Summer School Assistant Programme Director

About Academy Royale International

Academy Royale International (ARI) runs award-winning academic summer schools for students aged 10 to 18. Since 2004, more than 50,000 students from over 175 nations have studied with us, living and learning on campus at colleges of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, and at Marlborough College.

Our students go deeper into subjects they love, from medicine, law and engineering to artificial intelligence, business and English language, in discussion-led classes with expert tutors. They leave with new friends from around the world, a clearer sense of where they are heading and the confidence to get there.

We hold the 2024 King's Award for Enterprise for International Trade and have won three Queen's Awards for Enterprise. We are accredited by the British Accreditation Council and the British Council, and hold a RoSPA Gold Award for student safety.

The role

As Assistant Programme Director you are second in command on campus. You work alongside the Programme Director across leadership, staffing, student welfare and programme delivery, and when the Programme Director is off duty you take campus decisions under delegated authority, except expulsions and serious welfare decisions.

It is a senior leadership role on a residential summer programme for students from around the world, at some of the world's most renowned academic institutions. It suits an experienced educator who leads with calm judgement and knows when a decision must wait for the Programme Director.

What you will do

• Lead when the Programme Director is off duty. Take campus decisions under delegated authority, except expulsions and serious welfare decisions, and keep the Programme Director informed.
• Manage student behaviour. Handle low-level student discipline jointly with the Programme Director, fairly and consistently.
• Support the staff team. Help with the staff rota, induction, night and emergency rotas, appraisals, staff discipline and uniform standards.
• Support welfare and safeguarding. Support serious welfare decisions and incident reviews, and make sure safeguarding concerns are recorded and escalated promptly.
• Support teaching and academic quality. Support the Teaching team with cover teaching, lesson observations and proofreading of student reports.
• Support the delivery of the programme. As required by the Programme Director, support the planning and delivery of the programme timetable and activities, supporting and advising the work of the Junior Deans and Counsellors.
• Keep campus leadership joined up. Take part in the daily Campus Management huddle, give the team a consistent message, and support course changes, Guest Speaker visits and the end-of-summer report.

What you will bring

• The judgement and confidence to take campus decisions when the Programme Director is off duty, or to escalate further for support (for example to the Designated Safeguarding Lead).
• Fair, consistent leadership of staff and of student behaviour.
• A thorough understanding of safeguarding, including how to record concerns and escalate them to the Designated Safeguarding Lead promptly.
• Close teamwork with the Programme Director, so the campus team gets clear, joined-up leadership.
• Calm under pressure, organised and flexible across a wide range of duties.
• Clear, professional communication in English, spoken and written, with staff, students and parents.
• A clear commitment to safeguarding and to ARI's values.

Essential

• Leadership experience in an education setting.
• Experience of managing students and student behaviour.
• Teacher training or a suitable equivalent, including international qualifications.
• A university degree, including international equivalents.

Desirable

• Experience of working on a similar residential summer programme.

Position details

• Location: Oxford or Cambridge, on campus at university colleges.
• Dates: Oxford: 4 to 17 July, 18 to 31 July and 1 to 14 August 2027. Cambridge: 4 to 17 July and 18 to 31 July 2027. You must be available for all sessions at your campus. Training and set-up days come before students arrive.
• Hours: 60 hours a week on a rota that includes weekends. Rostered duties will include evenings, nights and on-call cover, set by the Programme Director. Days off follow working time law and are set on the Programme Director's rota to keep the campus covered.
• Contract: Fixed term.
• Pay: Set by experience and confirmed at offer, plus holiday pay.
• Accommodation: This is a residential role, with accommodation on campus.
• Training: Paid training before the summer, including online safeguarding training and leadership training, and a pre-summer site visit, then induction and campus set-up before students arrive. Dates confirmed at offer.
• Reports to: Line managed by the Programme Director. When the Programme Director is off duty, you direct the campus team under delegated authority.

Why join us

• Inspiring places. You work on campus at world-renowned universities and leading schools, and represent ARI in these settings every day.
• An international community. Every summer brings together students and staff from many nationalities and backgrounds. Many students return year after year, and some go on to join our teams.
• Training that sets you up to succeed. Every role receives online and in-person training before the summer, and development continues throughout the programme, with regular feedback from your Programme Director.
• A team that has your back. We give and receive feedback, celebrate success together and always put the student experience first.
• Responsibility that counts. Every role, from Counsellor to Programme Director, makes a real difference to young people's safety, wellbeing and ambitions.

Our mission and values

Our aim is to give every student an extraordinary experience. Everything we do is built on Safe, Happy and Learning: we keep students safe, help them make lasting friendships and give them high-quality, challenging learning. We look for people who share our four values: Responsible, Informed, Personable and Positive.

Safeguarding and equal opportunities

ARI is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects every member of staff to share this commitment. This role involves regulated activity with children and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so some spent convictions and cautions must be declared. Appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS check including the Children's Barred List, satisfactory references and proof of the right to work in the UK, which we check for every successful applicant.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

How to apply

Apply online at academyroyaleinternational.com/work-with-us. Our recruitment team will support you at every stage, and we review applications as they arrive, so we encourage you to apply early. If you need any adjustments to take part in the application or interview process, please tell us when you apply.