Teacher Trainer Consultant: University ELT Capacity Building

About the project

The British Council is seeking expressions of interest from experienced ELT professionals for a major UK funded ‘Institutional Development Support’ project to build capacity at Al-Istiqlal University in Jericho, Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). This project will strengthen the capacity, accountability and responsiveness of the Palestinian Authority (PA) security sector. Graduates from AL Istiqlal University are expected to take senior positions within the PA 'Palestinian Authority' and lead the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF). 

The UK British Support Team (BST) will support Al Istiqlal to build institutional capacity to deliver leadership and management courses, and work to establish Al Istiqlal as a provider of Institute of Leadership & Management certified courses. The UK BST has recruited an Academic Advisor (Mark Clayton) to deliver this support to Al Istiqlal University. The ELT Consultant will work closely with Mark Clayton and the English Department at Al Istiqlal to develop the quality of English language teaching and learning. 

Project funding has been secured for a 6-month inception stage (Oct 2018 – March 2019) with the expectation of further funding for an additional two years. 

About the role

The ELT consultant will be responsible for leading the inception stage of the ELT Capacity Building Project at Al Istiqlal University (Jericho) with support from the English Project Manager (Ramallah).  The main duties include: 

Reform Strategy: The Consultant will work with the Al Istiqlal University, The British Council and the UK BST Academic Advisor to develop a 3-year English language teaching reform strategy. 

Teacher Training: Provide capacity building support to Al Istiqlal University English department through teaching training, mentoring, lesson observations and curriculum development. Provide regular face-to-face teaching training sessions using the British Council's 'Teaching for Success' teacher education materials.

Teaching: Design, deliver and evaluate suitable English language courses and professional communication courses. This will include the planning, preparation and delivery of up to six hours (per week) high quality English teaching to Al Istiqlal students, including English graduate students.

Curriculum Development and Assessment: Support Al Istiqlal English Department with the curriculum development and resources used to deliver low-level General English courses. Also support the development of an efficient assessment system, mapped to Common European Framework for Language (CEFR) levels / descriptors. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: Lead the monitoring and evaluation of the project such as collecting a baseline needs assessment at project inception, conducting classroom and training observations, interviews and focus groups with project stakeholders; organise and support any external consultancy visit as necessary.

Accommodation and Transport

Accommodation will be provided in a secure comfortable flat in Ramallah, approximately 2km north of the city centre where the British Council English Project Manager and entire UK British Support Team (BST) are also accommodated in the same compound. The Consultant will be based primarily at Al Istiqlal University and will work as a member of the English Department.  The Consultant will be expected to commute from Ramallah to Jericho by car at least three days per week (a rented car and petrol will be provided by the project). This daily commute takes approximately 40 mins each way across stunning scenery descending from hilly Ramallah down into Jericho in the Jordan Valley.   

The Consultant will report to the English Project Manager, based in Ramallah and may expect to spend one day per week working at the British Council Ramallah office. 

Working Hours

The working week will usually be five days, Sunday to Thursday, however there is flexibility here and requests to work Monday – Friday will usually be approved.

Number of Working days: Maximum 100 working days (“Working day” = 7.5 hours). 

Contract length: October 2018 – March 2019 (six months). The consultant is expected to be 'in post' for six months working regular hours.

Qualifications and experience required

Interested candidates should have the following qualifications, skills and professional experience:

Essential

• First Degree in a relevant area
• Cambridge Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), the Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 
• Cambridge Diploma of English Language Teaching to Adults (DELTA) or the Trinity Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
• Experience of teacher training and development (pre-service and/or in-service).
• Experience of developing teaching and learning materials.
• Proven ability to undertake teacher observations, teacher training and/or professional
• development of teachers. 
• The post holder will need to hold a valid driving licence.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in a relevant area, Teacher training qualification, Diploma in ELT management
• Experience in and/or understanding of the Middle East and North Africa, with proven knowledge of the challenges facing the education system in Palestine.
• Familiarity with the British Council’s ‘Teaching for Success’ teacher education materials.
• Experience of using online platforms and social networking sites to support teacher training and development of English language skills.
• Knowledge and experience of teacher training in the Higher Education (HE) sector
• Resilience – has experience of living and working in a conflict-affected location. 
• Excellent and effective (verbal and written) communication skills in Arabic

How to apply

Applications should include:

• a cover letter tailored to the above requirements 
• a CV 
• expected fee – i.e. daily rate for 100 “working days” to be carried out between Oct 2018 – March 2019. (cost will be a consideration in the appointment of a consultant).*

* Please note that accommodation and all transportation costs will be covered. 

Please send any queries and applications to colm.downes@ps.britishcouncil.org with the title: Teacher Trainer Consultant: University ELT Capacity Building

CVs will be pre-selected according to the criteria listed above.  We will only contact those candidates whose profiles correspond most closely with the person specification and only within 10 working days of the application deadline.