Seoul Foreign School
Seoul, Korea
Seeks a
Elementary School Principal
August 1, 2014
Seoul Foreign School (SFS) is seeking a new Elementary School Principal to begin in
August 2014. The principal is charged with managing the daily operation of the elementary
school division of Seoul Foreign School, providing leadership in assessment and development
of the instructional program; developing a collaborative, nurturing environment for faculty
and students where all activities are focused on student learning of clearly defined
educational benchmarks; supervision and evaluation of the elementary school faculty;
compassionately working with elementary school students while balancing both disciplinary
and informal counseling roles, effectively projecting the school’s image in the community;
and providing active, timely, and effective communication regarding elementary school
programs and activities to the School Board, other administrators, and parents.
Established in 1912, SFS currently serves nearly 1,500 expatriate children from prekindergarten through twelfth grade, drawn from over 50 different countries. With a distinct
Christian philosophy, SFS continues its long standing reputation as one of the leading
international schools in Asia.
Situated on 24 acres in a park-like environment within the city of Seoul, SFS is a notfor-profit school, with an annual operating budget in excess of US $40 million. All overseas
faculty and administration are currently housed on campus. Administrative and faculty
turnover is extremely low. SFS is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges (WASC), a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and has offered the
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma since 1980.
Particulars on the job description and information on Seoul Foreign School from an
administrative perspective can be found on the accompanying pages of this document.
Interested candidates are asked to supply the following documents, compiled into one
PDF document and sent electronically to Mr. Barry Benger, Director of Human Resources:
[email protected]
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Curriculum Vitae (no more than two pages);
Statement of Personal Christian Faith (no more than one page);
Educational Philosophy and Leadership style (no more than two pages);
Contact details and reference letters from three people; one of whom has
served as your immediate supervisor; one of whom should be a senior
administrator at a school of a similar nature to SFS - both for whom the
candidate has recently worked. One of the three should include a character
reference.
Any additional information that candidates wish to submit should be sent as a separate pdf document.
Deadline for application is September 30th, 2013
Job Description: Elementary School Principal
Key Roles:
The Elementary School Principal is a member of the senior administrative team. Key
roles include leading and managing the daily operation of the elementary school
(approximately 450 students grades PS-5); providing leadership in assessment and
development of the instructional program; developing a collaborative, nurturing
environment for faculty; recruitment; supervision and appraisal of the elementary school
faculty; working closely with the curriculum coordinator to implement best practice with
respect to the curriculum; compassionately working with elementary school students while
balancing both disciplinary and informal counseling roles, effectively projecting the school’s
image in the community; and providing active, timely, and effective communication regarding
elementary school programs and activities to the School Board, other administrators, and
parents.
Key Responsibilities:
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Supervise one assistant principal, two counselors, one curriculum coordinator, one
office assistant, 50 full and part-time instructional faculty and assistants;
Understand and effectively articulate the school’s mission statement, values, board
policies, administrative regulations and established procedures;
Contribute to Administrative team in collaboration with other site administrators;
Participate in the recruitment of SFS faculty;
Develop leadership within the Grade Level Team leaders and specialist teams;
Carry out the Teacher Performance Appraisal Program for all elementary school
faculty;
Review curriculum development throughout the curriculum review cycle (in
coordination with the divisional Curriculum Coordinator and the Assistant Head of
School – Academics);
Develop and monitor the budgeting and ordering process for the elementary school;
Communicate with parents, students, faculty, and other school-wide interested parties
through regular and timely written reports, newsletters, interviews, and meetings;
Serve as a lead member of the elementary school “Child Study Team.”
Communicate regularly and effectively with faculty to facilitate collaborative decision
making and problem solving;
Ensure the annual publication of the Parent Handbook and Faculty Handbook;
Monitor the procedures for effectively reporting student achievement;
Oversee the development and implementation of a counseling program that supports
students’ social and emotional needs, provides sound academic advice and effectively
guides and supports students and parents, including transition programs;
Assure the creation of the master schedule and assign faculty to classes and student
groups;
Plan and organize the development and implementation of elementary school
emergency procedures which are coordinated with other divisions;
Attend all School Board and relevant Board Committee meetings, and other school
wide committees as appropriate.
Key Requirements:
 Practicing Christian who promotes the Philosophy and Goals, and the Mission
Statement of Seoul Foreign School;
 Unquestioned personal integrity and professional ethics;
 Successful experience as an elementary school principal of similar size and
complexity, particularly in an international context;
 Proven ability to be an instructional leader as well as an effective manager;
 Advanced degree with principal certification or equivalent;
 Successful classroom teaching experience;
 Demonstrated knowledge of current educational practices for elementary school aged
students and public relations with parents and the wider school community.
