Primary Education Advisor

Primary Education Advisor

St Mary’s School on Tristan da Cunha seeks to employ a Primary Education Advisor to provide continuing support to the staff and pupils in the primary department. The successful candidate will be willing to contribute to other curriculum areas and to the wider life of school.

This vacancy provides a unique opportunity to live and work overseas in a small community school. Our school educates 28 children ranging in age from 3 to 16.

Tristan da Cunha is a UK Overseas Territory. It is volcanic in origin and consists of four islands. Tristan is the only permanently inhabited island with Nightingale, Inaccessible and Gough islands making up the archipelago. Tristan has the honour of being the world’s most remote inhabited island. It lies approximately 1750 miles south-west of Cape Town and is only accessible by sea. On average it takes 7 days to travel the distance from Cape Town.

Tristan is a beautiful small island. Home to many endemic species of birdlife, the island is keen on conservation and preserving its special environment. The residents are British Overseas Territories citizens. Part of the wider island group of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, links are established between the islands for professional and social benefits.

St Mary’s School caters for all the island children and is staffed by a range of local and expatriate teachers. The secondary department benefits from a UK trained and experienced Maths and Science specialist and a UK trained and experienced English specialist. The primary department benefits from the advice, experience and training of a Primary Education Advisor. St Mary’s currently offer 5 IGCSE subject options to our secondary students. Students leaving St Mary’s School in recent years have gone to the UK for A Level and BTEC studies, joined a government department training scheme and returned to the school as a trainee teacher.

The successful candidate will have:

• UK Qualified Teacher Status
• at least 3 years post qualification experience of teaching in the UK or international schools using the UK curriculum.
• experience of providing training opportunities and supporting the professional development of colleagues. This may have involved: mentoring student teachers, leading staff training sessions, supporting teaching assistants, supporting teachers returning to teaching or other relevant training experience.
• experience of supporting children identified with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

The successful candidate will:

• support local teachers in developing subject knowledge and confidence in teaching
• support the school leaders in making improvements in the primary department
• be willing to undertake teaching of other subjects and other Key Stages when necessary
• work actively with all the other teachers, being sensitive to the culture of the school and community

We can offer you:

• an attractive salary
• a 2-year contract with mid-contract travel
• housing in a friendly and supportive community for you and your dependents
• places at school for any accompanying children
• an incredible environment to live and work in
• supportive colleagues and enthusiastic children
• medical cover, including on-island treatment and evacuation to Cape Town

Outside of school, there are opportunities to get involved in island community life. The community are open and friendly and willing to help each other. The island provides unique opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to study the native wildlife and environment. Sitting on a beach in the summer time with seals and penguins is a perfect tonic to working life! The opportunity to climb ‘The Peak’ is one expatriates and locals both enjoy. We look forward to hearing from candidates who meet the requirements and have an interest in contributing to our island and school.

For further information on the post and please contact Fiona Kilpatrick
(Island Administrator) Administrator@tdc-gov.com To apply please send and
up-to-date CV and a letter by 31 March detailing your suitability to the
post to Administrator@tdc-gov.com

For queries about school life and living on Tristan da Cunha please contact Clare Ryan, current teacher at St Mary’s School. clarer@tdc-gov.com