Why Did You Apply for a Job at Alpha?
A year ago, if you had told me I was going to be a teacher, and a good teacher at that, I would have thought you were joking.
Before Alpha, I was working as a coach for Beachbody, and before that I’d spent years in hospitality.
I was getting home incredibly late, trying to come down from the energy of the night, and my relationships with my family, my friends, and the people I loved took a massive hit. I just wasn’t fully there.
That’s a sad way to live.
Then I came across Alpha on Indeed.com, and something clicked. It got my creative juices flowing again in a way that my previous work hadn’t in the longest time. I felt more excited applying for the role than I had felt going to work in months, maybe years.
My name is Chris Hayes, and I’m an L2 Guide at Alpha Miami.
What Was the Hiring Process Like?
The hiring process is intense, but in a good way. It honestly felt a little like unlocking levels in a video game.
First, I took the CCAT, which I’d never done before. It’s 50 questions in 15 minutes - rapid-fire pattern recognition, math problems, and logic. Based on that, I was told I’d be a great fit for the Guide role, and it felt like unlocking a new opportunity.
Then there were written exercises about how I’d handle different students, and questions about coaching and the most impactful teacher or coach I’d had in my own life.
After that, I had to record a video of myself teaching the Trojan War to a group of five-year-olds, which was definitely a new experience for me.
From there, I interviewed with CeCe Hill, who runs Guide training, and then with Dr Stephanie Baduria. I got an email late that Thursday night asking if I could be in Austin by Saturday morning!
They paid for my flight, put me up in an Airbnb, and I got the chance to shadow during summer school. It all moved really fast, but it felt like they were serious about finding the right people.
And sure enough, not long after that, I got the offer.
Discover more about our selection process here.
What Makes the Guide Role Different to Traditional Teaching?
One of the coolest things about being a Guide is that we’re not just helping kids academically. We’re also responsible for helping them build life skills that are going to matter for the rest of their lives.
For one workshop, I built a grit program around running a Spartan Race. I planned out eight weeks of workouts and exercises, and not just physical ones. We also worked on mental skills like positive self-talk.
What makes Alpha different is that we don’t just tell kids what to do from the front of the room. We do it with them.
I’m sprinting alongside the kids in the mud, running over hills with them, and leading by example instead of just giving instructions.
That changes everything.
At the end of the school day, the connection doesn’t switch off. Kids are still coming up at dismissal with last-minute questions, ideas, and things they forgot to ask eight hours earlier. I love that.
It says everything about the kind of environment we’re building.
How Has Your Job at Alpha Changed Your Life?
Without a doubt, this is the greatest job I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m grateful every single morning that I wake up to it.
It sounds huge, but it’s true. I get to do meaningful work, be fully present, and help create a school environment that kids are excited to come back to the next day.
And it’s opened doors I never imagined.
I grew up in New Jersey watching the Today Show before school, so getting to appear on it and have people from back home texting me, asking, “Wait, did I just see you?” was surreal. But the biggest change isn’t being on TV.
It’s who I am day to day.
I’m a better version of myself because I’ve got these kids around me. It’s the coolest job in the world, and I’m so lucky to have it. And it’s all because I was hired on Crossover.
Want to keep reading? Meet CeCe now head of guide training and development at Alpha.
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