Teacher of French and Spanish

King Edward’s School is seeking to appoint a full time or part time Teacher of French and Spanish to teach across the full age range from 1st September 2024 (a deferred start until January 2025 may be possible for the right candidate).  It is an opportunity to join a strong, enthusiastic, very supportive and friendly faculty in an exceptional school.  We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and no experience of working in the independent sector is required.  The school teaches IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma; the ability to teach one or both languages up to IB Higher Level or equivalent is required.  Although we teach the IB in the sixth form, previous experience of IB is not a requirement. A willingness to participate in the wider life of the School with pastoral care duties and help with co-curricular activities is expected.  This is a fixed-term position for one year in the first instance, with the possibility of a permanent contract at the end.  

The Modern Foreign Languages Faculty

The study of foreign languages is central to the life of any IB school. Every boy studies at least one language; many study two to GCSE and beyond. The faculty is therefore large and varied with fourteen teachers including Head of Faculty, three Heads of Department and a Second in Charge of Languages. French, Spanish and German are offered in various combinations to GCSE in the first five years and at IB. In Years 12 and 13, Standard and Higher Level courses in all three languages provide the opportunity to build on existing knowledge. There is also the option to start a new language from scratch by choosing an ab initio course.  

The Faculty offers extensive enrichment opportunities to pupils of all ages, including a thriving MFL Society with King Edward’s High School for Girls, and a variety of trips to highlight the cultural and linguistic benefits of studying languages. Recent trips have included visits to Berlin and the Rhineland, with others to Nice, Córdoba and Château de la Baudonnière in Normandy. The Faculty has great success in national and external competitions, including the Linguistics Olympiad and first place in the National Nutty Tilez Championships in 2022. 

We aim to be as flexible as possible and all pupils have a free choice of languages from Year 10 onwards. In a national setting in which the study of languages is in decline King Edward’s proudly bucks that trend, for example, over 100 pupils in the school are currently studying German alone.

Exam results at all levels are excellent.

At IB we offer a total of nine options in each of Years 12 and 13. In most years, beginners’ or ab initio courses are on offer in all three languages together with Standard and Higher Level courses. In a typical year, the majority of our pupils can expect to achieve a 6 or 7 on the IB’s seven-point scale and we have a strong track record of providing talented, thoroughly grounded undergraduates to some of the best universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Just as important, every King Edward’s student, whatever their chosen degree course, leaves the school able to communicate confidently in at least one foreign language.

A full job description and information on how to apply can be found at our website:

https://kes.org.uk/vacancies/teacher-of-french-and-spanish/