 Demonstrated experience in the recruitment of quality teaching faculty;
 Experience in, and proven knowledge of, current approaches to staff supervision and
evaluation;
 Internationally-minded outlook, with a culturally sensitive understanding of other
faiths;
 Proven ability as a solid team player with a ‘can-do’ attitude and able to work flexible
hours outside of the regular school day;
 Proven ability as an innovative, results-oriented, self-motivated, energetic, creative
problem solver;
 Ability to engage in multiple tasks, to motivate and inspire others and to lead change
successfully;
 An appreciation for academic and personal issues facing Third Culture children and
adults.
Key Reports:
The elementary school principal reports to, and is supervised by, the Head of School.
He/she provides monthly/quarterly reports to the personnel and academic school board
committee and the main school board. The elementary school principal receives reports
from grade level team leaders and the elementary school counselors.
Appraisal:
Yearly appraisal is carried out by the Head of School. This process involves a yearly
360 feedback from a variety of stakeholders.
About Seoul Foreign School
Seoul Foreign School, founded in 1912 by missionary parents to serve the needs of English
speaking expatriate children in Seoul, has continued as a community oriented school with a distinct
Christian philosophy, and now serves nearly 1,500 children from pre-kindergarten through twelfth
grade. These students are drawn from more than 57 different countries. We continue to be the school
of choice amongst the expatriate and diplomatic community in Seoul. The faculty is composed of
nearly 200 teachers, counselors, librarians and classroom aides with separate elementary, middle and
secondary principals and a British curriculum Headteacher. The school is primarily funded by tuition
fees paid by the parents or their organizations.
The school campus of just over 24 acres is in a park-like environment within the city of Seoul,
which has a population of more than ten million. The area surrounding the school is a relatively well
to do one and has quite a number of Western-style homes. Accommodations for senior administrators
include duplex-style townhouses of three and four bedrooms with moderately sized living and dining
rooms and well-equipped kitchens. Each townhouse contains 1 ½ baths plus a garage for parking.
Administrative salaries and benefits are very competitive, including a comprehensive
retirement plan that allows for considerable US dollar savings. The complete administrative package
is in line with what one would expect of a top international school. Not surprisingly, turnover of
administrators is very low at SFS. The initial senior administrative contract is three years in length,
and is renewable in increments of up to three years following successful completion of the initial
contract.
In addition to regular classrooms, instructional facilities include five computer labs, three
libraries, dedicated science laboratories, two gymnasiums, an indoor swimming pool, a number of
exceptional auditoriums, and world class performing arts facilities. The school also maintains
approximately 100 apartments on campus for overseas direct hired teachers.
Teaching materials and equipment are also in excellent supply. The school is fully networked
and all of our academic areas additionally are available through wireless access. Each classroom has
access to the school’s Intranet and the Extranet, and all classrooms contain SMART boards, or
equivalent. In excess of $500,000 is spent annually to enhance the school’s technological capacity. SFS
is a 1:1 learning environment with our 1:1 laptop program beginning in Grade 4.
Our school term usually begins about the middle of August and normally ends in the second
week of June. We generally schedule a full 180 student contact days and teachers have a 190 day
contract. Senior administrators are expected to complete 210 calendar days of service. One member
of the senior administrative team is ‘on duty’ to support the continued operations of the school
throughout the summer months on a rotational basis. Yearly flights to/from home of record are
provided for all overseas hired faculty and dependents.
SFS is accredited in the US by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and has been
offering the full IB diploma for over 33 years. Academic programs at SFS are rigorous. The school’s
enrollment policy attempts to ensure that the students who are enrolled can be successful. Students
generally want to succeed, work hard and reap the benefits of that extra effort. SFS has, from its
beginning, been a school with high academic standards where much is expected of students and of
teachers.
Our faculty represents many different Christian denominations, and we attend many different
churches. We emphasize our areas of agreement and agree that our areas of difference are NOT crucial
to our acceptance of each other in any way. All of us agree to respect each other's Christian positions.
This makes for a happy, mutually supportive family atmosphere in our faculty and allows us to be open
and honest in our relationships.
Our students are outstanding young people who, for the most part, want to learn. Our
administrators and School Board are determined to give them the best instruction possible. SFS
provides the kind of environment in which dedicated teachers and administrators find tremendous
professional satisfaction. Time and time again, former faculty confidently recommends SFS to
committed professional educators who seek a challenging and rewarding position in a non-judgmental
Christian atmosphere.