School Counsellor
Dubai College, UAE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Expired
- Salary:
- Tax free salary will be discussed at interview
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2021
- Apply by:
- 6 May 2021
Job overview
Start Date: September 2021
The Department
Dubai College aspires to have a truly world class student services department which contributes to our vision to be the best British School Overseas in the world. Structurally the department is divided into three main areas: student mentoring, learning support and SEND, all of which are overseen by the Head of Student Services. The department is growing year on year and as such it needs dynamic and entrepreneurial staff who can continually build the profile of the department and ensure that students, staff and parents are regularly informed about our provision. Ultimately the members of the student services department have a mandate to ensure that our provision is in line with the leading British schools in both the UK and overseas.
The Position
The School Counsellor at Dubai College is more than just a student mentor. He/she will work within the Support Services team to research the leading school counselling provision worldwide and then devising our own in-house provision which is both in line with best practice globally but also sympathetic to our context. In addition he/she will ensure that students, staff and parents are updated on our evolving provision and also provided with relevant training. This way we can work together as a whole community to underpin the emotional support required in an increasingly busy and competitive world.
Key Responsibilities:
• Providing individual counselling and support to students and staff
• Assisting students with personal and academic counselling needs
• Giving students the tools to understand and manage their academic, social, behavioural and personal issues, providing them with life skills to enhance personal, social and academic growth
• Assisting teachers in understanding the students for whom they are responsible
• Developing a rapport with the pastoral management team, providing constant feedback regarding student progress
• Contributing to the development and delivery of a coherent and fully mapped Wellbeing programme
• Developing professional relationships with external agencies with a view to enhancing supportive resources outside of the College
• Logging counselling appointments in CPOMS, and ensure confidentiality and security of case records
• Attending regular supervision with a suitably qualified supervisor
• Working in consultation with the Dubai College child protection policies and promote child safeguarding
• Assisting parents in understanding their children's educational progress, understanding the opportunities available to their children and utilizing the counselling services
• Performing duties within the codes of practice and ethics recommended by the BACP, UKCP or equivalent organisation
• Devising and, where appropriate, delivering a programme of training to support and develop the counselling service
• Developing and contributing to a Peer Listening Scheme
• Reviewing and evaluating the counselling service provided by the College
• Using information technology systems as required to carry out the duties of the post in the most efficient and effective manner
• Working within, and encouraging the school’s Equal Opportunity policy and contributing to diversity policies and programmes in relation to discriminatory behaviour
• Carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the post, in accordance with the school’s Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety Guidance and Legislation
• Any other duties as assigned by the SENCO, Deputy Heads, or the Headmaster
Education and Training
• MA in Psychology or Counselling (mandatory requirement by the Community Development Authority in Dubai)
• BACP Accreditation, UKCP registration or BPC desirable
• Additional therapeutic training or qualification in working with children and young people would be an advantage.
Experience
• Minimum of 2 years’ post qualification experience
• Minimum of 1 years’ experience of working with children and young people
• An understanding of the developmental, emotional, social and educational needs of children and young people from diverse ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds
• Knowledge of how local mental health and CAMHS work in the UK
• Knowledge of the Children’s Act and legislation pertaining to children
• Experience working with adult clients, facilitating groups and working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Skills and Abilities
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently, manage own caseload and use initiative
• Ability to work under pressure
• Flexibility to work with a developing organisation
• Ability to work with change
• An interest in ongoing professional development
• Positive communication and listening skills
• Patience, tolerance and sensitivity
• A mature and non-judgemental outlook
• Enthusiasm
Working Hours
This full-time position provides you with the opportunity to work within a dynamic, highly qualified team, in very pleasant surroundings with excellent facilities.
Working hours are from Sunday to Wednesday, 07:45 – 16:45 and on Thursdays, 07:45 to 12:30.
Remuneration
This non-teaching position offers a competitive remuneration package aligned with UK standards. The full package will be discussed at the time of interview.
How to Apply
Dubai College is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all members of staff.
The closing date for this position is 6th May 2021, although earlier applications are strongly encouraged; the College may begin the selection process and appoint an outstanding candidate ahead of this deadline.
