Boarding Houseparent

The Post

United World College of Southeast Asia – East Campus (in Singapore) has a vacancy from August 2023 for the role of Boarding Houseparent, focusing on the boarders’ needs, reporting to the Director of Residential Life at East Campus.  This is a three-year full-time contract position.

The Boarding Houseparent, full-time resident on campus, will work both independently and as a team member in managing programs and services relating to the residential community. Houseparents design and implement the residential life curriculum to support the well-being and learning of all members of the residential life community. They are the primary caregivers for the residential students. This role may have a teaching component of up to 0.25 of a teaching timetable dependent on appropriate teaching qualifications and experience, and to the discretion and needs of the College and which is remunerated in addition.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, implement and work collaboratively with staff and parents on all aspects of the Residential Life Curriculum

• Lead the pastoral care of boarding students, including working with the boarding team, the supporting academic staff, counselling, clinic and other support teams to ensure the students in their care thrive emotionally, socially, physically and academically.

• Lead duty teams to supervise and care for the boarding students according to a weekly and weekend duty roster, implementing procedures and policies that ensure all safeguarding standards are met

• Independently organise and lead holiday programmes, orientation and transition programmes, local trips, activity days and other student programmes as required

• Work with other departments within the College to promote and develop boarding in the community

• Mentor team members and develop skills and practice of the boarding team

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in a field related to boarding/residential life, education, counselling or nursing is required. If a candidate has a tertiary qualification in another area, s/he should have worked in a residential / boarding environment for at least five years.

• All candidates should have a valid first aid certificate and a boarding “Duty of Care” certification; however, these can be obtained within the first three months of employment.

• If candidates will take on a teaching role  in addition to their boarding responsibilities, they need to have a teaching qualification.

Experience

• A candidate should have at least five years of experience working in Boarding / residential life, and could have additional experience in a related field – teaching, counselling, nursing, youth work, work in fields that involve the care of young people

• Demonstrated student leadership and a record of success in leading young people.

• Demonstrated success in supervising students in a residential environment.

• Evidence of effective mentoring of young people from Central / South American and/ or African countries

• Demonstrated success in working with adolescents and their families

• Demonstrated success in working in a diverse community

• Demonstrated success in meeting deadlines and following procedures

• Demonstrated success in the application of relevant technologies in administration

• Demonstrated success in project management and working with teams to effectively manage projects

• Demonstrated success in mentoring colleagues

• If wanting to be considered for a teaching role, then demonstrated success in planning, delivering subject content and working within a department to ensure the academic success of students

Skills & Qualities

• Demonstrated ability to provide consistent and considerate supervision and discipline of adolescents and young adults.

• Demonstrated skills in establishing effective working relationships based on mutual respect between staff and students.

• Effective oral and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work with a team and as an individual.

• Ability to converse and support students in languages other than English.

• Ability to multi-task and demonstrate initiative

• Ability to independently manage portfolios within the boarding house requirements

• Demonstrated ability to take initiative in responding to the specific needs of students and the team

• An understanding of the organisational and operational practices appropriate to the position.

• An understanding of the growth and development of adolescents and young adults.

• An understanding of the legal and safeguarding requirements for the supervision of and residing with students.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively mentor and coach colleagues

UWCSEA welcomes applications from all qualified candidates.

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices and all appointments are subject to interview, satisfactory references, identity and criminal record checks.

UWCSEA is an equal opportunity employer, and welcomes applications from those who wish to join a community which is inclusive, and which celebrates diversity.