Secondary Specialist Teachers: Key Stage 3 & 4 French
Mwanza International School
Tanzania, United Republic of
- Expired
- Salary:
- 20,000 pounds sterling (GBP) + benefits
- Job type:
- Full Time, Fixed Term
- Start date:
- August 2025
- Apply by:
- 4 May 2025
Job overview
Mwanza International School is a small and unique international school, following the British curriculum for local and expatriate children aged from three to sixteen. It is a non-profit-making organisation with no dividends or salaries paid to shareholders/trustees and all surplus funds being invested back into the school.
The school opened in September 2012 and has been growing steadily ever since. There are currently about 250 children on the roll. 85% are Tanzanian, with the remainder being an even mix from all across East Africa and the globe. The school is currently developing Secondary - we began our first IGCSE class in 2024.
We follow the EYFS curriculum in the Early Years and then the Cambridge International Programme for Primary and Secondary, modified to meet the needs of an international and Tanzanian community in East Africa. For 98% all of our children English is a second or third language, but fluency for all is one of our main goals, and we pride ourselves on them being able to achieve the same levels as similarly able children in a school in the UK.
Mwanza is the second biggest city in Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria. Compared to the UK, it has a more relaxed pace of life. The teachers live with views of the lake, two hours from the Serengeti. The school is located in Capri Point, a low density residential area, not far from the centre of the city.
There are two playing fields 40m and 50m, a 20m swimming pool, two basketball courts, a netball court and playgrounds with plenty of play equipment. There are 14 classrooms and a library.
In Primary, apart from the class teachers, we have specialist teachers for Kiswahili, French, and PE, and 8 classroom assistants.
The school is not high tech, but it has all the basic resources for the full curriculum. There are HDMI/USB projectors in all classes and we have a set of shared tablets for primary ICT. In Secondary each student has their own designated tablet to allow for on-line work across the curriculum.
Please look at our website for lots more information and to get a better feel for who we are:
www.mwanzainternationalschool.org
Requirements
We are looking for an enthusiastic Secondary teachers, keen to make a difference. Your first specialist subject should be in French but you must be able to offer a second specialist subject at at least Key Stage 3.
You must have experience in teaching KS3 and KS4 up to Year 11. As a subject teacher, you will be responsible for planning and delivering all your lessons, as well as marking and assessment for your subject. You will be a form tutor for one of the Secondary classes, therefore also be tasked with delivering the PSHE curriculum and providing pastoral care for your form.
Applicants must have a teaching degree with QTS or a degree and PGCE (IPGSE or equivalent) and a minimum of three years teaching experience. Candidates must be fluent in English - written and spoken.
The initial contract is a 2 year term.
There is a happy atmosphere in the school and, while we are all hard working and committed, the school does not have the pressures of red tape that plague schools in UK or other international schools. We allow teachers to use their professionalism to plan and deliver interesting, exciting and effective lessons.
We expect teachers to contribute to the extra-curricular life of the school. All teachers run one or two after school clubs (Secondary normally just one), according to their interests and there are sports competitions and school concerts/plays during the year, led by the teaching staff.
The teaching day (including clubs) runs from 07:55am to 3:15pm.
Teachers also have the opportunity and expectation to take part in educational visits, which will be residential in the case of the older classes. There are many opportunities for educational visits, such as The Serengeti National Park (1.5 - 2 hours drive from the school), Ngorongoro Crater, and Geita Gold Mine.
Benefits
The salary allows for a comfortable standard of living and the opportunity to travel in the region. The package includes all accommodation costs, flights at the beginning and end of a two year contract, health cover, medical evacuation insurance, as well as an additional 10% pension contribution from the school.
Working in Mwanza at MIS
It is a pleasant working and living environment, with a supportive team of colleagues:
"Mwanza is an amazing place. It is a vibrant and bustling city but still small enough to have a real feeling of community. The scenery is striking with boulder-strewn rugged vistas and stunning lake views. The climate is warm with a fresh lake breeze - so much more pleasant than the humid and hotter coast. The people are friendly and welcoming - you'll find yourself having half hour chats with the man you buy a bus ticket from and you'll go away knowing everything about his family and with an invite to his house for lunch! There is a small but thriving ex-pat community with all manner of activities available for all tastes. It hasn't got every mod con that you might desire but it's a very good (and cheap) standard of living whilst at the same time still very much feeling like 'proper Africa'!
