Secondary Science Teacher

About Bloom Secondary

Bloom Academy is a new secondary school focused on innovation and entrepreneurship education. Designed from the ground up by passionate educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs, we aim to establish ourselves as one of the leading K-12 institutions in Hong Kong, the China Greater Bay Area (GBA), and Asia. While the world faces many ongoing challenges, we are excited at the prospect of reimagining what education could be – especially within our Chinese context – and we invite you to join us in our efforts to innovate to prepare students for the challenges that lie ahead.

After the successful opening of our primary school in 2021, we look forward to the opening of our secondary program in August 2023. In preparation for this, we have been running pilot programs since 2018, which have served as incubation spaces for our unique school design and curricular innovation. We have been preparing our senior cohorts for their A-Levels and IGCSEs, while our junior cohorts are following our school-based curriculum.

We are seeking qualified and experienced teachers to join the effort to launch the new secondary program in August 2023. Because founding teachers have a strong effect on the development of school culture, we will be placing a high premium on individuals who possess the following characteristics:

• Courageous We are designing for the unknown. We do not seek failure, nor do we fear it.
• Energetic Starting a school is exciting and challenging. It requires a lot of stamina and hard work.
• Optimistic We must aim to inspire our students and one another.
• Kind Teachers, students, and parents are on the same team. Teams flourish when members treat one another with dignity.
• Creative Education has many problems, which we are trying to solve. We need problem-solvers to help and implement our vision.
• Open-Minded Those who can park aside educational assumptions aside will be able to contribute more to our vision, innovation, and culture.
• Adaptable Our design and implementation cycles are short. A nimble and evolving pedagogy will be necessary.
• Patient Good schools take years to build.

All trends point to a future in which AI will replace many current jobs, and a future in which humans may become liberated to pursue their creative dreams. This requires us to begin moving away from a teacher-led, exam-based, subject-siloed secondary curriculum that merely produces demonstrations of knowledge mastery. We believe that education has to change now in order to prepare our young people for a vastly different world of higher education and work than that which we are currently familiar with.

If you are similarly animated by the necessity for change, while also building on the best of what we already have in education, we encourage you to apply.

Job Description

We seek a dynamic, enthusiastic and talented teacher of Secondary Science [all subject specialisms will be considered]. The successful candidate will be able to help students understand science not just as the subject of academic study, but as a way of understanding themselves and their world.

Applications of science will be realized through working in the Makerspace where hands-on experiments, building, and projects will be part of learning. You will work with our STEAM program director to teach in an interdisciplinary manner, for example, linking biology to nutrition as we create our vertical farm, applying physics to design paper rockets as we celebrate NASA or China Space Days, and turning chemistry into an art form when students make their own lava lamps. Some of our STEAM classes will be conducted in a studio format that link up to specific career pathways and industry-based exploration and learning.

The successful candidate will teach across the age ranges from Grade 7 to 12 including IGCSE and ideally A-Level Science (CIE and Edexcel). The candidate therefore needs a background in successfully preparing senior cohorts for external examinations. Next year, our expectation is for the candidate to plan and teach Grades 7 and 8 integrated science based on the UK National Curriculum Key Stage 3, and it will entail teaching laboratory skills and safety as well. The science course should expose students to the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. All our teachers serve as advisors and have pastoral care duties as well as we seek to develop social emotional skills and nurture principled, well-rounded individuals.

Our secondary program is inclusive, serving a range of learners and the position will suit teachers who thrive in diverse classrooms and professionally collaborative cultures.

Required Qualifications

Applicants should consider applying based on the below requirements:

Essential

• BSc in science
• Valid teaching certification;
• Experience preparing students for IGCSE and A-Level exams. Working experience of other curricula such as AP and IB are a strong advantage;
• Native or near-native English and strong written and spoken communication skills. As our school will be bilingual, Putonghua is an advantage;
• A commitment to innovative and future-focused education including project-based learning.

Highly Desirable

• A commitment to remaining in Hong Kong and to see through the initial development phase of the school;
• Experience teaching biology;
• Relevant industry, job or hobbyist experience;
• Strong familiarity with educational technology;
• Commitment to continuous professional development;
• Collaborative, positive and inclusive approach;
• Experience of working with students with a range of learning needs;
• Driven and motivated by the opportunity for professional growth and career advancement that joining a new school offers.
  

Qualified candidates will be remunerated with a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.  To apply, please email your cover letter, resume and expected salary to recruitment@bloom.edu.hk. Personal information will be used for recruitment purposes only. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  Successful candidates will be expected to begin by August 1, 2023.