Lancing

Centre Director

Reporting to:
Summer School Director

Qualifications:
Although no specific qualifications are necessary for the position of Centre Director, we would expect that applicants for this position would have extensive managerial experience as well as prior experience of working in Summer Schools. In addition the successful applicants for this role need to be sensitive, flexible and calm. They need to have endless problem-solving and PR skills as they will be dealing with people from many different backgrounds and cultures – students, parents, agents, Group Leaders and staff. We are looking for applicants who have a professional appearance, confident style and level-headed approach for this pivotal managerial role.

Salary:
The salary for this position starts at £700 per week

Working Day:
The working day is extremely varied due to the nature of the job and it is almost impossible to describe a typical day as no two days are the same. The Centre Director needs to be aware of the hour-by-hour environment of Summer School so that he/she can immediately anticipate any potential problems and deal with them promptly.

One of your first duties when Summer School starts will be warmly welcoming students to your centre. It is important that you create the right atmosphere for Summer School at that first meeting. Following the arrival of students, there is a welcome meeting where you introduce members of you team and set the standards for the course – this is crucial to the success of the course.

Some events which take place everyday which you must be a part of include student meetings. It is important that students see you on a daily basis and realise the importance of your position. Full staff meetings must also take place every day (an Accreditation UK requirement) and they are important in providing channels of communication.

It is also important to set aside time in the day to have a daily Senior Team meeting – although you may all be sitting in the office alongside each other every day, it is important to get together and discuss any issues which may have come up.

There is of course paperwork which must be dealt with on a daily basis. This can be done in conjunction with the Centre Administrator. Examples of paperwork which you will have to complete include things like the rota, Centre Director’s Log, pocket money transactions, petty cash and airport transfer lists.

You are responsible in conjunction with the appropriate manager i.e. academic manager for teachers, for giving reviews and appraisals to all staff members – in order to do this effectively, you will need to get to know members of your team quickly and be able to spot their strengths and areas which need to be improved.

It is inevitable that there will be discipline issues mainly with students, but occasionally with staff members. Some of the issues may be resolved by the appropriate manager whereas others are more serious and will need to be dealt with by you.

As Centre Director, it is important to realise that your work will be interrupted as you will have to deal with things which suddenly have greater priority. There will also be a lot of visitors to your office – main school staff, agents, parents, students and staff and it is important that you are able to maintain a professional appearance and calm manner no matter what the situation.

Main Duties:

  • Assuming full responsibility for the successful operation of the centre and the overall responsibility for up to 250 students at our larger centres
  • Assuming full responsibility for the honest operation and recording of monetary dealings on the course
  • Assuming overall responsibility for the smooth running of the centre
  • Working closely with other members of the Senior Team to constantly ensure the high standards of the whole course and St Bede’s are met
  • Ensuring all staff are aware of individual responsibilities and daily duties
  • Ensuring that standards of all external services e.g. cleaning, laundry, maintenance, catering are acceptable by constantly monitoring them
  • Ensuring that all visitors are warmly welcome to the centre and are properly looked after during their stay
  • Dealing with student or staff problems that cannot be satisfactorily resolved by other staff members
  • Organising airport transfers in liaison with Head Office and other centres
  • Welcoming all students personally and leading the Welcome Meeting
  • Ensuring that you are adhering to Accreditation-UK requirements, English UK and Care of Juniors Guidelines and the Children’s Act at all times
  • Ensuring that all facilities and buildings are safe and free from hazards and that Risk
  • Assessments are accessible to staff
  • Leading or assisting in student meetings and staff meetings
  • Liaising on a daily basis with Head Office to maintain open channels of support or information
  • Drawing up staff rotas and time-off rotas


Essential Qualities

  • Previous experience of Summer Schools
  • Professional experience with young people
  • Flexibility
  • Excellent organisational skills
  • IT skills
  • Excellent PR skills
  • Proven customer service skills
  • Professional manner and appearance
  • Accuracy
  • Attention to detail
  • Ability to work calmly under pressure
  • Ability to motivate and lead staff
  • High energy levels


Desirable Qualities

  • A Driver
  • First Aid Qualification (St John’s Ambulance First Aid at Work, Appointed Person, Emergency First Aid)