HEAD OF LANGUAGES

POSITION: HEAD OF LANGUAGES
- MANDARIN Highgate International School Thailand opened to a founding community of Pre-Prep and Junior School students in August 2026. It will open a Senior School in August 2027, initially welcoming students into Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9. Operated in partnership with Siam Motors Group and Highgate School, London, students enjoy access to a wide range of world-class facilities within a beautiful and generously appointed campus situated in Chonburi.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Head of Languages (Mandarin) will:
- Provide visionary and inspirational leadership for the teaching of Mandarin across the school
- Lead the development, implementation and review of an ambitious, engaging and progressive programme for Mandarin and Chinese culture that both references and exceeds the boundaries of the English National Curriculum
- Promote linguistic fluency, confident language use and positive participation
- Establish high expectations for speaking, listening, reading and writing for all, whilst meeting the specific needs associated with first-language, heritage-language and additional-language study
- Explore the prospect of a language exchange programme
- Identify, support, extend and promote students exhibiting potential
- Play an active and influential role in the arrangement of a full and engaging Co-Curricular Activity programme
- Lead on the recruitment, coordination and development of the wider languages team and any specialist partner groups
- Build a wide range of productive partnerships both across and beyond the school community
- Oversee the safe use of school facilities and resources
- Manage a departmental budget responsibly
- Use assessment data to evaluate impact and strengthen provision
- Foster curiosity, rigour, engagement, enthusiasm, community and kindness among the student population
- Work in accordance with school policy and in the wider interests of the school
- Contribute enthusiastically and collaboratively to the development and wider operation of the school KEY CHARACTERISTICS The Head of Languages (Mandarin) will:
- Be an outstanding educator and leader with a compelling vision for whole-school language learning
- Hold a demonstrable degree of personal expertise within Chinese language and culture
- Understand the impact of an outstanding education
- Have integrity and exhibit a commitment to their professionalism and continued development
- Be ambitious, collaborative, adaptable and upbeat
- Have a pioneering attitude QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE The Head of Languages (Mandarin) will:
- Be a fully qualified teacher with QTS or an internationally recognised equivalent, with denoted specialism in Mandarin
- Have a minimum of three years of experience leading a broad programme for the study of Mandarin
- Be a native user of Mandarin, able to exhibit excellent reading, writing and speaking skills, and an excellent user of English
- A working knowledge of the English National Curriculum and experience of teaching Mandaring at IGCSE and A Level would be advantageous SAFEGUARDING Highgate International School Thailand is committed to the protection of children and the promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging. Candidates for all roles will be required to provide detailed information pertaining to their personal identity, employment history and qualifications. Background checks will be undertaken to ensure the suitability of candidates to work in a school and alongside young people.