Secondary School Counsellor - August 2024 start - Sunmarke School

About us: 

Fortes Education has been a leading education provider in the UAE for over four decades with premium international schools and nurseries that have experienced outstanding success and growth. Our schools offer the most innovative and character-building education in the entire Middle East region.  

Our core ethos and philosophy of education is Positive Education (PosEd). Through PosEd, our schools foster active engagement in learning, celebrating character strengths and accomplishments. We enable children to become happy learners and develop into innovative thinkers, confident young adults, and life-long learners. Our students develop resilience, a growth mindset and deep character strengths that allow them to flourish in an ever-changing world.

About Sunmarke School – Where Amazing Happens 

Sunmarke School provides an ambitious and inspiring, values-based education that nurtures the hearts and minds of students so that they can flourish and achieve their dreams. Powered by our unique signature programs, Sunmarke is a uniquely innovative school, transforming young lives. This was reflected in Sunmarke School winning the coveted ‘Most Innovative School’ award at the Which School Advisor ceremony in Dubai and London.  

Sunmarke is an all–through school which offers a premium education across a fantastic range of pathways for students including the National Curriculum of England, GCSE/IGCSE,‘A’ Levels, BTEC and the IB Diploma and Career Related Programmes. We also offer a suite of Signature Programmes unrivalled in Dubai. With unique experiences in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, students learn in Forest School settings, as well as utilising cutting-edge hydroponic technology to examine how science can support sustainability in future terrains. Our world-class STEAM centre and curriculum offers students an incredible opportunity to apply their learning in solving real-world problems, from Foundation Stage through to Year 9. We run best-in-class mini-MBA programmes for our Year 10 to 13 students in conjunction with the Peter Jones Academy, to ensure their future success in business and entrepreneurship. We are technologically innovative and run comprehensive AI programmes for students in all core subjects, as well as deepening other subjects through Augmented and Virtual Reality AR/VR experiences. We have outstanding performing arts opportunities with fantastic facilities and amazing teachers to help our more creative students truly find their voice. Sunmarke School was judged by the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) as a ‘Very Good’ school in our 3rd year of operation and ‘Outstanding’ in our British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection in 2019. 

We present an exciting opportunity to join our all through school and to play an important part in our journey to “outstanding”. Sunmarke School, Dubai is one of our flagship schools, located at a prime location in Jumeirah Village Triangle.  

About you:

We are seeking to appoint a Secondary School Counsellor who is passionate, motivated, and committed to providing high-quality social and emotional counselling service to our students. A key part of this role is to provide counselling services on an individual basis, drop–in sessions, group sessions and will be pro-active in the school’s commitment to student wellbeing. This is an exciting opportunity for a forward thinking, experienced and energetic professional to join an already thriving Wellbeing department in August 2024. 

Job Purpose:

The school counsellor will work closely with the school’s wellbeing and leadership team in planning and implementing a counselling system for students for the assigned school or assigned secondary phase across the school. 

The candidate must: 

• Provide high-quality counselling intervention to students experiencing a wide range of emotional problems ensuring equality of access. 
• Provide support, guidance and advice to parents, carers, and the school. 
• Liaise with staff to ensure that the pupils receive the support they need. 
• Contribute to the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare and personal care of children and young people. 
• Conduct case consultations to school personnel and parents. 
• Train teachers and parents on counselling-related issues 
• Identify, devise, and deliver specialised guidance programmes for students who need additional help in social and emotional development. 
• Deliver therapeutic intervention based on the need of the individuals and provide referral to external services as needed. ? 
• Build deep and meaningful relationships with students, staff and parents and be able to facilitate and lead positive outcomes in all situations. 

Candidate specification: 

• The candidate should hold a degree in counselling or psychology or psychotherapy with a minimum of four years' experience in the secondary phase and / or whole school counsellor experience.  
• The candidate must be well versed in dealing with a range of student needs across various phases of the school. 
• The successful candidate will be a self-starter and be able to create and deploy effective systems in the assigned phases of the school.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills 

 Our Offer: 

•  Excellent tax-free salary 
• Medical Insurance for self 
• Annual Air-Ticket and paid vacations  
• State-of-the-art facilities and amenities in a newly built campus in a prime location in Dubai 
• An enthusiastic learning community of students, teachers, parents, and Board members, who are dedicated to maximise student achievement, and creating positive learning opportunities in and out of the classroom. 
• Working within a team of highly driven and supportive colleagues 
• Excellent professional development 
• Working in Dubai, one of the world’s most sought-after work and travel destinations 

Application Process: 

If you have the passion, energy, and commitment to drive accelerated outcomes for young people, we will welcome your application. In return, you will join a rapidly evolving organisation that can offer you a central role in our future growth plans. 

Candidates are invited to complete our Online Application by visiting: http://forteseducation.com/Careers/Current-Openings

Interviews will take place either face-to-face in Dubai or by video conferencing if the applicant is not based in Dubai.

The closing date for applications is the 30th April 2024. Please note that due to the expected volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. The school reserves the right to make suitable appointments before the official closing date, and therefore we would encourage candidates to apply early in the process. The appointment start date will be mid-Aug 2024. 

Fortes Education is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All post holders in regulated activity are subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a satisfactory International Child Protection Certificate, plus resident country Police checks.