Boarding Houseparent

Inspire the next generation of change makers in a school driven by purpose.

UWCSEA is looking for resident Boarding Houseparents to join their team - both Dover and East Campuses - from 1 August 2027.

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 ages 13 - 19. 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.

• 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.

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.

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
• 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 demonstr