Education Expert - Sourcing Funnel (Private)

$45–60/hrrate as listed

Mercor is building a pool of experienced educators to create realistic instructional tasks and evaluate AI-generated teaching outputs for an AI lab client. Work is remote, asynchronous, and open to all grade bands and education specialties, with observed pay in the $45–60/hr range.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

What the work involves

This is a sourcing funnel for a private engagement, meaning you apply into a pool and are matched when the lab opens capacity for your specialty. Day to day, contributors do three things: design educational scenarios pulled from their own practice (a unit plan, an assessment blueprint, a rubric-based grading pass, a differentiation decision, an IEP accommodation call), evaluate AI-generated attempts at those same tasks, and write the reasoning down so a model can learn from it. Comparative evaluation is common — you will often see two or more model responses to a lesson plan or a set of assessment items and have to say which is better and, more importantly, why, in terms a researcher who has never taught can act on.

The judgment bar is pedagogical, not just factual. A model output can be error-free and still be wrong: misaligned to the standard it claims to hit, pitched two grade bands off, using a rubric that does not discriminate between performance levels, or offering an intervention that ignores what the student data actually shows. Being able to name those failures precisely — citing the standard, the grade-level expectation, or the assessment principle — is the core skill.

What the platform screens for

Verifiable specifics. Grade bands, subjects, standards frameworks you have actually worked from, years in role, and any license, National Board certification, or advanced degree.
Depth under follow-up. Expect the interview to push past your first answer — if you claim assessment expertise, be ready to discuss item quality, distractor design, or validity in concrete terms.
Written clarity. Feedback quality is the deliverable; vague critique fails the sample task even when the underlying judgment is sound.
Realistic availability. Steady weekly hours matter more than a large but hypothetical number.

Logistics

Fully remote and asynchronous — no live classes, no student contact, no fixed shifts. Contributors typically commit 10–20 hours per week around existing teaching or consulting work, and pay is contract-based at an observed $45–60/hr depending on specialty and credentials; nothing here is guaranteed. Application flow is resume or experience summary, a specialty and credentials form, then a short sample task for selected applicants, with follow-up usually within a few days. Strong contributors are moved into reviewer, lead, and domain-expert tracks.

What they look for

3+ years professional experience in K-12 or higher-ed teaching, curriculum design, assessment, special education, or tutoring
Working fluency with a standards framework (Common Core, NGSS, state, or discipline-specific)
Rubric design and rubric-based evaluation of student or model work
Clear, specific written feedback and critique
Bachelor's degree in education or a subject-matter field
State teaching license, National Board Certification, or MEd/EdD/PhD (preferred, not required)

Before you apply

Would you pass this screen?

Drawn from what this listing actually requires. Answered in your browser — nothing is sent to us, and we do not store your answers.

Do you have at least 3 years of professional experience in K-12 or higher-education teaching, curriculum development, instructional design, assessment, special education, tutoring, or a closely related education field?
Professional education experience · required
Do you hold a bachelor's degree?
Bachelor's degree · required
Is your bachelor's degree or highest degree in Education, a subject-matter field (e.g., mathematics, English, science, social studies), or a closely related discipline?
Education or subject-matter field study · preferred
Do you hold a state teaching license, National Board Certification, or an advanced degree (MEd, EdD, PhD, or subject-matter master's)?
Teaching credentials · preferred
Are you currently able to access and work with at least one common classroom or instructional platform (e.g., Google Classroom, Canvas, a student information system, assessment platform)?
Access to classroom or instructional tools · preferred

0 of 5 answered

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 11 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: Whether you can articulate concrete pedagogical reasoning behind instructional decisions and ground examples in real classroom context, not theory alone.
A strong answer: Name a specific unit or lesson with clear learning objectives tied to standards, describe the sequence of activities and why that order matters, and explain a deliberate choice (pacing, scaffolding, grouping, materials) with reference to student needs or evidence.
Where people lose it: Answers that are too vague ('I taught fractions'), too generic ('I differentiated for learners'), or describe what you did without explaining *why* — AI systems need to learn your actual reasoning process, not your ability to sound pedagogically aware.