization’s services typically include software engineering, cloud, cybersecurity, data, and other technology pathways, along with wraparound support that helps learners stay on track. In New York, NY, Per Scholas has a strong presence because the city is a major talent market and a central hub for both tech employers and workforce programs.

People want to work at Per Scholas because the mission is concrete and visible: graduates often move into real jobs, and instructors can see direct results from their teaching. The work environment tends to attract people who are patient, structured, and energized by helping others succeed in a practical, measurable way.

Software Engineering Instructor Role

Role Overview

The Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) is responsible for teaching job-ready software engineering content to adult learners in a classroom or hybrid setting. Day to day, the instructor explains technical concepts, leads hands-on exercises, checks learner progress, and adapts lessons to different skill levels.

This role has a direct business impact because learner outcomes drive program reputation, employer relationships, and placement success. A strong instructor helps Per Scholas maintain quality, improve graduation rates, and deliver candidates employers actually want to hire.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Teach software engineering fundamentals, including front-end and back-end concepts, in a structured classroom environment.
• Prepare lesson plans, labs, and assignments aligned with workforce outcomes.
• Track learner progress and intervene early when someone falls behind.
• Provide individualized coaching, feedback, and technical troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with program staff on attendance, retention, and learner support.
• Assess student code, projects, and presentations for technical accuracy and professionalism.
• Adapt instruction for learners with different backgrounds, experience levels, and confidence levels.
• Support career readiness by reinforcing teamwork, communication, and interview behaviors.

Day-to-Day Workflow

A realistic day usually starts with reviewing attendance, learner questions, and the plan for the session. The instructor may spend the morning teaching a core concept such as JavaScript, APIs, or full-stack application structure, then move into live coding, pair work, or a lab.

Afternoons often include office hours, code review, progress check-ins, and problem-solving with learners who are stuck on a concept or assignment. A good instructor also spends time adjusting pacing, because adult learners often need more repetition in some areas and more challenge in others.

Outside class time, the role includes curriculum prep, grading, coordination with staff, and occasional employer or team meetings. In a fast-moving program, the best instructors are both organized and flexible.

Tools and Technologies

Per Scholas software engineering programs commonly rely on the tools and platforms used in modern entry-level development environments. Expect to work with JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Git, GitHub, React, Node.js, APIs, and databases, depending on the curriculum track.

In a New York training environment, instructors may also use learning platforms, video conferencing tools, classroom productivity software, and code editors such as Visual Studio Code. The exact stack can vary by cohort, but the expectation is that you can teach core concepts clearly even if the tooling changes slightly.

Skills and Requirements

Technical Skills

The strongest candidates usually have hands-on experience in software engineering, web development, or application development. You should be comfortable explaining core programming concepts, debugging code, and demonstrating how software systems are structured.

Practical familiarity with JavaScript, React, Node.js, Git workflow, testing basics, and API integration is especially useful for a Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) role. Experience with curriculum design, coding assessments, or training delivery is a major plus.

Soft Skills

This role is heavily people-facing, so communication matters as much as technical depth. You need to explain complex topics in plain language, manage group dynamics, and stay calm when learners are frustrated or behind.

Patience, empathy, classroom leadership, and problem-solving are essential. Per Scholas is looking for someone who can motivate adults without talking down to them and who can maintain structure without becoming rigid.

Experience Expectations

Per Scholas roles like this generally prioritize demonstrated teaching ability, technical fluency, and a record of supporting learners or junior team members. A polished portfolio, previous instruction experience, coding bootcamp teaching, mentoring work, or tutoring all strengthen an application.

A formal graduate degree is not always the deciding factor; practical impact often matters more. If you do not have direct classroom teaching experience, a portfolio of projects, curriculum samples, technical writing, or mentoring outcomes can help prove readiness.

Salary and Benefits

For New York, NY, a realistic market-based salary estimate for a Software Engineering Instructor at a mission-driven nonprofit like Per Scholas is often in the range of $75,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on experience, seniority, and program scope. More experienced instructors or lead roles can sit above that range, especially in a high-cost market like New York.

Benefits may include standard nonprofit employer coverage, paid time off, retirement options, professional development, and the intrinsic value of mission-aligned work. Some roles may also offer hybrid flexibility, although classroom-led instruction usually requires significant in-person presence.

Because Per Scholas is a training organization with strong employer connections, there can also be long-term career upside even when the starting salary is modest compared with private-sector engineering roles. For many candidates, the role is a bridge into program leadership, curriculum development, instructional design, or workforce strategy.

