Senior Teacher (Young Learners)

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 202122 we reached 650 million people.

Job Title:Senior Teacher Young Learners, Coimbra

Role Purpose

• To maintain and enhance professional development and academic quality in the teaching centre, through the management of in-house teacher development programmes and support.
• To promote and ensure quality teaching and effective learning of English.
• To provide learners with a rewarding and stimulating English language learning experience.
• To support the wider aims of British Council and its cultural relations mission.

Main opportunities and challenges for this role:

Teacher Support

• Provide effective line management and support for staff including observations as per performance management guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Ensure that all teaching is delivered to standards set out in teachers Role Profiles, the Global Statement of Approach and British Council Global Teaching Standards.
• Proactively monitor the well-being of all line managees and provide an appropriate level of personal support.
• Act as duty officer where appropriate to provide support for teachers, parents, students.
• Assist in the recruitment, induction and onboarding of new teachers.
• Provide or set up mentoring programmes for new teachers/teachers teaching new life stages etc where appropriate.

Teaching Excellence

• Contribute to the design and implementation of an annual Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme which aligns with Regional Teaching Excellence Action Plan (TEAP).
• Actively identify appropriate opportunities for staff learning and development.
• Teach a class or classes in the teaching centre in which you are based, according to local needs.
• Act as a role model for good classroom practice by encouraging teachers to observe you or others teaching, doing demonstration lessons, leading teacher development sessions and conducting observations. Share thought leadership. Routinely monitor developments in ELT theory and practice and bring these to the attention of your teaching team through presentations, practical sessions, recommended reading.
• Represent the British Council at local ELT conferences, where appropriate
• Proactively look for opportunities to highlight examples of best practice within the centre and externally.

Product and service delivery and development

• Ensure frameworks to support teaching and learning (Statements of Approach, Intellectual Property (IP), Teaching Standards Framework, Product guidelines, TEAP) are understood and implemented by academic colleagues in their day-to-day work.
• Ensure other relevant colleagues (e.g., Teaching Operations, Customer Services (CS), Temporary Assistants) are aware of frameworks to support teaching and learning.
• Ensure teachers communicate relevant policies to learners (e.g. statement of approach, behaviour policy, product information, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), etc) during the course and support and advise other teams with communications (e.g. CS and Marketing).
• Work with the Teaching Operations and Customer Services teams to deal with academic enquiries or complaints ensuring teachers are fully briefed and consulted where appropriate.
• Contribute as appropriate to cluster / regional product team.
• Contribute to the regional monitoring and evaluation of global products and related services to meet students needs.
• Organise the piloting of new courses and materials where relevant.
• Introduce new products to teaching staff and provide training and support for teachers.

Safeguarding, EDI and SEND

• Embed Safeguarding culture in teaching and learning through contributing to country safeguarding risk assessment and plan and implementing assigned actions.
• act as Deputy / Safeguarding Focal point as appropriate to size of country operation and risk profile.
• embed EDI through delivery of regional EDI objectives and workplans through local teaching teams (e.g. through Teaching Exellence Action Plan – TEAP).
• act as or support country SEND champion / Country SENCO and work with Teaching Operations, CS and other colleagues as appropriate to ensure teaching centre inclusion policy is effectively embeded in the centre.

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

Language Essential Requirements

• Full Mastery of English across 4 skills, equivalent to CEFR C2 (IELTS Academic Paper Band 8/9 in each of the 4 sections).

Knowledge and Experience Essential Requirements:

• 2 years post-diploma i.e., DELTA/Trinity Diploma TESOL experience.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of management and delivery of teacher training.
• Experience of line managing/ coordinating teaching teams.
• Experience in teaching relevant age groups:
• Lower Secondary aged 11 to 14 (800+ hours).
• Upper Secondary aged 15 to 17 (400+ hours).
• University/Vocational students aged 18 to 25 (400+hours).
• Adults General English 18+ (800+ hours).

Education Requirements:

Essential

• Undergraduate Degree.
• Cambridge CELTA/Trinity Certificate TESOL.
• Cambridge DELTA/Trinity Diploma TESOL or equivalent as recognised by the British Council.

Desirable

• Relevant masters/post graduate qualification

Further Information

Pay Band Senior Teacher

Contract Type Fixed Term for 24 months

Weekly hours 37.5 hours per week

Salary –Based on experience & qualifications.

Location Coimbra, Portugal

Requirements Mobility/Relocation support will be provided for applicants outside of Portugal. Applicants must have the right to work in Portugal or must have a visa to work in Portugal.

Closing Date of applications 03 of December of 2023

Start date of contract January 2024 or as soon as pre-appointment screening is complete.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion(EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

The British Council iscommitted to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Councils Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you have any problems with your application please email [email protected]

Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ASK HR email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.