Head of University & Careers Office in City of London

WELCOME TO SCIE – STRIVING TO BE THE BEST

Enjoy supporting students who want to learn at the highest level. Quality of life matters – 6 periods of “Personal Time” per week. Fully CIS & WASC accredited school founded in 2003.

Position Profile

• UK/US counselling experience preferred
• Minimum 5 years counselling and management/leadership experience in the relevant area
• Ability to counsel high achieving students targeting at Top US & UK universities
• A degree in your area of expertise
• College Counselling qualifications (US college counselling certification & British Council certification or equivalent)

Specific Responsibilities

Principal Purpose of Position: To manage applications to all universities, to ensure provision of college, careers and summer school advice and support. Please note that these responsibilities are in addition to those of a University Counsellor.

• Advisory role: In line with college policies the Head of University & Careers Counselling Office (HUCO) leads on all aspects of the dissemination of advice to parents and students concerning which universities and courses to choose.
• Leadership: HUCO is the direct line manager for the University & Careers Counselling Office (UCO) and all its employees including the Heads of Regional University Applications.
• University applications: HUCO has oversight of the entire student application process, and leads UCO to ensure high quality counselling is provided in line with international best practice and SCIE culture.
• Integrity: HUCO is responsible for ensuring that the highest standards of professional conduct are maintained by UCO when dealing with confidential references, predicted grades and all correspondence between the College and universities.
• Networking: HUCO leads UCO to develop and maintain links with university admissions offices and to advocate on behalf of students as necessary.
• Competitive Applications: The HUCO will work with the Heads of Regional Applications and the whole school to develop programs which support student applications to the most competitive destinations in the UK & USA.
• Whole school program: The HUCO will develop and lead the whole school careers counselling programme, including teaching, to help develop better relationships with students and families before university applications.
• Summer Schools: HUCO is responsible for ensuring that systems are in place which enable students to meet the requirements for summer school applications.
• Any other allocated tasks consistent with the principal purpose of the position.

These responsibilities will be carried out in accordance with the guiding statements of the College and with due consideration of Child Safeguarding.

Person Specification

The ideal candidate for this leadership position will have the following skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of leading a diverse team of individuals to create high quality outcomes for their stakeholders (students, parents and the wider school).
• Experience of IGCSE/A-Level and AP curricula as they relate to counselling for university entry.
• Experience of communicating effectively with parents and students by balancing the need for rigorous process with being positive in ensuring good outcomes for students.
• Ability to develop and maintain high-level relationships at top universities around the world.
• In-depth knowledge of the counselling process for multiple countries and the ability to leverage this knowledge to improve the counselling process across the school.
• Ability to communicate effectively between senior leadership and the UCO team to help develop strategies and actions which will improve the effectiveness of the UCO.
• Ability to teach and to lead teaching of groups of students across the school to develop knowledge of universities, courses and application processes.

Brief Description of SCIE

UK curriculum high school (Cambridge International AS/AL & IGCSE) teaching through the medium of English to mainly Chinese students preparing for overseas universities. We also run an AP stream since 2025, hence there are some opportunities for teachers interested in AP teaching in various subjects.

The mission of the College is to educate Students in a Challenging, International Environment leading to academic achievement at the highest level, and to develop Social responsibility, Creativity, Independence and Enthusiasm, providing each student with the best preparation for future opportunities.

Highly selective – English and Mathematics admissions tests. Medium of instruction & communication – AS/AL English, with students functioning at first language level, mostly studying AS/AL English language or literature in A1/A2.

1800+ students, High school only – UK Key Stages 4 & 5. Accreditation – Fully accredited by Council of International Schools (CIS) & WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges in US) and regional members of FOBISIA & EARCOS. Examinations – AS/AL, IGCSE (Cambridge International and AQA), and AP (College Board). Day & boarding school – teachers are not involved in boarding facility nor have evening or night duties. Founded in 2003.

University and Careers Office Introduction

The University and Careers Office (UCO) is a friendly and professional team that is committed to preparing students for life beyond SCIE. In 2025-2026, we are a team of 19: 2 designated UCO secretaries and 17 counsellors, including the Head of UCO, the Head of Regional University Applications (North America), and the Head of Regional University Applications (UK, Europe, and Asia/Australia).

At SCIE, at least 70% of our students apply to the UK through UCAS, and almost half of them apply to the US. Most students apply to multiple destinations, including Canada, Hong Kong and Australia. SCIE students have very high university aspirations. They work zealously to achieve impressive and deserving admissions results, including G5s in the UK, the Ivy League and other highly competitive US and overseas universities. With 41 Oxbridge offers in 2025 and 30 per year since 2019, SCIE has consistently ranked first in China in offers from the two universities. According to the Telegraph, between 2018 and 2024, SCIE has sent the highest number of students to Imperial College London (UK) amongst all schools, including UK ones.

The positive attitude, commitment and calibre of the students make them a joy to work with in the University and Careers Office. As a University Counsellor, you will be guiding and counselling a maximum caseload of 38 A2 (Y 12-13) students through their applications and also being involved in all the other three year groups in their university exploration and planning. The majority of your work is 1:1 university counselling with G1s, A1s and A2s, but you will also be expected to teach the G-level enrichment classes and A1 university preparation lessons.

We are looking for candidates with experience supporting students who come from a highly selective education background, while following the British curriculum and aspiring to attend prestigious overseas universities. The ability to facilitate university preparation sessions and an understanding of the Chinese context will be added advantages.

Student

• Highly motivated academic students
• Students complete IGCSE exams at end of G2, and then go on to 5/6 subjects at AS, and 4/5 at AL (including English)
• Average international exam results, typically grade A/A* across school
• 41 Oxbridge offers and over 90% students applying to UK achieve offers from top 10 universities in 2025 cohort
• US university offers including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Columbia, Cornell
• Students achieve success across range of subjects including Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Languages, Science and Mathematics
• Class size maximum 26 at IGCSE and 24 at AS/A Level
• Huge range of ECAs with over 200 clubs, both staff led and student led

Working week: Monday – Friday 07:50 – 16:40 (with 07:30 start Mondays and early finish 15:00 Fridays). Each Counsellor is also expected to work one “late day” per week, choosing to finish later on either a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (chosen by the counsellor). On those days, a later start is available. Personal time – 6 periods per week fixed in timetable when do not need to be at work. Extra-Curricular Activity – 1 hour per week ECA after school (16:30 – 17:30). CPD – large range of professional development available both online and face-to-face. Holidays – 1 week for October China National Day holiday, 2 weeks Christmas holiday, 3 weeks Chinese New Year holiday, Chinese public holidays, mid-June to early August Summer holiday.

Published fixed salary scale (reviewed annually) based on years of teaching experience and annual progression at SCIE. School provided accommodation (Expat apartments adjacent to campus). Full international medical cover (self + 1 dependent). Annual flight allowance (self + 1 dependent).

Application deadline by December 15th 2025 for the 1st Round of recruitment, and online or onsite interview by December/January. SCIE is committed to creating a safe environment for students. All applicants are required to comply with our child-protection guidelines for application. References will be taken up including direct contact with your current, or most recent employer for a safeguarding reference check and to confirm clearance from contract commitment. Please note that no offer will be made until the background check is complete.

Please find more information for our school on the official website.