Per Scholas Hiring Process

Step-by-Step Hiring Stages

1. Application: Submit a tailored resume and any supporting materials that show technical and teaching experience.
2. Screening: Recruiters review alignment with curriculum needs, learner support experience, and communication style.
3. Assignment: Candidates may be asked to teach a short lesson, explain a technical concept, or complete a practical exercise.
4. Interviews: Expect conversations with program leaders, instructors, or operations staff about pedagogy, culture fit, and learner outcomes.
5. Offer: Strong candidates receive an offer after the team confirms both technical credibility and instructional fit.

Application Timeline

Because this is a continuous opening, the timeline can move whenever a cohort need or staffing gap appears. In practical terms, applicants who are well matched may hear back within one to three weeks, while others may remain in a talent pool for future openings.

If you are targeting this role, it is smart to apply as soon as your materials are ready. Continuous openings reward candidates who are prepared rather than those who wait for a perfect calendar window.

Screening Methods

Screening usually starts with resume review, and keywords matter. Terms like software engineering, JavaScript, React, curriculum development, adult learners, coaching, classroom instruction, and technical training can help your application look relevant.

Hiring teams also look closely at portfolio evidence. Clear GitHub repositories, sample lesson plans, mentoring outcomes, slide decks, or code-along projects can all help demonstrate that you can teach as well as code.

Interview Preparation

Example Interview Questions

• How do you teach complex software engineering concepts to learners with uneven technical backgrounds?
• Describe a time you helped someone move from confusion to confidence in a technical subject.
• How would you handle a classroom where several learners are falling behind on the same module?
• What would your first two weeks look like in a Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) role?

How to Answer

Use the STAR method when possible: describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. That structure is especially effective in instructional interviews because it shows not just what you know, but how you operate under real constraints.

When answering technical teaching questions, show your thought process out loud. Interviewers want to see whether you can simplify without oversimplifying and whether you can recognize when a learner needs a different explanation, not just more information.

What Recruiters Evaluate

Recruiters are usually evaluating four things: technical credibility, teaching clarity, learner empathy, and reliability. They want someone who can run a room, not just write code.

They also pay attention to mission alignment. Per Scholas values candidates who are genuinely motivated by access, equity, and workforce outcomes rather than by teaching as a temporary fallback.

How to Get Selected

Practical Tips

• Tailor your resume to instruction, mentoring, and software engineering outcomes.
• Show evidence of teaching, not just coding, through presentations, workshops, or tutoring.
• Prepare one or two short explanations of technical topics at beginner level.
• Quantify your impact when possible, such as student pass rates, project completion, or learner satisfaction.
• Research Per Scholas’ mission so your answers sound informed and specific.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One common mistake is overemphasizing senior engineering experience while underplaying instruction. Per Scholas is hiring an educator first, so the team needs evidence that you can guide learners patiently and consistently.

Another mistake is giving overly technical answers that do not translate for beginners. If you cannot explain a concept like asynchronous programming or REST APIs in plain language, that will raise concerns about your teaching effectiveness.

How to Stand Out

The strongest candidates usually bring a portfolio that looks like an instructor’s toolkit, not just a developer’s portfolio. That can include a short curriculum outline, a sample lesson slide deck, a GitHub project with readme documentation, and a recorded explanation of a technical concept.

Networking also matters. If you can connect with current or former Per Scholas staff, alumni, or community partners, you can learn what the classroom culture really expects and how the team defines success.

Tailoring your submission for the New York, NY context helps too. Mentioning experience with adult learners, workforce programs, urban classroom environments, or job-ready training can make your application feel more relevant to the role.

Final Thoughts

The Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) role at Per Scholas is a strong opportunity for candidates who want to use their technical background in a more human-centered way. It is one of the clearest paths for people who care about software engineering, education, and economic mobility at the same time.

If you want to get hired at Per Scholas, focus on showing that you can teach, coach, and structure learning for adults who are preparing for real jobs. Apply with a tailored resume, prove your classroom presence, and make your mission fit unmistakably clear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Salary Questions

Q: What is the salary for Software Engineering Instructor (Continuous) at Per Scholas?

A realistic estimate for New York, NY is about $75,000 to $100,000 per year, with variation based on experience, instructional scope, and seniority. More experienced candidates or lead instructors may earn more.

Competition Level

Q: How competitive is it to get hired at Per Scholas?

It is competitive because the role requires both technical fluency and strong instructional ability. Candidates with teaching experience, polished communication, and a clear mission fit tend to have the best odds.

Top Skills Needed

Q: What skills are most important for this role?

The most important skills are software engineering fundamentals, the ability to explain technical topics clearly, classroom leadership, patience, and comfort supporting adult learners through a job-ready curriculum.