Many Montessori schools sponsor promising people through Montessori teacher training programs. Usually, these individuals are well known by the school before they are hired. Most will have been active as parent volunteers, substitutes, or specialist teachers in fields such as art, music, or foreign languages. Some may have begun as aides or assistants.
The two obvious advantages to this approach are that the candidate’s personality and success with children and fellow teachers are well known 
and that normally these people will feel a strong commitment to the school community.
It should be noted though that sometimes turning a parent into a faculty member can backfire. Several things can go wrong.
One is that, for one reason or another, the parent who was so wonderful as a volunteer may prove to be a difficult or disgruntled employee if his or her child has a difficult experience. Some may never bother to complete training, and letting them go may prove to be awkward, although necessary.
Another potential concern sometimes arises when the parent turned teacher tends to find him or herself identifying more with her parent friends than with the school’s professional community. More than one parent has essentially broken rules of professional confidentiality or become involved in school politics within the parent body.
Generally, when schools sponsor someone through Montessori training the employment agreement is modified to cover these issues:
The terms of the school’s support, which is often portrayed as an interest-free loan, which the school forgives in equal stages in return for the teacher’s commitment to teach at that school for a series of years (commonly 3 to 5-year commitment). If the teacher continues to be rehired because of satisfactory performance and chooses to accept continuing employment by the school for the entire period specified, the cost of the teacher training is completely forgiven. If the teacher leaves before this period is completed, the unforgiven portion of the amount “loaned” is to be repaid with interest over some mutually agreed upon period, usually two or three years.
Whether this support includes living expenses, a food allowance, travel, and books, supplies and other expenses during the period of training.
Whether the teacher will be paid a salary during the time he or she is enrolled in the teacher training program. Most schools will find some potential candidates who cannot afford to spend even a summer without income.
What Montessori teacher training program or program will be acceptable to the school. Obviously, some schools may have strong preferences or expectations about where their teachers take their Montessori training, especially if they are sponsoring someone through training. There are many different forms of Montessori teacher training of course, and which one is selected will make a difference in the agreement. For example, many traditionally AMI programs involve a full year of onsite academic coursework. During this period, the student cannot teach and is therefore without income. Many other programs may offer courses that meet only in the summer, requiring the student to go through a full year of practicum teaching, during which he or she may earn a salary. Some schools will consider the student teacher as a second teacher in the classroom. Others will treat them as an assistant. Although necessity may eventually force a school to do so, we strongly recommend against putting anyone (including an experienced and certified public school teacher) into a Montessori classroom as a lead teacher without the in classroom leadership of an experienced Montessori guide.
