Jobs and Employment Opportunities; Teaching and Administrative Jobs

IN THIS SECTION

WIS offers a welcoming working environment for lifelong learners who seek to advance international education in Washington, DC. Our faculty and staff hail from more than 30 countries and have lived and worked around the world. WIS embraces diverse points of view, and asks individuals to model the principles related to international-mindedness, diversity, and inclusion.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, coupled with an institutional commitment to professional development.

For teaching positions a bachelor’s degree is required; a master’s degree and teaching experience in the field are preferred. For staff positions we seek candidates with relevant experience, a commitment to excellence, and an appreciation for WIS's mission.

APPLY HERE

You are welcome to submit an application for future consideration, even if there are no current opportunities matching your interests.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WIS has a reputation for the depth and relevance of its professional development programs. With a Director of Teaching and Learning on each campus, faculty members are encouraged to explore opportunities to improve their craft on- and off-campus. A long-standing relationship with Harvard University Graduate School of Education's Project Zero and generous grants from the Edward E. Ford Foundation led to the establishment (in 2013) of the WIS Summer Institute for Teachers. This one-week program invites DC-area public and private school educators to collaborate and learn from each other. Many WIS teachers attend and/or serve as WISSIT instructors.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
The School is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at the School are based on merit, qualifications, and skills. The School is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, political affiliation, or any other status protected by applicable law. The School makes reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities and/or pregnancy-related conditions in accordance with applicable law. This commitment is evident in all aspects of the School’s employment practices and policies, including recruiting, hiring, job assignment, promotion, training, benefits, compensation, discipline, and termination.
HEALTH COVERAGE INFORMATION
THIS LINK leads to machine-readable files made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

Primary, Middle, Upper School Substitute Teachers
WIS is in need of substitute teachers for the 2024-25 academic year beginning August 26, 2024. Substitute teachers are needed for all divisions — Primary (Early Childhood through Grade 5), Middle (Grades 6-8) and Upper Schools (Grades 9-12). There is a particular need for French, Spanish, and Chinese teachers (Chinese for Middle and Upper School only); native speakers only. Early Childhood (Preschool, Prekindergarten and Kindergarten) is full immersion in either French or Spanish. Grades 1 through 5 receive half the instruction in English and half in either French or Spanish in all subjects (math, social studies, science). Specialists include Art/Digital Technology, Music and PE. Expertise in all subjects is needed, including: math, the sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, general science), English (including writing as well as literature), digital media, history, geography, economics. Candidates with flexible schedules who are available for frequent assignments in several subjects and/or grades are likely to work more often. Requirements include a relevant degree and a minimum of two years of teaching experience. Knowledge of the IB PYP or IB DP preferred but not required. $200 per day
Part-time Extended Day Care Counselor
Summary of Responsibilities: Reporting to the Director of Extended Learning, the Extended Day Counselor is responsible for (a) the overall supervision of students enrolled in extended day care and after school classes (b) leading structured activities on the playground (c) assisting teachers in carrying out activities during the course of the day as needed (d) ensuring students arrive on time for all after school classes (e) teaching social and emotional skills (f) ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and contributing to the effective operation of WIS’ extended learning programs according to standards of excellence. Responsibilities and Duties: Provide supervision and direction for children and work to maintain their safety. Actively engage children in structured and inclusive play. Maintain an orderly playground environment, enforcing school rules and appropriate consequences while on the playground. Document incidents and/or accidents that occur and report to Director of Extended Learning, along with any other problems or concerns. Assist with the preparation and serving of snacks to children as needed. Provide supervision and direction for children and work to maintain their safety. Maintain daily attendance sheets for students enrolled in extended day care. Attend all scheduled and mandatory meetings and training events as well as special events and activities hosted by WIS Extended Learning Programs. Demonstrate a positive and professional attitude at all times, with children, staff, parents and other community members. Perform duties outside the scope of this position description as needed.

Primary, Middle, Upper School Substitute Teachers

WIS is in need of substitute teachers for the 2024-25 academic year beginning August 26, 2024.

Substitute teachers are needed for all divisions — Primary (Early Childhood through Grade 5), Middle (Grades 6-8) and Upper Schools (Grades 9-12). There is a particular need for French, Spanish, and Chinese teachers (Chinese for Middle and Upper School only); native speakers only.

Early Childhood (Preschool, Prekindergarten and Kindergarten) is full immersion in either French or Spanish. Grades 1 through 5 receive half the instruction in English and half in either French or Spanish in all subjects (math, social studies, science). Specialists include Art/Digital Technology, Music and PE.

Expertise in all subjects is needed, including: math, the sciences (chemistry, biology, physics, general science), English (including writing as well as literature), digital media, history, geography, economics.

Candidates with flexible schedules who are available for frequent assignments in several subjects and/or grades are likely to work more often.

Requirements include a relevant degree and a minimum of two years of teaching experience. Knowledge of the IB PYP or IB DP preferred but not required.

$200 per day

Part-time Extended Day Care Counselor

Summary of Responsibilities: Reporting to the Director of Extended Learning, the Extended Day Counselor is responsible for (a) the overall supervision of students enrolled in extended day care and after school classes (b) leading structured activities on the playground (c) assisting teachers in carrying out activities during the course of the day as needed (d) ensuring students arrive on time for all after school classes (e) teaching social and emotional skills (f) ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and contributing to the effective operation of WIS’ extended learning programs according to standards of excellence.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Provide supervision and direction for children and work to maintain their safety.
Actively engage children in structured and inclusive play.
Maintain an orderly playground environment, enforcing school rules and appropriate consequences while on the playground.
Document incidents and/or accidents that occur and report to Director of Extended Learning, along with any other problems or concerns.
Assist with the preparation and serving of snacks to children as needed.
Provide supervision and direction for children and work to maintain their safety.
Maintain daily attendance sheets for students enrolled in extended day care.
Attend all scheduled and mandatory meetings and training events as well as special events and activities hosted by WIS Extended Learning Programs.
Demonstrate a positive and professional attitude at all times, with children, staff, parents and other community members.
Perform duties outside the scope of this position description as needed.

