Teacher of Physics

11 March 2025

UWC Red Cross Nordic

Job title: Teacher of Physics - 100% permanent position
Campus: UWC Red Cross Nordic
Date application closes: 23rd March 2025

About us

UWC RCN seeks a full-time, qualified and experienced teacher to join our permanent faculty from 1st August 2025 who can teach Physics. This teacher will be motivated by the UWC mission and make a positive contribution within and beyond their specialist subject. The ability to teach Mathematics would be an advantage. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate the ability to contribute to our extra-curricular programme.

Teachers at UWC Red Cross Nordic teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, supervise Extended Essays, support the Theory of Knowledge programme and participate fully in the community life and extra-academic programmes. Most teachers are residential staff members.

UWC Red Cross Nordic is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including detailed checks with past employers. We require all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and specific training on safeguarding, First Aid, mental health First Aid and diversity, equity and inclusion will be provided.

UWC Red Cross Nordic is a uniquely diverse institution, with students from over 90 countries and from a wide range of backgrounds. We seek to reflect this diversity in our educational faculty and welcome applications from educators with a demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

How to apply

Interested candidates should read the below school, student and applicant profile and submit a CV of no longer than two pages, copies of diplomas & degrees, details of at least two referees (including your most recent employer) and a cover letter of no more than two pages. Your cover letter should address the applicant profile and the ways you would support our mission through your work in the academic, extra-academic and residential aspects of our programme.

Candidates are encouraged to highlight the contribution they can make to the extra-academic programme and in particular to note any experience or qualifications in outdoor education (hiking, skiing, climbing, sailing, kayaking).

Please return by email to the Rektor to appointments@uwcrcn.no. The application deadline is 23rd March 2025. UWC Red Cross Nordic reserves the right to appoint a suitable candidate prior to the application deadline.

School profile:

UWC is a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Young people can apply through an extensive volunteer National Committee selection system for places in any one of the 18 UWC schools and colleges. Our students are selected based on their potential to make a positive difference in their lives regardless of their ability to pay.

UWC Red Cross Nordic, which was founded in 1995, offers a two year experiential and academic programme for 200 scholarship students, aged 16-19, drawn from more than 90 nationalities. Students are accommodated in the student village in one of five houses, supported by a House Leader. Each student also has a personal advisor, who helps them navigate and benefit from the extensive academic and experiential opportunities which exist. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme provides the framework for academic learning, complemented by an extensive residential and experiential programme in which students develop a range of social and emotional competencies, intercultural understanding and self-reliance.

UWC Red Cross Nordic is strongly committed to the mission of UWC and strives to deliver a challenging and transformational educational experience to a diverse cross-section of students, inspiring them to create a more peaceful and sustainable future. Our work is grounded in our three pillars, Nordic, Environmental and Humanitarian, and the college collaborates closely with the Red Cross.

One of our most distinctive features is our beautiful, isolated rural location on the shores of a fjord in western Norway, approximately three hours by car from Bergen and one hour from the town of Førde. This location offers unique access to beautiful outdoor environments and applicants should be aware of the opportunities and challenges of the location.

Student profile:

UWC RCN students are academically motivated and open to challenge. They have been selected on the basis of their potential to contribute to a deliberately diverse community of learners by sharing their experience and understanding. Our students are diverse not only in characteristics but also in learning; some have experienced gaps in their education and the majority speak a language other than English. On a busy, student-oriented campus, students need the care and guidance of their teachers, who also act as their personal advisor, to achieve and maintain balance in their lives.

Applicant profile:

A teaching position at UWC Red Cross Nordic is remarkably diverse, challenging, interesting and rewarding. Teachers are expected to fully engage themselves in the education of our students, taking an active interest in the delivery of their academic subject and making it relevant in the context of the UWC mission. We want teachers who will impact the learning, understanding, motivation and competencies of their students in profound ways. Teachers who seek a healthy and balanced lifestyle with compassionate empathy for their students will find a place in our community.

UWC RCN seeks to attract applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds and, while IB teaching experience is not a prerequisite, teaching experience or evidence of commitment to embarking on a career in education at this age level is required. We will consider newly qualified individuals with appropriate teaching qualifications and individuals who have outstanding academic knowledge and understanding of their subject and can demonstrate commitment to our educational model and the capacity to teach will be considered. The successful candidates will have convinced us of a willingness to contribute to a demanding and highly stimulating international educational and residential community. The working language of the College is English.

Academic life at RCN is stimulated by the IB's approaches to learning; sequences of tasks and units facilitate thinking, communication, social skills, self-management and research. As well as engaging with local and global contexts, teachers have exceptional conceptual understanding in their subject(s) and the interactions with theory of knowledge. As a College, we aim to model inquiry and reflection, and current staff projects include working towards NEASC accreditation and thinking critically about assessment and feedback.

Enthusiastic engagement with the community life programme at RCN is an important part of this role. As a student advisor, all academic staff play an essential role in student wellbeing and community building by supporting the health, happiness, growth and development of our students. Each teacher acts as an Advisor to a group of approximately ten students. Teachers typically live on or near campus and are attached as an Advisor to one of the student residences.
Our students gain the skills to become agents of positive change through the extra-academic programme, developing skills through critical thinking and constructive engagement so that students are able to develop creativity, responsibility, and a sense of inquiry and adventure. Activity leaders act as a facilitator in building endurance, resilience, teamwork, collaboration, ethics and personal challenge of the students. We particularly welcome applications from teachers with particular qualifications, skills or interests that they could bring to our extra-academic programme.

The successful candidate will hold the following:

Essential:

Commitment to the UWC mission and values
Teaching experience and teaching certification or a willingness to become a certified teacher
Good knowledge of and commitment to safeguarding
Demonstrable commitment to and passion for educating young people
Understanding of pedagogical practices to teach a diverse profile of students
Ability to contribute to the school’s extra-academic activities programme
Willingness and ability to engage fully in the community life programme
Relevant degree
Professional proficiency in English
Excellent professional competencies, including communication skills, organisational abilities, capacity to work in a team and IT skills
Ability to work under pressure

Desirable: