School Counsellor/Well Being Teacher

School Counsellor / Well Being Teacher

Nord Anglia Education is the world’s leading premium schools organisation. We are a fast-paced and growing family of 76 international schools in China, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and The Americas, providing outstanding education to approximately 68,000 students from preschool through to the end of secondary education. Our schools are united —we are ambitious for our students, our people and family of schools. 

British International School of Washington

At BISW, an IB World School, we offer a challenging curriculum for all 555 students from pre-nursery (2 year olds) to pre-university levels, culminating in the prestigious IB Diploma programme. We have a growth mindset, embrace the diversity of our community, and strive to challenge the minds of our students.

We are housed in a spacious, modern, and self-contained Georgetown brick building. We are close to the centre of Washington and next to Dumbarton Oaks Park, the Naval Observatory, and the National Cathedral. This location enables our children to experience high quality learning both inside and outside of the classroom. We have a highly-qualified and experienced British-trained faculty, and overall an international staff that represent a variety of cultures and nationalities.

At BISW we strive to have an aspirational culture that encourages students to realise their own gifts and talents. It is our responsibility to nurture and guide each individual. The school's welcoming, family atmosphere is grounded in respect, trust, compassion, and the ideal of community service.

In addition to the highest British academic standards and values, the international aspect of the education that we offer focuses on four core components including emotional intelligence, cultural understanding, communication and collaboration. We aim to develop students to be independent learners and leaders in the global community. We also provide a wide range of activities and experiences that will not only prepare our children for the future but also make their school and personal life more enjoyable and rewarding.

Our Schools

Each Nord Anglia Education school is unique in character and designed to meet the needs of its community. We believe that being part of our family of 76 schools gives them a special advantage. Working together, we can achieve more than we can individually. Our schools have a wide range of resources and support to enhance our students’ success. We also create unique opportunities to benefit our students and people such as the Global Campus, Nord Anglia University, and collaborations with Juilliard School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and King’s College London.

About the role

British International School of Washington is seeking an experienced full-time counselor/ well-being teacher to work with students in Pre-K-12th grade starting January 2023 or earlier if possible. The school counselor provides counseling services to individuals and groups of students in a safe and welcoming environment. The person in this position acts as a consultant to parents, teachers, and administrators. Some of the duties and support services that the counselor is responsible for include: 

• Building relationships with students, families, and colleagues throughout the school community; 
• Providing short-term individual and group counseling for students with social-emotional challenges, whether or not those challenges are clinically diagnosed; 
• Providing behavior management assistance and crisis intervention when necessary; 
• Communicating with families about their children, both sharing accounts from school and listening to accounts from home; 
• Developing and maintaining a referral list of therapists and local resources for students who may need an assessment and/or long-term therapeutic support; 
• Communicating with therapists and other outside professionals about students; 
• Assisting in collection and sending of evidence for social-emotional testing for outside professionals; 
• Actively participating in the Student Support Team meetings; 
• Problem solving with teachers, parents, and outside professionals to develop appropriate supports for students with social-emotional challenges; 
• Developing and coordinating social and emotional learning plans with teachers; 
• Participating in parent-teacher conferences, as needed. 
• Teaching well-being classes 

About you

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a school setting with children varying in age from Pre-K to late adolescence. It is preferred that this candidate have experience working with an international community, as our school serves students from nearly 70 different countries. The minimum education requirement is a bachelor’s degree in a counseling/well-being related field and it is preferred that the candidate have five years or more experience working in schools teaching or counselling. Appropriate certification in school counselling/well-being is also preferred. 

Receptive to feedback and ready to embrace change, you will be keen to share best practice with colleagues and peers.

A strong ambassador for the school, you will be able to develop new ways to engage students and parents with the wider school and Nord Anglia Education community. Your strong motivation and communication skills will also enable you to create a feeling of energy, excitement and personal investment within the school, classrooms and throughout your specialist area. You will also be able to meet visa-related restrictions.

Benefits

When you join a Nord Anglia Education school, you join a global community of approximately 9,000 people working together to support our students’ success. We offer you unsurpassed opportunities to innovate and develop best practice across our family, to access extensive professional development, and to gain exceptional experience and career development in our schools. At Nord Anglia, you will have opportunities to progress more, learn more, and collaborate more.

Alongside great training and a competitive package, you’ll enjoy the chance to live and work a very vibrant city.

As a Nord Anglia Education teacher, you enjoy the following benefits:   

•   A fast-paced, global experience so that you can progress on a global scale   
•   An enabling environment founded on creativity, challenge and collaboration   
•   A culture which is fair and consultative    
•   Unique opportunities to grow professionally and develop your career

Selection Process

The closing date for application is September 30 2022. Interviews will be conducted by Skype/Social Media or telephone on a rolling basis and final interviews in London as appropriate.

Start Date: January 2023 or earlier if possible

At Nord Anglia Education we are committed to providing a world class, safe, happy environment in which children and young people are able to thrive and learn. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our pupils irrespective of race, ability, religion, gender or culture.

All post holders in regulated activity (having regular unsupervised contact with children) are subject to appropriate national and international vetting procedures including satisfactory criminal record checks from both Country of residence/birth and any Country of residence within the last 10 years.