MIS is such a breath of fresh air from my last school. I've taught in the UK and internationally and MIS stands due to the staff being unburdened by paperwork and politics. The classes are small and the children well behaved (mostly!) There is time to actually teach! The resources are basic (as compared to a modern UK school) but not limiting, and the school environment is verdant, cool and beautiful. The salary is not as huge as some of the big international schools but the costs are lower too (despite travelling all over the region in the holidays, I've even managed to save quite a bit to take home). Before coming I was reticent to work in a small school in a relatively untrodden area of East Africa but I can happily say that it was a decision I am wholeheartedly glad I made." - CC, Secondary Humanities.
Attached documents
About Mwanza International School
- Mwanza International School
- Capri Point, P.O. Box 700, Mwanza
- Tanzania, United Republic of
Mwanza International School opened in September 2012 as a growing primary school taking children up to the age of eleven: all year groups of the British primary system.
With our primary well established, we began secondary classes with Year 7 in August 2021. We will add one older class each year up to Year 11. The first IGCSE exams will be administered in June 2026.
Mwanza International School is a non-profit-making organisation. Any surplus in the budget is reinvested in school facilities.
The school recruits teachers from across the world. All teachers are qualified and experienced in the British curriculum. In our recruitment we look especially for teachers with a high level of commitment.
Mwanza International School is registered with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education (EM.17629) and is a member of T.I.S.A. (The Tanzanian International Schools Association). We joined E.C.I.S. (The European Council of International Schools) in 2015 and became a member of Cambridge International Schools in 2019 (TZ060).
The school is located on Capri Point, in the centre of Mwanza. The site is in a residential area with lots of trees to provide shade. There are two playing fields 40m and 50m, a 20m swimming pool, a basketball court, a netball court and playgrounds with lots of play equipment. There are 10 classrooms and a library.
The school is divided into four sections:
Foundation Stage (Pre-School)
Key Stage One (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)
Key Stage Two (Year 3 – Year 6)
Key Stage Three (Year 7 - Year 9)
Curriculum
The school follows the Cambridge curriculum, modified to meet the needs of expatriate and Tanzanian children in Mwanza. The Cambridge Curriculum gives clear objectives for English, Mathematics and Science with external examinations to assess progress.
The curriculum is skills based, with emphasis on the ability to use English, Mathematical, Scientific and IT skills. A lot of the work is cross curricular, especially in younger classes. The primary classrooms are set up in the same way as in a UK primary school, with carpet areas, water/sinks and projectors. Secondary classrooms have a projector and white board.
The school seeks to develop ‘the whole child’, with many extra-curricular activities taking place outside the classroom, especially for older children. Including residential educational visits to places such as The Serengeti National Park.
Secondary Department at Mwanza International School
We are delighted that Mwanza International School has a growing Secondary Department. Year Seven started in August 2021, while Year 9 began in August 2023. We will continue to add one class each year until we reach Year Eleven in the academic year 2025/2026.
The secondary classes follow the Cambridge curriculum. The first students will sit their Key Stage 3 Checkpoint exams in 2024, then the IGCSE’s (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) in 2026.
The school has two plots, which are only metres apart. Our Primary Department is located on one plot, while the other plot houses our swimming pool and our Secondary Department.
Tablets
The school provides each Secondary student with a tablet, which has ebooks, subject programs and information, as well as access to the internet. The students will continue to use textbooks and library books. However, the tablets give the flexibility to study a variety of topics. They are an essential part of the children’s learning and will stay with them during KS3.
Life in Mwanza
Mwanza is the third city of Tanzania. It is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, two hours from the Serengeti National Park at an altitude of 1,100m, which makes for a pleasant warm climate, with two rainy seasons.
Most things that you would want to buy are available. Local produce is not expensive, but imports can be more costly.
There are several bars and restaurants, and a night out can be quite cheap.
The salary is comfortable and allows for travel in East Africa. Apart from the many game parks Tanzania also boasts Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar as holiday destinations.
The teachers live in a block of flats, five minutes walk from the school, with views of the Lake. Electricity, gas, water and security are all included.
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