King’s is an inclusive international school open to qualifying students of all backgrounds, though the majority are Chinese. We have had a successful Pre-Prep school for Early Years since 2019, and now following the opening of our Primary and Secondary campus in Autumn 2022, we are looking to expand our teaching and leadership provision in our Prep and Senior Schools.
The school follows an international curriculum throughout, the Cambridge Pathway, to IGCSE and A Levels. However, the Grade 1-7 curriculum is supplemented by Chinese language and humanities, and Chinese (Shanghai) mathematics. All students experience a rich variety of co-curricular opportunities and be supported by pastoral care of the highest standard, all of which are essential to a truly holistic and inclusive education.
We start our A Level programme in September 2023.
Although we are unlikely to have students applying for university until the 2024-2025 application cycle, the role of University Applications Officer is a crucial one from now onwards as we look to build our Senior School profile. Some of the more specific subject advice and preparation at KSS will be in the hands of the tutors and lead teachers. However, the University Applications Officer will work with and alongside our tutors and the wider academic team, liaising with the experienced department at the King’s School, Canterbury, advising and directing applications.
The role extends wider than simply dealing with universities and their courses, but in helping our senior pupils, at least from Grade 8 upwards, to build a profile for themselves which will make them stand out as strong candidates for further study and, eventually, employment in a changing world. This means extending their skills, increasing their experiences through trips, academic talks and research opportunities, placements, etc. It also means that there is school administration work which falls under the postholder’s remit, and, as a comparatively new school here, the postholder must be prepared to support a variety of tasks.
The role may well involve evening and weekend presentations, recruitment events, etc. It also involves continual liaison with academic staff.
The post holder should also be experienced and familiar in terms of the application processes and requirements for British universities (the UCAS system), American (the Common App), those in Hong Kong, as well as being prepared to research wider afield.
S/he reports to Head of the department and by extension to the Head of Senior School.
Key Responsibilities
General 1. To support the Head of Senior School in the smooth running of the Senior School. In this case, the more specific responsibilities related to the role include: - ensuring that we have pupil subject choices which suit the individual concerned and the school timetable - supporting the Senior School CCAs and the enrichment programme (including major school events) - attending parents’ meetings - meeting and entertaining guests - sometimes helping with marketing events - sometimes helping to interview new pupils or acting as translator - providing support for senior teachers entering students on national or international courses
University Applications and Admissions Co-ordination 1. Ensuring that our Senior School meets all eight Gatsby benchmarks 2. To make connections with the universities likely to be popular destinations for our students; to be entirely familiar with their entrance requirements and procedures. 3. Academic advising: - About academic advising: Help students navigate their academic experience by assisting with proactive academic planning, creative problem solving, and connection to academic resources. - Track student progress by examining student data, and getting in touch with students about registration, grades, graduation, and university preparation in order to support their retention and success. 4. University application coaching: - Advise students (and parents) about qualification requirements and educational programs and activities they need for universities. - Assess student interests and abilities through individual planning and advise students on college and career paths. - Ensure students complete their university application properly and offer guidance in the whole application procedure. - Provide the necessary supporting documents and school profile for supporting student applications to universities on behalf of the kings school. - To administer Unifrog and other digital supporting platforms, helping and monitoring pupil use. - To help pupils build up their own portfolios and prepare applicants for personal statements, entrance tests (including SATs) and university interviews. 5. Collaborating and supporting: - To be completely up-to-date with systems, changes and developments, especially with regard to international students worldwide. - To help train our Senior tutors and subject teachers to give appropriate advice, providing them with appropriate material and information. - To develop connections with local business, industries, etc. for the purposes of visits, work placements, etc. - To make presentations to parents and other stakeholders, such as workshops and information sessions. - To build our own intranet information site. - To arrange and process the psychometric testing of pupils (using Unifrog or similar), inform tutors and carry out follow-up interviews with pupils. 6. To liaise with and seek advice/information from the King’s School, Canterbury, which sends over 180 students to top universities every year. 7. To be available to assist in recruiting and marketing events if required. 8. To complete other related and reasonable tasks assigned by Head of the department
Personal requirements and characteristics
The applicant/postholder should: - have at least one relevant degree - have a relevant experience, preferably both in this field and in teaching - be able to speak and write English and Chinese with accuracy - be an enthusiastic but sensitive communicator - have experience of working with University applications, especially UCAS, but also the US Common Application system - [ability to prepare applicants for American SAT exams is desirable, but not essential] - have good personal skills, able to work one one-to-one with pupils, able to speak to parents and staff - be very capable at working IT programmes and databases - be able to work in a team - be organised and efficient - be willing to be involved in wider aspects of school life - be prepared to work variable hours when required - be caring and supportive of students’ needs and emotional development at all times - need to carry out first-line university preparation and application work in the past two years, have a certain number of student cases and be familiar with recent application trends
