Join the team behind Uncuffed, KALW’s award-winning podcast and audio training program in California prisons
Note: The application window for this position has closed. Please contact uncuffed@kalw.org if you want to hear about future opportunities.
The Uncuffed program is looking for a part-time Audio Storytelling Lead Teacher to deliver classes in radio and podcasting for participants in Solano State Prison. The ideal candidate will also serve as an assistant teacher for our Broadcast DJ Training Program at Solano State Prison and our Audio Storytelling program at San Quentin State Prison. Preference will be given to those personally impacted by the carceral system, or who have experience working with individuals within the system.
Deadline: Apply by 11:59 PM on Sunday, February 26, 2023
Apply at this link: https://airtable.com/shro6jKIA2FjmBgwr
About Uncuffed
KALW began working in prisons in 2012, when we set up the first radio studio at San Quentin State Prison. Today, we train people at San Quentin and Solano State Prisons in audio storytelling, interviewing, podcasting, and DJing. The mission of the Uncuffed program is to provide media training to people in the carceral system. Through the program, participants develop job skills, express their humanity, and inspire change.
Participants learn to record and edit interviews with other incarcerated people. Their stories and conversations air on the radio, our website, the podcast Uncuffed, and across California prisons on CDCR-issued tablets and internal TV networks, promoting transformation inside and outside the walls. Former participants include the creators of the podcast Ear Hustle, and other media-makers and activists.
About the Role
The Lead Teacher contributes to three training programs. NOTE: The primary teaching role is with the Solano audio storytelling program. We strongly prefer a candidate who can also occasionally teach in the Solano DJ and San Quentin Audio Storytelling programs.
Solano Audio Storytelling Lead Teacher (70%)
Time commitment: Avg. 14 hours per week, with classes weekly on Fridays, 10am-2:30 pm
Location: Vacaville, CA
- Prepare and lead lessons in interviewing, personal storytelling, and writing for radio
- Edit student work in person at the prison, and remotely
- Coordinate with institutional staff to report attendance, approve content, and facilitate operation of the program
- Supervise an assistant teacher
- Deliver remote instruction when access to prisons is not possible
- Contribute to a team dedicated to amplifying the voices of incarcerated people.
Solano Broadcast DJ Assistant Teacher (20%)
Time commitment: Avg. 4 hours per week, with classes about twice a month on Wednesdays, 9am-2:30pm
Location: Vacaville, CA
- Assistant teach classes on broadcast DJing, approximately every other week
- Follow lessons prepared by the DJ Program Lead Teacher
San Quentin Audio Storytelling Assistant Teacher (10%)
Time commitment: Avg. 2 hours per week, with classes about once a month currently on Tuesdays, 10:30am-3:00pm
Location: San Quentin, CA
- Assistant teach classes on interviewing, and personal storytelling, approximately once a month
- Follow lessons prepared by the San Quentin Audio Storytelling Lead Teacher
Lesson prep, admin, team meetings, and training will almost all be remote, with occasional meetings in San Francisco or Oakland. Our team uses Google Drive, Slack, Zoom, and Airtable for daily work. Past experience with those platforms is not required, but the candidate must be able to quickly learn how to navigate new digital platforms.
This is a job for someone who is creative, organized, persistent, works well with a team, and is enthusiastic about amplifying the voices of incarcerated people, and offering them opportunities to grow personally and professionally.
Commitment and Compensation
This is an hourly wage position, with 20 hours expected in a typical week. Compensation will be $57.50 an hour, with $34.50 an hour for travel time. Average monthly compensation is $4,100.
The target start date of the contract will be April 1, 2023 and the end date will be June 30, 2023, after which we expect to renew to annual 12-month contracts.
The workload can vary depending on production schedules and prison closures.
We compensate for transportation costs.
This is an independent contractor position, and we’re not currently able to offer benefits.
Required Qualifications
- Able to travel to Vacaville and San Quentin
- Able to enter a California state prison as a program provider
- Experience producing spoken audio content (radio and/or podcasts)
- Significant experience with audio editing software, preferably Pro Tools
- Formal or informal experience as an educator, trainer, or mentor
- Strong computer skills
- Enthusiasm for amplifying the voices of incarcerated people
- Can navigate the intersections of race, class, gender, and other identity markers in the pursuit of equity, inclusion, and racial justice
- Can work collaboratively and communicate effectively with a remote team, either from your own space, or from the KALW office in San Francisco.
- Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to teaching
- Authorization to work in the United States
Preferred But Not Required
- Personal or professional experience in prisons or similar settings
- Comfortable navigating relevant platforms and software (including, but not limited to Google Suite, Slack, Zoom, and Airtable)
- Management or leadership experience
COVID-19 Safety
KALW requires instructors to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to teaching in person.
As of this posting, prison staff and incarcerated individuals are not required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, although the vast majority are. The candidate must be comfortable working indoors, with incarcerated individuals and prison staff who may not be vaccinated.
Before each visit, KALW staff are required to take a rapid test for COVID, provided by the program. Under current policy, if a facility has an active outbreak, it will be closed to visiting teachers.
More information on CDCR’s COVID-19 response and protocols.
A Note for System-Impacted People
We strongly encourage people who have experienced incarceration or been impacted by the carceral system to apply. According to our contract with the state, people on parole or probation must be “one year free of any illegal activity” in order to teach in prisons, and written approval from the warden or designee is required. For those on parole, the written approval of the Regional Parole Administrator is also required. Our team includes formerly incarcerated staff members, and an advisory board of five formerly incarcerated people.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, work samples, and references using this form: https://airtable.com/shro6jKIA2FjmBgwr. The application deadline is Sunday, February 26, 2023 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
We encourage individuals with experience in the carceral system, People of Color, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability.
For any questions or accessibility needs please email uncuffed@kalw.org. And for those who don't quite fit what's on the page here, but think they might be a strong candidate for the job, please reach out as well.
Learn about Uncuffed, and listen at www.weareuncuffed.org.
Thank you for applying to be a part of our team!