Work for us – FAQs

Please send an email to hsel-hr@harrowschool.org.uk for the attention of the Academic Principal, Mr Neil Shirvington.

New applicants for activities and office staff (non-management and pastoral) positions are required to attend an assessment day at Harrow School. This will include group tasks and individual interviews. We will then contact all candidates, whether successful or not, within four weeks of their assessment centre. 

Due to the nature of the roles, senior positions are predominantly filled by experienced returning Harrow School Short Courses staff. Where required, interviews will be held on an ad hoc basis. 

EFL Teachers are interviewed on an ad hoc basis by the Academic Principal. It is usually possible to arrange online interviews for candidates living overseas. Please note that all interviews are recorded for secondary evaluation.

You should wear smart casual clothing to the assessment centre/interview. 

As part of the recruitment process, you will need to bring originals of all the ID documentation requested. If attending an online interview, you will be asked to show your original ID documents to the interviewer via the webcam. You must scan/email these to the interviewer beforehand. If your application is successful, you will be required to bring your original documents with you, and these must be seen by our HR Coordinator before you start work.

Activities, pastoral, and office staff contracts are sent out from late February for returning staff, and by the end of May for new staff. EFL contracts are sent out to returning teachers working on international courses from February. New EFL staff are issued with contracts upon being offered a position. All contracts are based on achieving predicated student numbers.  

Activities Staff are entitled to paid holiday and time off each week; this is detailed in the job description. Due to the complexity of the staff schedule, it is not possible for staff to choose their days off and this will be done in advance by senior management. If you have an important prior engagement (e.g. a wedding) please let us know as soon as possible and we will try to accommodate your request. 

EFL teachers are free to be away from the school when they are not required in the classroom or for other duties (e.g. attendance at Awards Ceremonies). Requests for days off can be submitted in advance of allocation of contracts, but if an EFL teacher is unavailable on a day in a course when there are scheduled lessons, it is unlikely they will be offered a position on that course. 

We offer accommodation to all staff free of charge. Activities and Pastoral Staff are required to live onsite. Activities Staff assist the House Parent with residential duties overnight on occasion and Activities Leaders are sometimes required to cover the House Parent on their nights off (for additional pay in both instances). EFL Teachers do not perform residential duties overnight and are not obliged to take up accommodation, but it is available if required as part of the benefits package. Accommodation is provided in one or more of the School’s boarding houses and, although more than adequate, is basic. HSSC aim to accommodate EFL staff in a separate house from the students but this cannot be guaranteed. Staff are all provided with single rooms which are not lockable; there is a safe in each room for valuables. There are shared staff-only bathroom facilities. All boarding house accommodation has a strict no-guest, no-smoking, and no-alcohol policy.  Linen is provided but not towels. 

Activities Staff arriving at the beginning of summer school will be sent information nearer the time. Those Activities Staff arriving after the start of summer school are required to arrive on site on the evening (preferably between 1700 – 1800) before their contract commences in order to be briefed on their duties for the following day. Again, further details will be sent nearer the time.  

EFL teachers are asked to arrive in the afternoon the day before their inductions. 

It is sometimes possible to accommodate staff earlier than this if requested in advance. 

You will be asked to vacate your room on the day after your contract has finished by 9am.  It may be possible to accommodate you for a further night if requested in advance. 

We provide three meals per day for all staff, free of charge, as part of your benefits package.

You will be paid on the last Friday of July, and/or August and/or September, depending on the dates of your employment, via the PAYE scheme. Payment is made by bank transfer. It is not possible to pay staff in advance, or by cash. For staff living oversees we pay in GBP Sterling via bank transfer directly into your overseas bank. 

Pay rates 

Each position has a salary scale. Please see individual Job Descriptions. New Activities Staff, pastoral and managerial staff usually start on the first point. 

Returning Staff will receive a salary uplift each year they are awarded a contract. Further uplifts may be considered depending on appraisal results. 

There is an EFL Teacher pay scale with points awarded based on qualifications, experience and loyalty to Harrow Summer School. 

The School laundry washes clothes, bed linen and towels for students and staff once per week, free of charge. There is also a staff washing machine that can be booked for ad hoc laundry.

Activities Staff report to Activities Leaders, who in turn report to the Activities Managers, and in turn the Centre Director. House Parents report to the Pastoral Manager, who reports to the Centre Director. Office Staff report to the Head of Commercial Operations. All activities, pastoral, and course office staff ultimately report to the Head of Commercial Operations and the Business Director of Harrow School Enterprises Limited.

EFL Teachers, the EFL Administrator, and Assistant Directors of Studies report to the Director of Studies and ultimately to the Academic Principal and the Business Director of Harrow School Enterprises Limited. 

Harrow School Short Courses follows a coursebook-free syllabus but provides an outline of the topics and language which are to be covered for each level. Teachers are responsible for the detailed planning of their lessons, although resources, support and guidance are available from the Lead Teachers, Assistant Director of Studies and Director of Studies. We have a large library of EFL photocopiable material and course books, and we ask teachers to select and adapt this material to suit the student needs in their class as well as using materials from the internet, such as videos and music. 

All staff have to undergo an Enhanced UK Disclosure and Barring Service check. Harrow School Enterprises Limited (HSEL) will  pay for the application on your behalf.

You are additionally required to also join the DBS online Update Service, which keeps your DBS valid year on year. On proof of receipt, HSEL will reimburse you for this annual subscription. 

HSEL will continue to reimburse subsequent subscriptions for returning staff.  

However, if a returning staff’s membership lapses, a new DBS Application will need to be applied for and the staff member will be liable for costs. Proof of Identity (original documents – hard copies) will need to be seen again. 

Staff living/have lived outside of the UK for 90 or more consecutive days in the past five years will need to obtain the DBS equivalent from each country. 

Everyone will attend training or induction sessions, which includes basic First Aid training and health and safety.  This training will be held early July 2025 as is compulsory for all staff.

For EFL Teachers, there is a programme of weekly professional development seminars throughout the summer led by  experienced members of the teaching and management team. There is a friendly, collaborative atmosphere in the resource room and the opportunity for peer observation. 

Experienced Activities Staff will sometimes have the option to ‘step up’ to Activities Leader, to cover days off. They will be fully briefed beforehand and given responsibility of the group. 

Likewise, Activities Leaders will sometimes be able to cover House Parents’ night time duties. 

Everyone MUST complete an online pre-employment Safeguarding session and send their Certificate to the HSEL HR Coordinator before commencement of employment.

Harrow School Short Courses staff have significant access to students under 18. Therefore, our employment process follows strict safeguarding guidelines. Applicants will be given full details if successful, but should be aware of the following checks that will be completed:

1. Reference requests will ask specifically whether there is any reason that you should not be engaged in situations where you have responsibility for, or substantial access to, young people aged under 18.
2. All gaps in CVs must be explained satisfactorily.
3. Proof of identity (original ID documents – hard copies) must be shown.
4. Original certificates/qualifications (where applicable) must be provided.
5. An enhanced UK Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check must be provided.
6. An Overseas DBS equivalent for staff living/have lived outside of the UK for 90 or more consecutive days in the past 5 years, must be provided.
7. A TRN check will be carried out, where applicable.
8. A Barring List Check will be carried out.
9. Right to Work in the UK check will be carried out.
10. A Prohibition check will be carried out for all Teacher/Tutor/Instructor roles, where applicable.
11. Receipt of a completed Health Assessment Questionnaire.
12. An online media search will be carried out on every successful applicant.