Summer School Power Skills Teacher, Oxford

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 hold a RoSPA Gold Award for student safety.

The role

You teach Power Skills, afternoon workshops on our New Perspectives (12 to 15) and Broadening Horizons (16 to 18) programmes for international students in Oxford, each running as 6 sessions of 90 minutes. Public Speaking & Debate (12 to 15) builds confidence first, through low-pressure speaking games, a short research-style talk and a final team talk with audience questions. Debate & Public Speaking (16 to 18) works to competitive standard in British Parliamentary format, covering motions, points of information, rebuttal and adjudication, and ends in a showcase debate. Leadership & Team Dynamics (16 to 18) draws on research from psychology, management and organisational behaviour, through timed challenges, fictional crisis and negotiation simulations and a Team Lab in which each team designs, runs and reviews its own challenge. You plan your sessions from the course brief and scheme of work.

Classes you may teach: Public Speaking & Debate, New Perspectives (12 to 15, Oxford, 9 hours a session); Debate & Public Speaking, Broadening Horizons (16 to 18, Oxford, 9 hours a session); Leadership & Team Dynamics, Broadening Horizons (16 to 18, Oxford, 9 hours a session). All Power Skills options run at the same time of day, so you teach one per session.

What you will do

• Plan your own lessons. Complete the training and plan each of your 90-minute lessons from the course brief, scheme of work and PowerPoint template, so that every lesson meets its learning outcomes within the 20-minute limit on teacher talk.
• Teach actively. Deliver student-centred lessons, seminars, workshops and practical activities to small classes of students from many countries, with no more than 20 minutes of teacher talk, and differentiate for students of different abilities, backgrounds and levels of English.
• Assess and report. Mark both assignments with personalised feedback, write a personalised report for every student by the Wednesday of week 2, and nominate students for Academic Prizes.
• Run your classroom. Arrive 30 minutes before your first lesson to set up, keep the room tidy and safe, take daily registers, report absences and flag equipment needs 2 days ahead.
• Work with the campus team. Attend the weekly staff meeting, collaborate with teaching colleagues, support programme elements such as Challenge Day and Exhibition Day, and complete end-of-employment feedback.
• Keep students safe. Follow ARI procedures and our accrediting bodies' requirements, keep professional boundaries and report any safeguarding concern to the Programme Director straight away.

What you will bring

• A practical, interactive teaching style suited to small groups rather than lectures, with the confidence to hold a class's attention.
• Precise, encouraging feedback on delivery and argument, and the skill to run a workshop in which every student speaks or leads, rather than a lecture.
• A clear grasp of how to pace a lesson, check that students have learned and adapt when they have not.
• The adaptability to teach students with varied prior knowledge, nationalities and levels of English, and to carry on when equipment or technology lets you down.
• Clear, encouraging communication, explaining complex ideas simply, in English, because you teach, mark and write reports in English.
• Strong organisation and preparation, and a willingness to collaborate with the teaching and campus teams.
• A clear commitment to safeguarding and to ARI's values.

Essential

• An undergraduate degree, or higher, in any subject (international equivalents included).
• For the public speaking and debate options: a background in competitive debating, public speaking coaching, drama, broadcasting or advocacy.
• For Debate & Public Speaking (16 to 18): British Parliamentary debating or adjudication experience, and experience of running debate training.
• For Leadership & Team Dynamics: a degree in social or organisational psychology, management or business, and experience of running leadership programmes, team-building, outdoor education or simulations with structured debriefs.

Desirable

• A degree in law, English, drama, politics or communication (public speaking and debate options).
• Experience of coaching students aged 12 to 15, including nervous speakers and students speaking English as an additional language (Public Speaking & Debate).
• A postgraduate degree and knowledge of the research on teams, including where the evidence is weak (Leadership & Team Dynamics).
• Experience of teaching students aged 16 to 18 or undergraduates (16 to 18 options).

Position details

• Location: Oxford, on campus at university colleges.
• Dates: Sessions run Monday to Friday over 2 weeks. Oxford: 5 to 16 July, 19 to 30 July and 2 to 13 August 2027.
• Hours: 9 teaching hours per session (each option is 6 sessions of 90 minutes). The session rate also covers planning, setting up before lessons, marking, report writing and staff meetings.
• Contract: Fixed term, by session.
• Pay: Pay is set according to the qualifications and experience the role needs.
• Accommodation and meals: Non-residential, so no meals are provided. Travel expenses are not paid and there is no parking on our campuses. A limited number of residential places are allocated according to the needs of the programme and the candidates available.
• Training: Mandatory online training and an in-person induction before the summer, and planning from the provided materials; dates and the training payment are confirmed at offer.
• Reports to: Line managed by the Programme Director, who directs your work day to day. Your lessons are observed by the Programme Director or the Director of Studies, who give constructive feedback.
• Interviews: A 30-minute video interview that opens with a 5-minute mini-teach on a topic we send you in advance.

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.