12 CORE BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING

WIS holds true to 12 Core Beliefs About Learning, which are based upon Principles of Learning, Teaching, and Assessment from the Tasmanian Department of Education, Australia.

1. We believe that all humans want to learn, and that learning is an essential, innate, ongoing, and lifelong process.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Expect that all people can learn. Maintain appropriate expectations that challenge all learners. Share their passion for learning. Regard all interactions as teaching/learning opportunities. Model curiosity and persistence. ASSESSING Therefore: The primary purpose for assessment is to improve learning. Assessment provides all learners with the capacity to demonstrate what they know, value, and are able to do.
2. We believe that learning is a process of making meaning of the world.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Are concerned with the development of understanding. Recognize that ideas are constructed and open to question or refinement. View curriculum as being based on key ideas or questions. Are patient with the time it takes to build meaning. Expose students to multiple perspectives and cultures. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment focuses on demonstrations of understanding that move beyond gathering and recalling information. Assessment is moderated through collaboration to enhance fairness, reliability, and validity.
3. We believe that learners are unique and they are responsible for their own learning.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Recognize and respond to individual differences and learning styles. Demonstrate care for and understanding of each learner. Include and maximize the participation of learners of different abilities and backgrounds. Differentiate instruction through a relevant range of teaching approaches and strategies. Collaborate/communicate with learners about learning goals, activities, issues, and contexts. ASSESSING Therefore: Learners self-assess and develop their capacity to monitor their own learning. Learners reflect upon and evaluate assessment tasks.
4. We believe that learning depends on being able to connect prior knowledge, perceptions, or patterns of experience to new experiences, new information, and contexts.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Seek to discover what learners already know, value, and are able to do. Build on the diverse personal, social, and cultural experience, knowledge, and skills that learners bring to new learning. Make explicit the connections between different aspects of learning. Structure activities to challenge learners’ suppositions and preconceptions. Assist all learners in extending their levels of thinking and understanding. ASSESSING Therefore: A range of assessments and monitoring processes are used to gather information about what learners know, value, and are able to do. Assessment about what learners know, value, and are able to do is used to plan teaching sequences and to diagnose areas for challenge and intervention. Assessment respects and includes different ways of knowing.
5. We believe that learning is profoundly influenced by social relationships.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Develop positive relationships with and between all involved in the learners’ learning. Build a sense of community, group identity, and appropriate learning partnerships. Plan for purposeful, collaborative teacher/teacher, teacher/learner, and learner/learner interaction. Maintain a sense of humor. Promote a sense of participation and responsibility from the local to the global. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment is fair, free from bias, and inclusive for all learners. Assessment incorporates judgments from learners, peers, and educators. Assessment includes the work of groups as well as individuals.
6. We believe that learning is significantly affected by emotions.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Provide a consistently safe, positive, and secure environment. Acknowledge emotions and emotional contexts. When appropriate, make use of these contexts as opportunities for learning. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment includes the monitoring of learners’ emotional wellbeing. Learners monitor the extent to which emotions affect and influence their learning.
7. We believe that self-perception directly affects motivation and learning.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Communicate positive expectations and confidence in the learners’ abilities. Acknowledge and celebrate progress. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment provides timely, precise, and constructive feedback.
8. We believe that learning is more effective when information is embedded in purposeful and meaningful experiences and interactions.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Act intentionally, planning for interactions with learners. Make their intentions or expected outcomes clear and explicit to learners. Involve learners in goal setting. Connect what is being taught to hypothetical and real-life experiences. Relate what is being taught to learners’ experiences and interests. Engage learners in multi-sensory experiences. ASSESSING Therefore: Learners are clear about what is being assessed. Assessment encourages learners to exhibit their actual understandings. Assessment is in itself a central learning experience. Assessment tasks are based where possible on real-world contexts and embedded in recurrent learning.
9. We believe that learning is contextual.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Acknowledge that environment and culture influence learning. Consider how their own behavior influences the context for learning. Encourage multiple points of views or solutions. Encourage learners to recognize the context of their own learning and beliefs. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment takes different contexts into consideration.
10. We believe that learning is enhanced when learners are aware of how thinking and learning occur (meta-cognition), which gives learners increased control over their learning.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Explicitly teach thinking and learning strategies. Model meta-cognition. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment encourages learners to question and reflect on their learning and their use of thinking and learning strategies.
11. We believe that learning is demonstrated when learners can apply their understandings in new situations in flexible and thought-provoking ways.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Design learning sequences that explicitly support the application and transfer of learning to new problems and settings. Draw attention to similarities, connections, and analogies between the known and the new. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment opportunities are designed to explicitly test learners’ ability to apply their learning in new and unfamiliar situations.
12. We believe that learning is complex and non-linear.
TEACHING Therefore educators: Are intentional about learners’ extending, elaborating, reorganizing, reformulating, and reflecting upon their own frameworks of knowledge. Provide the time for this to happen. Recognize the educational potential in risk-taking, mistakes or errors. Encourage perseverance. ASSESSING Therefore: Assessment encourages learners to reflect and question and to continuously plan for future learning. Learners note and use errors as a means of improving their own learning. Assessment products may vary widely to reflect different ways of demonstrating understanding.

Working at WIS

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

12 CORE BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING

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