Boarding Houseparent

Roles & Responsibilities

UWCSEA is looking for two resident Boarding Houseparents to join their team - one on East Campus and one on Dover Campus. We are looking for candidates who can commence on either 1 March 2026 or 1 August 2026. Candidates should confirm for which start date(s) they are available in their cover letter.

The Houseparent, 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 residential students. This role is demanding in the level of time and attention to detail required, it is essential that applicants understand that boarding is both a professional and lifestyle choice and will require regular night and weekend time and work commitments.

Our residential student body is incredibly diverse with high representation of students from Africa, Central/South America and Asia, and candidates who have lived and/or worked with young people in those regions with a deep understanding of cultures represented in those areas would be highly valuable additions to the team.

This role is non-teaching. 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 may be possible. This would carry additional remuneration. The accommodation on campus would include a semi-furnished three-bedroom apartment unit.

Main Responsibilities

The houseparents play a pivotal role in ensuring the welfare of all boarding students and smooth operation of the boarding houses, working collaboratively alongside the residential and non-residential team.

• 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. This also involves carrying out administrative and operational tasks involved in the comprehensive care of boarding students
• 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 wider boarding team
• Uphold and implement at all times College Safeguarding policies, procedures and appropriate actions
• Assist with any other duties, tasks or jobs with similar levels of responsibility and complexity to the assigned job grade as may be reasonably requested by the line manager and/or the College.

Person Specifications

Qualifications

• A tertiary qualification in a field related to boarding, education, counselling or nursing is required. If a candidate has a tertiary qualification in another area, they should have worked in boarding in a pastoral role 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 would like to take on teaching in addition to their boarding responsibilities, they need to have a teaching qualification.

Skills

• A clear commitment to the UWC values in both personal and professional life
• 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 and/or their families in languages other than English. Fluency in Mandarin, French or Spanish is particularly welcome.
• 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
• Strong evidence of a collaborative and communicative approach with colleagues and teams

Experience

• A candidate should have at least five years of experience working in Boarding, and could have additional experience in a related field - teaching, counselling, nursing, youth work, work in fields that involve the care of young people
• At least three year's experience working with female students between the ages of 12 and 15 in a boarding, educational or residential setting
• Experience living and working with young people in Asian, Central/South American or African countries
• Demonstrated student leadership and a record of success in leading young people.
• Demonstrated success in supervising students in a residential environment.
• 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

Application

The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. We are committed to creating a community in which all members feel safe and secure, and know that their authentic selves and individual differences are accepted with respect and care. At UWCSEA, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) is an ongoing and evolving process and strive to create and sustain a sense of belonging for all members of our community, past, present and future. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as a part of marginalized group(s) and individuals with (dis)abilities are all encouraged to apply. 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.

Tell employers what skills you have

Ability to Multitask
Mentoring
Teaching
Attention to Detail
Pastoral Care
First Aid
Support students
Student Leadership
Wellbeing
Adolescents

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