Teaching
At Wellington College
Exciting teaching opportunities at Wellington College.
Introduction to
Wellington College
Wellington College aims to provide a truly transformative educational experience, ensuring its pupils develop a unique identity inspired by intellectual curiosity, true independence, a generous and far-reaching inclusivity and the courage to be an unselfish individual.
While Wellington continues to build upon fine traditions which date back over 150 years, it remains determined to adapt its values and practices for the 21st century in a dynamic and sustainable way. Wellington is a Christian foundation, which celebrates and respects children from all religious faiths and backgrounds.
A commitment to leadership, service and an international outlook lies at the core of Wellington College, which has at its heart the values, chosen by the whole community, of Kindness, Courage, Respect, Integrity and Responsibility.
In total, approximately 650 full and part-time staff are employed at the College to ensure the successful functioning of the intricate and interdependent life of the vibrant and progressive Wellington community.
Why choose a teaching position at
Wellington College?
Nestled in a stunning 400-acre parkland campus in leafy Berkshire, Wellington College is one of Britain’s most historic and famous independent schools. We are a fully co-educational boarding school offering an excellent all-round education to 1,045 pupils aged 13-18. As well as having the opportunity to work in such an amazing school, there are a list of incredible benefits that come with the role (subject to eligibility criteria and availability):
- Generous holiday entitlement
- Free lunch whilst on duty
- Subsidised membership to the onsite Wellington Health and Fitness Club
- Personal Health Cash Plan
- Employee Assistance Programme
- TPS Pension Scheme
- Golf Club membership
- Death in Service benefit
- Cycle to Work scheme
- College & Wellington Prep School fees discount for birth or formally adopted children (subject to standard entry requirements and on day fees only; subject to HMRC rules)
- Private Medical Insurance
- Life assurance through the TPS
- Free parking on site
SPORTS
Sport is a key part of the co-curricular programme at Wellington College and we believe sport has the capacity to support the development of life skills, and thus supports the college’s aims of developing a holistic model of education. Throughout all sports our aim is to educate students through enjoyable, progressive, stimulating experiences, in both competitive and collaborative settings, enabling students to learn resilience, respect for others and the value of team and hard work. The below lists sports currently run at Wellington College, across all three terms and provides an idea of the sports you may be asked to coach:
Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Clays, Climbing, Cricket, Equestrian, Fencing, Modern Pentathlon, Football, Golf, Hockey, Lacrosse, Netball, Polo, Rackets, Real Tennis, Rounders, Rowing, Rugby (inc. 7’s), Running Club, Sailing, Shooting, Skiing, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon
Working at Wellington College
Working at a boarding school is different from teaching and working anywhere else, and can be one of the most rewarding parts of an educator’s career. Boarding schools are self-contained communities. It is not just a job, it’s a way of life, a lifestyle. It is not a standard 9 till 5 vocation and during term time can be 7 days a week, evenings and weekends filled with sports, extracurricular activities, theatrical performances and more, but is then rewarded with long holidays and exeat weekends.
Teachers in a boarding school wear many hats. They teach, they coach, they manage a club, they supervise. If you are wondering why you have to do all those things, boarding schools pride themselves on educating the whole child. That concept includes academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.
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.
So if you want the challenge, a change of lifestyle and a hugely rewarding career then apply for one of our teaching positions.
Why work and live
in Berkshire?
Berkshire is able to offer country living, close to London, with brilliant transport links. Berkshire’s booming towns such as Reading, Newbury and Slough provide all the shops and entertainment while traditional villages such as Cookham and Bray.
The county is home to many historic site such as Windsor Castle, giving it the Royal County of Berkshire title. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world and has been a royal home and fortress for over 900 years with the queen still staying here throughout the year.
You can get a tour, view the state apartments and watch the changing of the guard. Look out for the Royal Standard above the Round Tower to see if the Queen is in residence.
Legoland is a great attraction for children of all ages. Beale Park near Reading is also a great day out for the family, as is the Tropical Rainforest attraction near Newbury. And adults can enjoy a flutter on the horses all year round at Newbury and Ascot Racecourses.
Academic Staff
Testimonials
Dr Rob Cromarty
IB Coordinator and Classics Master
Employed at Wellington College since September 2008
Wellington is the third public school in my teaching career. When I first began my tenure here, I was of the impression – based on my previous experience – that such schools were very similar: Wellington has proven to me that such is not the case.
Over my eleven years at Wellington much has changed, but one fundamental has not: the character of the College. I am proud to teach here because of the quality of the young people with whom I work on a daily basis. They are passionate, caring, and interested in the world beyond the cloisters of the College.
Driven by values and determined to succeed – whatever that may mean for each individual, Wellingtonians constantly surprise me in their endeavours and idiosyncrasies, all of which are celebrated by a College that is truly collegiate, valuing the individual as much as the collective.
