An exciting opportunity has arisen for a fluent German speaker to join our vibrant and dynamic German Department as a full-time, term-time only, German Language Assistant from September 2022. This position is offered as a full time, fixed-term, term-time only contract from 1 September 2022 to 5 July 2023, with possible extension in September 2023 for a further academic year.

The Languages Faculty at Whitgift is one of the largest in the country, with over thirty staff teaching French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese. Nine German teachers and two assistants make up the German Department. German is taught from Year 7 and is a popular choice at all levels within the School. GCSE cohorts are around the 60 mark, there are currently over 30 pupils studying German in the Sixth-Form and we regularly send boys to university to read German. We offer very broad co-curricular provision in which the assistants are instrumental. Students have the opportunity to put their German into practice in Germany several times during the course of their studies; we have long-standing links with partner schools in Munich and Nuremberg and take our Sixth-Formers to a city of their choice (in recent years this has been Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg).

As a full-time language assistant, the successful candidate will be pro-active and enthusiastic about promoting the culture of Germany and German-speaking countries across the School. They will play an important role in preparing students for examinations, working with students in small groups, assisting teachers in the classroom and tailoring individual support for native-speaker pupils. They will be able to produce stimulating resources and lead enjoyable discussions that challenge students while simultaneously building their confidence and ability to converse in both a natural and articulate manner. In addition to preparing resources for their own teaching, the successful candidate will work with the Head of German to assist in the production of high quality and innovative resources to support classroom teaching. A high level of accuracy in both spoken and written German and English will be essential, and the ideal candidate will excel in encouraging our students to engage with current German, Austrian and Swiss issues, drawing inspiration from the media and other authentic sources. Flexibility and a willingness to engage with the broader life of the school is a prerequisite. An ability to teach German literature would be an advantage.

The successful candidate will:

  • Be fluent in German and knowledgeable about the cultures of German-speaking countries
  • Be excited to work in an environment where global mindedness, tolerance and linguistic diversity are front and centre
  • Be proactive and enthusiastic about promoting German across the School
  • Have excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Have an excellent command of the English Language
  • Be in possession of outstanding IT and administrative skills
  • Be professional, confident and well-organized
  • Have the ability to meet changing deadlines and work under pressure
  • Have the ability to work independently and also as part of a team
  • Possess high levels of flexibility and co-operation
  • In return we offer a generous salary and benefits package including a money purchase pension scheme (plus Life Assurance over), Employee Discount Club, discounted school fees for the Foundation Schools, discounted off-peak membership at our on-site gym, membership of a healthcare plan, a range of family-friendly benefits and season ticket loan.

    We welcome applications from all parts of our community as we aspire to attract staff that matches the social and cultural diversity of our student intake.

    For further information and an online application form, please visit .