What path (edtech, consulting, etc.) is best for an end goal of building a school in India?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

I’m an Econ major and Education minor at UC Berkeley who will graduate in May 2017. My end goal is to build a school in India that specializes in technology in the classroom e.g learning through computer animations and online simulations (something I need a talented driven team of developers for). I would like to do that soon after graduating but need quality investors and connections that can help finance this venture.

What field is best for the connections I am looking for (people who can fund the school project, and people that can code high-quality programs that students can learn from)? I’m not into Investment Banking which I’ve heard is great for these connections, but I think mgmt consulting would be great for meeting these contacts. Is getting hired to one of the top management consulting firms necessary for this? I need a backup plan if the school in India doesn’t work out and having exp managing startups, consulting is something I’d be good at. I’m also very passionate about edtech and see this field as something directly related to my end goal. I can manage a 3.8 GPA if I lessen my workload (right now I’m working low-level jobs unrelated to edtech or consulting.) Are there any jobs/internships during the summer/school year that would be useful for my career path? Right now I’m focusing less on my GPA and more on meeting people in edtech that could offer internships because I believe they could be potential employers after my graduation. I’m not sure if this is the best path and if I should be like everyone else and just get leadership positions in clubs and solely focus on GPA.

Any guidance from people with connections to edtech, consulting or college students with opinions is appreciated!

2

Are there no classes at Berkeley which help you address these kinds of questions?

3

This isn’t a very normal question since many people do not have an end goal of creating a school. I already know for mgmt consulting you need a great GPA to get into a top firm and I have an advantage because of the school I go to. I don’t know whether only top firms are able to provide the connections I’m looking for and whether I should focus more on internships with edtech companies to gain the connections I need.

4

OK, here’s my question:

Are you looking for a charter school kind of arrangement, where you build the school then hire someone to run it, or are you looking to build the kind of school that YOU will run?

The first is all about business, the second is at least as much about education.

If you want to build a school then hire a group of people to run it, then your primary concerns will be finance and working your way through the layers of laws and regulations that are sure to exist.

If you want to build your own school, then I suggest you spend equal time learning how to teach, and to teach well. And to teach in a culture different from the one in which you’re currently being educated. (Nope, simply “being Indian” isn’t enough. )

5

I went to school for a year and a half in India (3rd grade) and this summer I taught 2 college classes of 80 students each at an engineering college located in the city I want to build the school in. I plan to both build and create a curriculum for the school I plan to run.

6

OK, in terms of creating curriculum, you’re going to want to know a lot about curriculum development… consider a Master’s in Curriculum design.

And I would get as much experience as possible in the meantime, teaching a wide variety of grade levels.

Don’t jump in to this too quickly. No matter how qualified you think you are, unless you’ve been teaching the appropriate grade level a decade or so you have no idea of how to teach. The first 3 or 4 years in the classroom, your main aim is to survive without doing too much harm.

Be very careful about assuming that a computer can teach all kids all things. They’re amazing for some things, but a huge chunk of teaching- the vast majority of it-- is about making connections with the kids you teach.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about Indian education, so forgive me if some of my questions are in the realm of things you’ve already considered.

You’ll want to read everything you can find about Indian education-- its strengths, weaknesses, what’s emphasized, what should be emphasized, the role of government in education, and so on. Is there a federal curriculum of some sort? If so, is it along the lines of Common Core, or more tightly structured? How much say does the federal/local government have in the day to day workings of your classrooms and school?

You’ll want to learn about everything from fire codes to building codes to how teachers are certified to how they’re paid in India. You’ll want to learn how building is done there-- whether it’s straightforward and by the book or more convoluted? Do you have to know people in local government in order to get things done?

What sort of certification/permits will you need?

How are you planning to fund your school? Private donations? (If so, then what do they get for their money-- do they have any say in what you teach or how you teach it?) Tuition? (If so, how much? How much would you need, and does the standard of living mean that there are sufficient numbers of local people with the spare cash?)

You’ll want to know what’s government funded and what’s not. Textbooks?? Notebooks? Teacher supplies? Uniforms/ dress codes? Free lunches? Is there something along the lines of the US mandated services? How large are classes?

Are teachers mandated reporters? How much freedom do they have in curriculum design? Do they follow a scripted curriculum? Are there unions? Are the working conditions something you can live with, or do you plan to radically improve the working conditions compared to the average? What’s the average class size?

How does the economic status of the family enter into the school day? In the US, there are a million tiny ways that it shows up, from Scope programs to Head Start to those free lunches and waivers for college applications.

How does religion come into play? In the US, there’s a strict mandate against any sort of a state religion, though I’m not sure it’s interpreted equally in all parts of the country.

How about gender differences? Is it expected that girls will stay in school until high school graduation? Or are they expected to help out at home? Are the boys pulled out during harvest season?

What would your school have to offer that isn’t currently already in place? And if there is something, how will you make it work?

OK, off the top of my head, that should get you started.

7

“This isn’t a very normal question since many people do not have an end goal of creating a school.”

I have no idea what you mean by “normal”, but new schools are created all the time. This is really just another entrepreneurial project. Berkeley has such programs.

8

I think the difference is that everyone assumes they know what it takes to run a school, since everyone has spent time as a student. The reality is that, unless and until you’ve spent numerous years teaching each of the grade levels in your school, you have no idea of the issues that a good administrator would need to address.

We’ve all had bosses along the way who were promoted way too early and had no idea what it was like in the trenches. Please, PLEASE don’t do that to a bunch of kids. Don’t open a school until you understand how education works, how kids at different ages learn, and the issues that arise within each subject area and age group.

First teach- -and no, not “2 college classes of 80 students” for a summer. Teach kids who are as close as possible to those Indian kids you’re hoping to educate. You mention that it’s in a city, great, so teach inner city kids here in the US, and see if you can get a semester or two teaching kids in India. (not a summer program, but day to day, times tables and handwriting and Indian history teaching.) Become the best teacher in your building at one level, then move on to another level. Become the teacher that every parent wants his/her kid to get.

Then think about opening a school and teaching other teachers to be that same teacher.