Please submit a completed application form to Michelle Hobson; Head of HR on dchr@dubaicollege.org. The subject of the email should read: School Counsellor
Dubai College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and we select staff that understand and share this commitment. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and obtaining a Police Certificate or Good Conduct Certificate from the country the applicant last resided or was employed in, which may include Disclosure & Barring checks.
Attached documents
About Dubai College, UAE
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The College
Established forty-five years ago, Dubai College has a national and international reputation as a world class learning organisation. We are an independent, coeducational, not-for-profit, selective school for boys and girls aged 11-18. We follow an adapted English National Curriculum and our vision is to be “leading British education overseas”, underpinned by four pillars of sporting, creative, philanthropic and academic endeavour. Named British International School of the Year 2019 by Independent School Parent magazine, the school has since featured four times in the Spear’s Schools Index as one of the top 125 private schools in the world. Our work on wellbeing was recognised when we were awarded the International School Award for the Initiative to Support School Wellbeing and Safeguarding in 2020 and we were recently named Best British Curriculum School in the UAE 2021.
The College occupies a nineteen-acre site on the coast very close to the Palm Jumeirah at the mid-point between Dubai Marina and the iconic Burj Al Arab. At the start of the 2023 academic year, we proudly revealed our award-winning Jafar Centre, opening up a world of possibilities for our students, offering them a rich and multifaceted environment for learning, relaxation, and social interaction. From student pods to thoughtfully designed classrooms that foster an environment of active participation and vibrant discussion, and enhance the overall learning experience. At the core of this building are our Harkness rooms, our state-of-the-art DC Digital Studios and the Bridgeman Library which serves as a true sanctuary, nurturing a culture of research and scholarship among our students.
In August 2020 we opened the Sports and Performing Arts Centre of Excellence the (SPACE) which includes a 150-seater black box theatre, music practice rooms, drama, spinning and aerobics studios, an extensive gymnasium, a double width sports hall, a cafeteria and 25m swimming pool equipped with electronic timers. Elsewhere on campus we have a multi-purpose auditorium capable of seating over 1000 audience members, purpose-built science laboratories, a recently refurbished Sixth Form centre, a new flagship English department featuring a full-size Harkness table which serves as a statement of intent for future renovation. A new administration building opened in 2018 created the space for our innovative regional teaching and learning hub and a new sports pavilion was completed in 2015. We are also fortunate enough to have extensive grass playing fields and the full range of classrooms you would expect in a school of our size.
Ethos
As a College we are aiming to engineer balance in the lives of students who are academically very able. There is no blueprint for a Dubai College student rather we are aiming for students to discover for themselves who they are and who they want to be. By creating a wealth of opportunities for students to participate in as broad a range of experiences as possible whether they are sporting, creative, philanthropic or academic, we are enabling them to discover their own place within the school community and in time within the world outside. We never lose sight of the fact that our academically gifted students aspire to perform as well as possible in public examinations and we continuously champion the academic. However, the ability to work as a member of a team, to manage set-backs and failure and to recognise personal strengths and weaknesses will be as important in enabling them to live their life with integrity and is consequently a core focus of what we do here. As a result our students leave us as confident individuals with the knowledge, skill set and outlook to succeed at the very best universities and eventually in their chosen, often very challenging, career paths. When asked what standards we expect of one another as professionals DC staff demonstrate a real sense of vocation, that working at Dubai College is not a job but a lifestyle choice. Teachers believe strongly that they should be able to fulfil their academic responsibilities to their students and must be accountable for the outcomes of every one of their students. The next most important expectation of staff at Dubai College is that they should embrace whole school life and contribute fully to the extra-curricular programme both during and after school hours.
As members of a school which feels more like an extended family than an institution, we hope to educate well-mannered citizens who are empowered to fulfil their aspirations. The “not-for-profit” status of our organisation perfectly embodies our ethos: everything is invested in the school and the students with nothing left over.
The College really does have a great feel about it. It already has an exceptionally strong national and international reputation and if you feel you have the potential to build on our reputation as a centre of excellence on the global stage we would very much like to hear from you.
Michael Lambert
Headmaster
Dubai College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and we select staff that understand and share this commitment. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and obtaining a Police Certificate or Good Conduct Certificate from the country the applicant last resided or was employed in, which may include Disclosure & Barring checks.
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