Senior School English Teacher (Expat Contract)
About This Role
General:
The school seeks a passionate, enthusiastic and talented practitioner with qualifications and experience to teach across the Senior School age range (11 to 18 years old). English is a strong and dynamic department in the school, offering courses at IGCSE and IB.
English Department:
The English department in the Senior School is an academic, organised, supportive and energetic team of nine. Our department is integral to the school: it is our job to ensure that pupils leave this British school utterly confident in their English usage and with a love of literature and of the English language. Our achievements include inspiring the pupils with structured, dynamic teaching supported by well-considered schemes of work. Although the majority of our pupils speak Portuguese at home, our approach, in keeping with our ethos as a British school, is to teach virtually as if they spoke English as a first language. At Key Stage 4, our pupils take the Cambridge IGCSE in English language and English literature, and they achieve excellent outcomes at IGCSE.
At Key Stage 5, pupils study the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma in English A: language and literature, which consistently proves to be one of the most popular subjects our sixth formers choose to study at higher level. We are a very well-resourced department, with a wide range of texts in stock and a number of schemes of work to teach them. Text choices in the past have ranged from Greek tragedy to Renaissance drama to postcolonial prose and anything in between. Our teachers enjoy curricular freedom over the literary and non-literary texts chosen for their pupils, appropriate to age, ability, interests and identified intellectual gaps. This, in part, enables our pupils to consistently perform well above the global average for IB points in English, and we are extremely proud of the results that our pupils achieve at Key Stage 5.
The post is expected to start in 2026.
About St. Paul’s School:
St. Paul’s was founded in 1926 and was the first school in South America to receive accreditation from the UK government as a British School Overseas. Fully coeducational, with about 1,200 pupils, aged from 3 to 18, it is a school with history and tradition, but which embraces innovation, contemporary values and the latest in digital learning. We are a world-class school, and an international member of HMC and IAPS, and a member of COBIS and the LAHC. We are proud of our local, national and international reputation and we constantly strive to improve the opportunities for our pupils and staff. Our recent BSO inspection judged us as a leading British School overseas, and you can download the report from our website. Our exceptional facilities place teaching and learning at the heart of the school.
The English Teacher's role:
The role of the teacher at St. Paul’s is to promote at all times and in every possible way the pupils’ intellectual and social development and learning, including independent learning skills.
Responsibilities:
Guide, prepare and develop St. Paul's pupils to reach their potential by promoting and nurturing learning and understanding in different aspects of your subject specialism.
Through a holistic approach to teaching and learning (enhancing skills and abilities), encourage a positive attitude to learning, a critical spirit, an independent attitude, awareness of global citizenship and a high-quality British and Brazilian education for the academic and personal development of pupils following the school’s mission and values.
Stimulate pupils' learning by offering a variety of curricular opportunities to develop subject skills through a differentiated learning landscape which also includes use of digital resources in order to foster talents and abilities in pupils.
Monitor, support and assess pupils and provide timely and effective feedback to ensure pupil progress (both to parents and pupils), through the reporting framework, attending parent’s meetings or any appropriate evaluation tool.
To promote a safe environment for learning to pupils throughout the school as a subject teacher to ensure all pupils are happy, safe and supported, promoting a strong sense of community aligned to school values;
Plan and deliver lessons of appropriate type, content and quality for different year groups across senior school, working as a team player, following your department guidelines and school policy and to ensure pupil progress
Run occasional workshop sessions and recuperação activities to offer support to pupils learning and contribute to the enrichment programme.
Attend departmental and staff meetings to follow the school's plans and development training sessions in order to have a continuous sharing of best practice and administrative training
Carry out duties by overseeing pupils during break and/or lunch times on a weekly basis
Invigilate annual mock examinations within the school timetable
Occasionally cover for absent teachers when requested
Participate in, evaluate and record appropriate professional development to support best practice and personal professional goals following the school guidelines
Be a pastoral tutor; take responsibility for the safety and well-being of a small group of pupils in a particular year group, within the school's pastoral structure.
Benefits:
For expatriate staff the package is a two-year (renewable) contract that includes: housing allowance; furnishing allowance; food allowance; return flights with luggage allowance (start and end of each contract); visa expenses covered; premium bank account with points and benefits; opt-in private pension scheme; high-interest savings scheme; a 13th monthly salary; annual salary bonus; healthcare and dental plan; Portuguese lessons (in the first year); assistance with local knowledge and logistics; on-site lunches; an average of 14 weeks' holiday per year, and a UK-sterling salary allowance.
Living in Brazil and in São Paulo city:
“I would highly recommend moving to Sao Paulo and Brazil. The opportunity to travel, meet new people, learn new cultures and experience so many exciting opportunities is something not to be missed. Sao Paulo really does have everything you want and need…don’t miss out!!” - Mr Lee Sutton, Assistant Head Enrichment for Whole School.
“It only took a matter of weeks for me to fall in love with Brazil: the warmth of its people; their optimism and zest for life; their willingness to help strangers, and their ever-readiness for a party! This, against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty, incredible wildlife and some of the best beaches I have ever seen make Brazil an unrivalled country to call home away from home. More locally, São Paulo is an elating metropolis in which to live: I love how diverse it is demographically; how green and leafy it is; the excellent arts and culture options; the food offering is second-to-none, and the nightlife is awesome. In all, São Paulo (and Brazil) are the best places to live if you value good people, fun, quality of life and heady adventure.” - Mr Jonathan Tarrant, Second in the English Department in Senior School.
Requirements:
Our successful candidate will:
have a PGCE (or PGDE) from the UK, preferably specialising in secondary English
have UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
have at least three years' school-based experience of teaching UK secondary, IGCSE and/or IB curricula to pupils aged 11-18 years
have excellent subject knowledge of English language and/or literature, supported by relevant academic qualification(s)
understand how pupils learn and have a strong pedagogical toolbox to unlock the potential of every pupil, regardless of their starting point
promote pupils’ intellectual and social development and learning, including independent learning skills
have a strong record of professional development and be committed to collaborating with staff in this area
maintain positive and professional relationships with pupils, parents and staff
be an effective and flexible team player
be able to contribute to the extracurricular activities of the department
have a positive attitude and a calm, professional manner
be an excellent communicator, orally and in writing, with pupils, parents, and colleagues
be a native English speaker or have English as a first language
Desirable:
have experience of teaching the Cambridge IGCSE, UK A-level and/or IB Diploma in English language and/or literature
be familiar with the use of MacBooks, Office 365 and other forms of technology to enhance pupils’ learning
be familiar with management systems, such as iSAMS, CPOMS and ManageBac
be willing to be involved with school events and to engage with the wider school community
Safeguarding:
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. The offer of the role would be made subject to receipt of satisfactory references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification checks and other safeguarding checks, an overseas check if appropriate and a pre-placement medical assessment. Proof of entitlement to work in Brazil is also required where necessary.