Teacher of French and Head of MFL

El Limonar International School (ELIS) Villamartín is an educational environment that prides itself on continuous professional improvement: Teaching and Learning input  permeates school life with the aim of developing conversations about, and sharing of, high-quality pedagogical practice. We are committed to deepening the teaching and learning skills of all staff who form part of our community. The location of the school affords many advantages to a teacher employed in the area including well-priced accommodation, low living costs (80% of the UK average) and the glory and variety of the Spanish coastline.

ELIS has been providing a high quality bilingual education for Spanish and international students from Early Years to KS5 in the Alicante and Murcia regions, in southern Spain, for thirty years. With the appointment of new school leaders in 2012, both the ELIS Murcia and ELIS Villamartín schools underwent significant development in order to ensure that they remained the region’s top international schools for the next quarter century and beyond. The Principal of ELIS Murcia was then appointed Executive Principal of both the ELIS school sites in 2017 and since then has begun to accelerate the strategic improvement process at the Villamartín site situated on the Alicante coast near Torrevieja.  Mr Simon Roberts was appointed Headteacher at the school in September 2019 to oversee the next phase in the school's developmental journey.

In order to build upon achievements to date, the Executive Principal and Headteacher are inviting applications for the post of Teacher of French with Coordination responsibilities for Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) to start in September 2020. The vacancy exists because the existing Coordinator has accepted a new position due to family circumstances after fruitful period of service at the school. The MFL Coordinator overseas the holistic development of French, German and Chinese for the whole of secondary including the 6th Form and Upper Primary. In addition to this, the current position holder facilitates the sourcing of teachers for students wish to take qualifications in their mother tongue such as Arabic, Russian and Polish whilst tracking their progress in the lead up to International Examinations.  

This post requires a PGCE-qualified teacher experienced in the teaching of French to native-speaker level across KS3, up to and including KS5. Experience in preparing students for public examination at IGCSE and A-Level is essential. Modern Foreign Languages at ELIS are an extremely strong area of the curriculum; compulsory for students up to Year 11; and it is considered imperative by students and the wider community for it to remain so. The Headteacher views the holistic development of the MFL department as a key success factor in the overall development of the school and it is hoped that the successful candidate will have the vision and drive required to move forward. Furthermore, it is hoped that this post will represent a genuine career advancement opportunity for a suitably UK-qualified teacher. The successful candidate will build upon their existing experience in an environment which drives for ever-higher standards of teaching, learning and academic results.  

As well as meeting the requirements of the general candidate specification, the successful candidate will be highly self-motivated, be passionate about their subject and be very well organised. Experience as an Assistant Examiner would be an advantage. 

El Limonar International School, as part of the Cognita Schools group, is an equal opportunities employer that welcomes applications from all UK qualified teachers with relevant experience, including teaching couples. Teachers would be expected to contribute to the extra-curricular life of the school and a working knowledge of the Spanish language would be an advantage but is not a necessity. Contracts are full time and permanent with remuneration and working conditions that reflect the Spanish national collective bargaining agreement for private education.

The closing date for applications is flexible and an appointment would be made promptly in order to secure a high-quality candidate. Applications will only be considered from candidates submitting a completed teacher application form (a copy of which is included in this advert). Candidates are also required to submit an application letter addressed to the ELIS Executive Principal, Mr Christopher Eversden, and may also send a C.V. (with photograph) if they wish. Applications should be submitted through the ‘Apply Now’ button included in this advert. 

All applications should include the name, email and contact telephone number of three referees, one of which must be the candidate’s current Headteacher. The referees must cover at least the last five years of the candidate’s employment history.

Long-listed candidates will be notified and invited to an initial interview by Skype. Final interview will take place either face-to-face or done remotely, depending upon the travel situation at the time. 

Cognita Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Appointment is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for regulated activity (if the candidate has lived in the UK) and/or criminal/police checks for all other countries inhabited (irrespective of whether they worked in those countries).