For every member of the College – staff and pupils alike – we are conscious of that innate identity that makes each of us brilliantly unique. Nowhere else in my career have I felt the capacity for being myself as much as I do here at Wellington College.
Mr Stephen Simkin
Teacher of Chemistry
Employed at Wellington College since September 2018
Teaching at Wellington has been an amazing opportunity for me both personally and professionally. Already after one year I have developed my teaching skills enormously because of effective support from a highly professional, experienced and expert department. The atmosphere at Wellington is collegial, supportive and welcoming. In addition, I have been pushed to develop other skills which have improved my pastoral and extracurricular offerings. Altogether, Wellington is a fantastic place to work: exciting, challenging, never dull but always rewarding.
Mrs Sarah MacKenzie
Housemistress, Teacher of French and Wellbeing
Employed at Wellington College since September 2018
I joined Wellington as a Housemistress just over a year ago and was made to feel welcome straightaway. The boarding house takes up a lot of my time so the many common room events and staff bar provide a brilliant way to get to know other members of staff and their family. My husband doesn’t work here but has equally been made to feel part of the community.
The college is a very friendly and supportive place to work and you are encouraged to continually develop your skills. I found the coaching courses incredibly useful and I like how they also offer refresher sessions to keep you feeling confident in your ability to coach colleagues and pupils.
I continue to be impressed with the energy, drive and creativity of the young people here. Alongside their lessons, the pupils are involved in many inter-house events and display huge loyalty to their respective houses! Tutors gain an excellent insight into house life through an evening duty and play an active role in house events.
Life at Wellington is certainly busy and demanding but also incredibly rewarding.
The teaching application process
FAQs
We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds.
The College acknowledges its responsibility to implement reasonable adjustments in interviews, work conditions, criteria, and practices in the workplace, to ensure that individuals who disclose a disability are not significantly disadvantaged compared to those without disabilities.
You can access our Equal Opportunities Policy here.
If you are applying for any self employed post within the College or Wellington College Fitness Centre you will be required to fund your own DBS (If you are not already on the update service), to obtain public liability insurance up to the value of £10 million and provide proof of first aid training. These are all compulsory if you wish to work with us. If you are not willing to obtain these at your own cost we will not be able to progress your application.
You can download the privacy notices for Wellington College, Wellington College Enterprises and Wellington College International here.
Due to the nature of our establishment, there are a number of pre-employment checks that need to be completed prior to commencement of work. The processing of checks normally take around 4 weeks to complete, in busy periods this could take longer. Without these checks completed we are unable to confirm your start date, so there may be a possibility of your start date being moved back until the checks have been completed.
In accordance with paragraph 220 of KCSIE, the College will conduct online searches on shortlisted candidates with the purpose of identifying any issues or incidents relating to any safeguarding or reputational matters that have occurred and are publicly available online. The searches will be conducted by a third-party company and the College will be provided with a summary report highlighting any areas of concern which will be explored at interview by a safer recruitment trained panel member.
Failure to authorise this search will result in the applicant’s withdrawal from the recruitment process.
In line with KSCIE we are required to obtain references prior interview, along with this we perform a gap analysis to ensure that there are no gaps within your application employment history. We also reserve the right to check online and social media for all shortlisted candidates.
If you already work for Wellington College and wish to apply for another role you will need to submit a letter of interest to the hiring manager. If you are successful you are bound by a new contract under the current terms of employment, continuity of service will apply where applicable. We are unable to accept internal applicants who have been in there current role for under 12 months.
Under the latest Keeping Children Safe In Education 2021 statutory guidelines for schools and Colleges, and as a regulated environment, we are required to take up references on all short listed candidates prior to interview, and explore any issues as part of the interviewing process. For both teaching and teaching support staff, this is a mandatory requirement.
For College staff, whilst again it is a mandatory requirement, if a short listed candidate is concerned about their current employer finding out about their intention to leave sooner than they would like, please email us at the time of application on hr@wellingtoncollege.org.uk with justification on why we are not to contact your references. Please note that no offer of employment will be made until all references have been completed and considered satisfactory.
You need to complete the application form for the vacancy that you want to apply for.
Please ensure you include a full history of employment post-secondary (or equivalent) education, all periods not in education or employment need to be accounted for, for child safeguarding purposes, we will not be able to accept incomplete applications.
A tour of the school will be given if you make it through to interview. However, there is a visual walk through tour here.
The salary is always dependent on your experience and the nature of the position.
The only way to apply for a role is completing an online application form.
We do not accept agency applications. The only way to apply for a role would be by filling out an application form.
A job description is attached to each vacancy, any additional questions can be answered at interview if you are successfully shortlisted.
Yes, you can apply for any role where you have the required skills/experience.