Early Childhood Education Specialist Kingston upon Thames, England
Job description
VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments. Our programmes in Africa and Asia focus on health, education and livelihoods, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, peace building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change that will improve the lives of generations to come.
Role overview
Working at project location – In this role, you will provide on-site support in the project location and/or VSO office, (full-time unless otherwise specified) for a set period of time.
Are you looking for the next meaningful challenge in your education career?
We're looking for a passionate and experienced education specialist to join an exciting new Education Programme in Rwanda, 'Let's Learn through Play', as an Early Years Adviser to help strengthen the Early Years education system and capacity of local teachers.
(This role is specifically for international volunteer, national candidates can look out for national role on our website)
As a specialist in Early Years Education, you will advise local tutors on how to train students in active and Child-Centred teaching methods. You will provide and facilitate training to in-service teachers on operational practices and resource development and monitor and report the inputs and outputs of the programme's interventions.
Competencies and Behaviour.
Skills, qualifications and experience
- A Bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree in Early Childhood/Early Years Education
- Minimum 3-4 years’ experience of teaching early childhood education focused on inclusive learning through play for 3-6 years old children. Fluent English speaker with good written skills and the ability to explain complex concepts to audiences of different levels of experience and knowledge.
- Ability to produce accurate, evidence-based, reflective reports case stories regarding qualitative and quantitative data quarterly
- Working knowledge of early childhood education learning through play for improving learning through play pedagogy for teaching early childhood education children/ kindergarten
- Extensive experience of training early childhood care and education educators on learning through play pedagogies
Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:
- Ability to be open minded and respectful
- Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
- Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
- Ability to seek and share knowledge
Equal Opportunities
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.
Allowance
As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis. VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency. This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home. You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.
Accommodation
VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.
Some background about VSO
Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a global development organisation. In 2021/22, more than 3 thousand people from all over the world volunteered with VSO to deliver services to over 8 million people in the 28 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on health, education and livelihoods, emphasising resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 40% of our people are recruited from within the country where they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same; to build a world without poverty.
Please note that this advert is for a role we are expecting to become available in the near future once we have secured funding for the project. If you are interested in this, or similar positions, please express your interest by clicking on the ‘make an application’ button below.
How to apply
Step 1
Complete the registration form below. When you have completed the form, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to our VSO Values self-assessment. This is a module designed to give you an insight into VSO’s ethos and provide you with an understanding of how your values align with ours, helping you to decide if you would like to join our organisation. The self-assessment module typically takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Step 2
After completing the VSO Values self-assessment, you can opt out or proceed with the application process. You will need to upload your CV in Word or PDF format detailing your employment and educational history, and any volunteering experience. Please note that you will need to complete the full application form in one go as you cannot save it to fill at a later time.
Step 3
When you have submitted your application, you will receive an email inviting you to complete two assessments which focus on how you process information and what your work approach is.
You will be shown instructions and example questions prior to the assessments to help you increase your familiarity with them. You will also have access to a short profile report on completion of the assessment. Your application will be reviewed by our Resourcing Team when you have completed these assessments.
Should you require any adjustments to be made to the application process due to a disability or any other circumstances, please email us at [email protected] to discuss your requirements.
Step 1. Complete the registration form below
Data Protection
VSO will use the data you provide to assess your suitability for this role. The data will be stored in line with our policies on the protection and security of data, which you can find on our website here https://www.vsointernational.org/about-us/legal/data-protection-and-privacy . These conform to UK data protection law.
Please note, VSO may transfer relevant data to any country where you may be placed, including countries where data protection laws may not apply or may be less stringent than in the European Economic Area. For volunteer applications, we will need to pass your information to your host organisation, but will ensure that VSO continues to handle the information you have provided in accordance with our policies on data protection and security.
VSO has zero tolerance of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. We expect all our employees/volunteers to ensure we protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm and abide by our safeguarding policy.
