Please read in conjunction with Notes for applicants and Additional information for teachers of IB courses.
from late August 2011The post
This post is for a teacher of Maths on IB and pre-IB courses. Maths is a required subject for all IB and pre-IB students - about 260 students. Maths teachers are expected to teach Maths HL, Maths SL and Maths Studies as well as contribute to teaching on the pre-IB Mathematics course. Class size is a maximum of 15 and the students are invariably well-behaved and keen to learn. These are optimal conditions for a teacher to plan and deliver excellent lessons in a supportive and collegial environment. The pre-IB course is a College-devised programme which offers up to one year of preparation in subjects and English language (as necessary) to students not yet ready to begin the IB programme. While some students come for the whole year, others join the programme for one or two terms. We also accept a number of students, principally from Brazil, who are taking a study break from their own schools, to which they will return to complete secondary education. Up to 40 students are enrolled on this programme. Maths is an important component of the pre-IB Maths course and is compulsory for all students. Students are streamed according to ability. The course forms an essential preparation for the IB course. The IB Diploma course requires students to study Maths, and three programmes are offered: Higher Level Maths, Standard Level Maths and Maths Studies. Higher level Maths is a demanding programme for competent students, and would normally be studied by students interested in the subject itself, or requiring a strong Maths programme to support other subjects, e.g. Physics. Standard level Maths is advised as a support subject for students who are studying other subjects with mathematical elements, or require a strong Maths foundation for future study e.g. sciences, business. Maths Studies is seen as less demanding, and is the option studied by those who are unlikely to require Maths for subsequent study, or who are unable to meet the demands of other courses. Some information on subject content can be found at http://www.stclares.ac.uk/ib/ibsubjects.php Maths is the only subject required of all IB students and it therefore occupies a particular place within the IB. The Maths department has an opportunity to work with all students, and to continue their mathematical development. However, the range of abilities, aptitude and degree of enthusiasm for Maths is variable. In part, this reflects the very different educational backgrounds and traditions of students drawn from over 40 countries. All students are assessed in Maths on arrival, and their placing in an IB Maths course is determined by the other subjects in their study programme, their future study plans and their assessed abilities. Teaching groups are timetabled so that students may change between groups (usually to a less demanding course) during the earlier part of the course. Maths is also offered as part of the IB Institute, a programme of Easter and summer revision and preparation courses for students from all over the world. While teaching on this programme is not required, there are openings for members of the department to undertake this.Maths department
Currently there are five members of the department, including the head of department. There are three full-time Mathematicians as well as the Dean of Students who teaches up to 0.5 of a full timetable and a part-time colleague who teaches 0.33 of a timetable. Maths is taught in a group of well-appointed classrooms. Each is equipped with a whiteboard, digital projector, television and DVD player. Two of the rooms have interactive whiteboards and there are plans to install further IWs.The person
Essential requirements- degree and PGCE (or equivalent)
- ability to teach your subject to IB level, A2 level or equivalent
- an excellent and innovative classroom practitioner
- willingness to contribute to the life of a busy boarding school
- willingness to contribute to the development of the maths department
- efficiency and flexibility
- experience of working in an international environment
- experience of working with students of different language / educational backgrounds
- ability to offer another science subject to IB and/or Pre-IB level
Terms and conditions
Salaries for full-time teachers are based on the St. Clare's pay scale (in excess of the main professional scale for maintained schools), according to qualifications and experience. A full-time teacher with six years' experience can expect to earn in the region of £38,660. A teacher new to the profession can expect to earn in the region of £31,000. In both cases the salaries include £3,300 for the responsibility of being a Personal Tutor. The academic year for IB and Pre-IB teaching is 35 weeks from the late August until mid-June (with appropriate breaks that are largely synchronised with local schools). Classes are timetabled between 09:00 and 16:15, Monday to Friday. Teachers are provided with free lunch in the dining room or café on working days. Professional development – there is a generous professional development budget to allow teachers to keep up to date with educational developments and improve their classroom practice. Pension - The teacher may be entitled to join the Teachers' Pension Scheme. The teacher's contribution is 6.4% of pensionable salary, but the percentage is subject to review from time to time. Life Assurance - If the teacher is a member of the Teachers' Pension Scheme the cover is three times the average salary less any lump sum benefits already paid. The College also provides additional cover of one times the average salary. Fee reductions of 70% of day fees are offered for staff children attending the College. A substantial relocation allowance will be available to defray costs of moving to Oxford.References and checks
All offers of employment and contracts are issued subject to satisfactory references and satisfactory outcomes on completion of all necessary checks, including criminal records and establishing the right to work in the UK. In some cases some or all of these checks will have been undertaken before an offer is made. Taking up employment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of all necessary procedures. Under the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, we are required to undertake additional checks on all employees. Full written references, and phone references on quoted referees, including current employer, may be obtained before or after interview. You should indicate specifically if you wish St. Clare's to refrain from contacting your current employer. Police checks / Criminal Records Bureau checks will also be undertaken, for which employees / prospective employees are required to provide information and consent. A Certificate of Good Conduct is acceptable if you are returning from abroad. Contact with all previous employers where the employee has worked with children or vulnerable adults is also required. This is to establish the reason for leaving the position. On occasions, further information and a reference may be sought in writing, by phone or by other means. By providing details of previous employment, it is assumed that the employee/prospective employee has given consent for this contact, and no specific consent of the employee / prospective employee will be sought. Satisfactory completion of a health questionnaire. The College reserves the right to contact any previous employer and to make any additional enquiries it considers necessary in order to meet its responsibilities in relation to employment of people working with students who are under the age of 18.Further enquiries and applications
Please apply by detailed letter enclosing- a detailed letter explaining how you would be particularly suited to this position
- a full CV to include a full employment history with names, addresses and telephone numbers of all previous employers. Please (i) explain any gaps in employment and (ii) indicate where you have worked with students aged under 18.
- details of three referees to include addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers (please ensure they know they may be contacted and will respond promptly). Note that we reserve the right to contact any of your previous employers.
St. Clare's, Oxford
139 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1865 517368
Fax: +44 (0)1865 310002
Email: recruitment@stclares.ac.uk Closing date for applications: 28 February 2011
Interviews will take place at St. Clare's, Oxford during the week starting 14 March 2011.
Please note that CVs without a suitable accompanying letter and/or details of referees will be discarded.