Jobs in Boarding Schools

There's more to being a business manager than paying bills and preparing payroll. A business manager is an essential staff member for the following reasons. According to ChatGPT, business managers are typically in charge of the day-to-day operations of the school, including managing employees, overseeing finances, making strategic decisions, and ensuring that the school is running efficiently and effectively. A business manager is a professional who focuses on the many responsibilities and duties that come with her job. Now, I can already hear some of you owners or heads of small schools thinking that all you need is a part-time bookkeeper. You hired credentialed, experienced teachers, to teach in your school, right? It would help if you did the same thing for the business side of your operation.

I asked ChatGPT why a small private school needed a business manager. Here's what ChatGPT said:

Financial Management: A business manager can help a small private school to manage their finances more efficiently. They can help to create and manage budgets, track expenses, and ensure that the school is using its resources in the most effective way possible.

Strategic Planning: A business manager can also help a small private school to develop a long-term strategic plan. This can include identifying new revenue streams, developing marketing strategies to attract new students, and finding ways to improve the school's overall financial performance.

Administrative Support: A business manager can provide administrative support to the school's leadership team, allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities.

Is your skill set still on Release 3.0? This is a tricky question for many of us teachers to answer. Why? Because many of us think we don't need to update our skill set once we have found our dream teaching position in a great school. We're set, right? Not exactly. As we all know, things can change in a flash. Against this backdrop, let's explore your skill set and figure out how to do some necessary upgrades.

Why do you need to upgrade your skill set?

As I pointed out in the opening paragraph, your circumstances can change in a nanosecond. The most common reason for suddenly needing a new teaching position is a major change in your family circumstances. For example, a member of your family who lives in another state has an accident or becomes seriously ill, requiring your presence in the area. While you could take Family Medical Leave, it has become obvious that the best solution is to move closer to your family member so that you can supervise his care and generally be there for him. That means you will need to look for a new teaching job.

This video stresses the importance of keeping your skill set up to date.

The critical thing to understand is that life can deal you unexpected cards. You thought you were all set. Suddenly you're not.

Thinking about teaching in a boarding school? Got some questions? In this fictional conversation, a job seeker and I chat about looking for employment in a private school.

Credentials

Q. Do I need a teaching certificate to teach in a private school?

A. Not necessarily. It depends on the school. Some schools will employ you without a teaching certificate with the understanding that you become certified within a stated time frame, typically a year. Job advertisements are usually clear about requirements.

Q. Do I need an education degree to teach in a private school?

A. Most private schools value degrees in a subject more than an education degree. For example, if you are presenting yourself as an English teacher, the school will look for a bachelor's degree with a major in American or English Language and Literature. The teaching skills and methodology that you could learn if you did an education degree will be useful; however, most private schools will require you to teach in their own proprietary way. After all, that's why parents are sending their children to boarding school. They value the curriculum and how it's taught.

Q. Do I need to have a master's degree or a doctorate?

A. Your resume will stand out from the competition when you offer a master's or terminal degree. Once again, schools understand that a highly-credentialed faculty is a powerful asset when it comes to marketing what they do. If you have started work on your master's or doctorate,

Keep these three job search tips in mind if you have not looked for a teaching job in a couple of years or are just beginning to think about a career move.

1. Be marketable.

The job market for teachers in boarding schools is generally competitive. Schools want the best possible candidate to work for them. As a result, dozens of candidates apply for available positions. So, what sets you apart from other candidates? Offering three or more of the following skills or credentials can position you for success in the boarding school employment market.

This TEDTalk offers some ideas for effective job searching.

Speak and teach a second language. Teachers who speak French, Spanish, and Mandarin are in much demand in any school. Add a degree and certifications in those subjects to your credentials, and you will be much more marketable.

Hold specialist certifications. An ESL certificate or a reading specialist certificate will virtually guarantee you employment for life at many schools. An ESL-certified teacher is an integral part of the teaching strategy and an essential element in a diverse community. Boarding schools attract an international clientele. Immersion in the English language is a factor in that decision. A reading specialist can effectively remediate reading and comprehension skills allowing the language arts teachers to focus on coursework. She also can provide extra help for ESL students.

Be an AP exam reader. If you are

If you went to a boarding school, you know what teaching in one is all about. It's a multi-faceted job with many unique benefits. So, for those of you who didn't go to a boarding school, here's what's involved?

First of all, teaching in a boarding school is not a 9-5 job. (Well, strictly speaking, 8-3, but let's not quibble.) So, if you are looking for a job that you can leave behind you at the end of the school day, teaching in a boarding school is probably not for you. You see, boarding school teachers teach. That is, after all, their primary function, but they also function as parents. A Latin phrase describes this concept succinctly: in loco parentis, i.e., in place of a parent. Because families have sent their children to a residential school away from home for weeks, even months, the school staff functions in place of the parents. Boarding school students are supervised 24/7, just like they are at home.

A boarding school teacher's duties

Teachers in a boarding school wear many hats. They teach. They coach. They manage a club.

Yes, teaching is your primary responsibility and function. When you submit your application for a teaching position, that's one of the first things the school will evaluate. A school's clientele expects an excellent academic curriculum taught by top-notch, highly-credentialed professionals. That afore-mentioned clientele is paying handsomely for that experience.

One of the other hats you will wear is a coach's hat. Did