What is the Facilitator background check process?

Girls Who Code (GWC) has strict background check requirements for volunteers who interact with students. We do this for the safety of our members and is standard procedure in volunteering with minors. Applicants will only be able to access our learning platform, HQ, once their application and background check requirements have been approved. On HQ, you will find training and recruitment materials, the Facilitator Toolkit, a 'Plan Your Club' Guide, our full curriculum, and more. 

 

Based on the Facilitator's response to the Club application, a potential Facilitator may receive an invite email to complete a background check through VerifiedFirst (or submit proof of having recently passed a background check - see employment verification template attached). These emails will be sent to the email address they used on the application. It will contain language referring to "employment" as a default, but this is meant for volunteer verification. Our background check has some standard procedures, such as a soft credit check. This will have no impact on your credit score, and is run as part of a routine investigation that education industry background checks use. In most cases, you will need to provide your Social Security Number. If you do not have a SSN, you can alternatively use your Employer Identification Number (EIN) instead. Please complete the background check as soon as possible, as the invite does expire after several days of inactivity.

 

Once a Facilitator has completed and passed their background check, it will remain valid for upwards to two years.

  

Please note: At this time, we are no longer accepting alternative means of validating a background check, or enabling exemptions to our process.

If you have any further questions or if your background check questionnaire link has expired, we are more than happy to assist you at [e-mail].