Secondary Geography Teacher

Mwanza International School is a small and unique international school, following the British curriculum for local and expatriate children aged from three to sixteen. It is a non-profit-making organisation with no dividends paid to shareholders/trustees and all surplus funds being invested back into the school.

The school opened in September 2012 and has been growing steadily ever since. There are currently about 270 children on the roll. 82% are Tanzanian, with the remainder being an even mix from all across East Africa and the globe. The school is currently developing Secondary - we sit our first IGCSE exams in 2026.

We follow the EYFS curriculum in the Early Years and then the Cambridge International Programme for Primary and Secondary, modified to meet the needs of an international and Tanzanian community in East Africa. For most of our children English is a second or third language, but fluency for all is one of our main goals, and we pride ourselves on the students being able to achieve the same levels as similarly able children in a school in the UK.

Mwanza is the second biggest city in Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria. Compared to the UK, it has a more relaxed pace of life. The teachers live with views of the lake, two hours from the Serengeti. The school is located in Capri Point, a low density residential area, not far from the centre of the city.

There are two playing fields 45m and 50m, a 20m swimming pool, three basketball/netball courts and playgrounds with plenty of play equipment. There are 15 classrooms and 2 libraries.

In Primary, apart from the class teachers, we have specialist teachers for Kiswahili, French, and PE, and classroom assistants for each class.

The school is not high tech, but it has all the basic resources for the full curriculum. There are HD projectors in all classes and we have a set of shared tablets for primary ICT. In Secondary each student has their own designated tablet to allow for on-line work across the curriculum in and outside school. The ICT room is equipped with a laptop for each student. 

Please look at our website for lots more information and to get a better feel for who we are:

https://www.mwanzainternational.org/

Requirements

We are looking for an enthusiastic secondary Geography teacher, keen to make a difference. 

You must have experience in teaching KS3 and KS4 up to Year 11 (GCSE or IGCSE, preferably the Cambridge curriculum). As a subject teacher, you will be responsible for planning and delivering all your lessons, as well as marking and assessment for your subject. You will be a form tutor for one of the Secondary classes, therefore also be tasked with delivering the PSHE curriculum and providing pastoral care to your form.

The secondary school is small and the successful candidate should be prepared to offer a second subject(s).

Applicants must have a teaching degree with QTS or a degree and PGCE (IPGSE or equivalent) and a minimum of three years teaching experience. Candidates must be fluent in English - written and spoken.

The initial contract is a 2 year term.

There is a happy atmosphere in the school and, while we are all hard working and committed, the school does not have the pressures of red tape that plague schools in the UK or other international schools. We allow teachers to use their professionalism to plan and deliver interesting, exciting and effective lessons consistent with the Cambridge curriculum.

We expect teachers to contribute to the extra-curricular life of the school. All teachers run one or two after school clubs (Secondary normally just one), according to their interests. There are sports competitions and school concerts/plays during the year, led by the teaching staff, which all teachers are expected to support.

The teaching day runs from 7:55am to 3:15pm.

Teachers also have the opportunity and expectation to take part in educational visits, including residential. There are many opportunities for educational visits, such as The Serengeti National Park (1.5 - 2 hours drive from the school), Ngorongoro Crater, and Geita Gold Mine.

Benefits

The salary allows for a comfortable standard of living and the opportunity to travel in the region. It is subject to Tanzanian Income Tax and 10% National Social Security Fund, to which the school contributes a further 10% - The full 20% NSSF contributions are reimbursed when the contract is completed – a tax free lump sum of £8,400 plus interest after two years.

The package includes all accommodation costs (electricity, water etc), flights at the beginning and end of a two year contract and the school provides for local medical costs and medical evacuation to Nairobi Hospital in the event of emergency.

Queries

Please direct all queries to our executive head, Barry Clement, on clementrb58@gmail.com

Please look at our website for lots more information and to get a better feel for who we are: https://www.mwanzainternational.org/

Or See our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/mwanza_international_school/

Working in Mwanza at MIS

It is a pleasant working and living environment, with a supportive team of colleagues:

"Mwanza is an amazing place. It is a vibrant and bustling city but still small enough to have a real feeling of community. The scenery is striking with boulder-strewn rugged vistas and stunning lake views. The climate is warm with a fresh lake breeze - so much more pleasant than the humid and hotter coast. The people are friendly and welcoming - you'll find yourself having half hour chats with the man you buy a bus ticket from and you'll go away knowing everything about his family and with an invite to his house for lunch! There is a small but thriving ex-pat community with all manner of activities available for all tastes. It hasn't got every mod con that you might desire but it's a very good (and cheap) standard of living whilst at the same time still very much feeling like 'proper Africa'!

MIS is such a breath of fresh air from my last school. I've taught in the UK and internationally and MIS stands out due to the staff being unburdened by paperwork and politics. The classes are small and the children are well behaved (mostly!) There is time to actually teach! The resources are basic (as compared to a modern UK school) but not limiting, and the school environment is verdant, cool and beautiful. The salary is not as huge as some of the big international schools but the costs are lower too (despite travelling all over the region in the holidays, I've even managed to save quite a bit to take home). Before coming I was reluctant to work in a small school in a relatively untrodden area of East Africa but I can happily say that it was a decision I am wholeheartedly glad I made." - CC, Secondary Science.