How to Be a Sorority Mother

Meeting the Requirements

Have a bachelor's degree. Most universities or sorority houses will prefer that you have a bachelor's degree, or at the very least, the professional experience equivalent of a bachelor's degree. To be a sorority mother, you'll need to have more experience than the girls your supervising, which is why most schools require that you be finished with your bachelor's degree first. Usually, it doesn't matter what degree you have, as long as you have one. However, a degree in management or psychology would be good choices.

Be a single woman. Most sorority houses will not hire a guy to be the house director because they feel like a woman can relate to the girls better. In addition, it may make it easier to be a single woman, as you will be living in the house with the girls, and most places frown on having a live-in spouse.

Be a jill-of-all-trades. To be a sorority mom, you will need to manage the house, deal with any staff, provide support for the girls, and help manage the meals. That means you need to know how to manage staff, counsel people, provide guidance, and have plans in place for emergencies. Beyond planning meals, you may also be responsible for buying food and sticking to a household budget. You may also be responsible for household inventories each year. You may also need to know how to do basic maintenance on the house.

Developing the Right Skills

Work on your professional hospitality skills. Part of running a sorority house is working with staff and managing them, much like you would at a small motel. You not only manage staff, you also help plan events and make sure the house has the appropriate food and menus. Therefore, having experience in these areas can help you get a job in this field, as well as do a good job. For instance, having experience in restaurant management or event planning can be useful. If you've never worked in these fields, consider taking a training course at your local community college.

Understand basic computer skills. To perform this job, you need to have basic computer skills, such as being able to work with Microsoft Office and QuickBooks, as well as be able to manage an email account and browse the Internet. If you don't have these skills, most libraries offer classes to anyone who needs them for free.

Learn diplomacy. Sometimes being a sorority mother puts you in a difficult position because you are between the sorority's board and the current members. In other words, you need to learn how to deal with difficult situations in a tactful manner, which can be difficult when you're in the middle. One way to learn diplomacy is to take a class in counseling, as the skills you learn there will help you when you find yourself in a hard situation. Learn the basics of diplomacy. For instance, if you are diplomatic, you'll look at facts rather than feelings, be honest but gentle, avoid spreading gossip or negative ideas, and get to know people so you aren't quick to make a snap judgment.

Know some psychology or counseling skills. When living in a sorority, the girls are going to come to you with problems. You need to be able to advise them or at least help them find a solution for themselves. Knowing some basic counseling skills can help you help them. Consider taking a class in counseling to improve your skills.

Have a passion for young adults. While it helps to have worked with college-age students before, it's essential to enjoy working with this age group. You'll not only be working with people of this age, you'll be living with them, and they will look up to you as a mentor. To mentor young adults, you need to be mature enough to rise above their problems. You need to be able to listen to what they're going through without getting sucked into their drama. If you're not sure if you would like this age group, consider taking a class at a local community college as a way of interacting with them.

Applying for a Position

Find job listings. Many times, you'll find listing for this job on university websites. The positions may be listed with the regular university jobs, but sometimes, they are listed on the pages about Greek life in addition to or in place of the main job listings. You can also use websites dedicated to sorority moms to find jobs or post resumes, such as this one: http://www.sororitymom.com/jobs/. Look for jobs on the national websites for the sororities, as well as national job search sites.

Send in your information. You will need to send in a cover letter and a resume and have a background check. You may also need to fill out an application. In some cases, you will send it to one organization on campus that will pass the information along, while in other cases, you'll send it directly to the sorority's board. The job listing should tell you what to do. On your resume, make sure to point out any positions you held in the past where you showed leadership or management skills or worked with young adults.

Interview for the position. Most boards are looking for someone who's smart and capable but who also has the enthusiasm to work with young adults. It will probably help if you were in a sorority in college, but that's not an absolute requirement. In other words, it's important to show enthusiasm when talking about working with college students. Smile and show with your tone of voice that you are looking forward to it, in addition to what you're saying.

Move in. Know what your living arrangement is ahead of time. You will likely have a small apartment to yourself, which may or may not have a kitchen. In addition, you may be required to work all year, while in other places, you may only work 9 to 10 months out of the year. You may need to find a different place to live in the summer, for instance.

Know who will cause you the most problems. Often, you'll have more trouble with the the board than the students. The students may come to you with problems and issues, but the board will be the one telling you how they expect things to be run. That may not be true for every chapter, but it can make life more difficult for you at times. It can be good to sit down with both the board and the students (at separate times) to learn how things should be run and what's expected of you. You may run into a lot of unspoken rules that you'll need to learn to follow.

Learn the rules. As a sorority mom, you will need to know a lot of rules, from university policy to house and sorority rules. You'll also need to know about the plans you need to set in motion in case of an emergency. Spend some time reading up on all these policies when you first enter the position.

Set some boundaries. While you need to be there for the girls, that doesn't mean you need to be on call 24 hours a day for every little thing. For instance, you can set sleep hours where the girls must leave you alone unless it is an emergency. Also, though you need to accommodate food allergies and religious preferences, you may need to make it clear that you won't cater to every picky person.

Find support. When doing this job, you'll likely move to a new community, and you'll be living on a campus. You'll need the support of other people, if just to vent once and awhile. You might try befriending other house moms on campus or even professors who understand how rewarding and challenging it can be at times.