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International House Santander

Why Santander?

Working at IH Santander offers the opportunity to experience life in and explore a lesser known part of Spain. The green hills and mountains make for a dramatic landscape, and the stunning Atlantic coastline is in stark contrast to the more developed beaches in the south. Santander is extremely safe and very easy to live in with rents and cost of living lower than in many parts of Spain.

Atmosphere

IH Santander benefits from having strong contacts with its students, many of whom return year after year. The atmosphere in the school is very welcoming due an excellent reception and admin team who offer all the necessary support for students as well as helping new teachers settle in. We find that having a small staff leads to strong relationships and lots of opportunities to socialize.

Teacher Development

As an expanding school, IH Santander places a great deal of importance on teacher development. Alongside regular input sessions, the school will meet the costs for each teacher to complete an IH development course on a yearly basis. These include the Young Learner Certificate, 1-1 teaching, online teaching and business teaching certificates. Participating teachers can rely on a great deal of support from the Director of Studies as well as the more experienced teachers. Formal and peer observations also play an important part in achieving an identifiable sense of professional improvement over the course of the year. During the most recent EAQUALS inspection, quality assurance in terms of academic management was recognized as an area of excellence within the school.

Summer Teaching

The school organizes an extremely popular summer camp in conjunction with IH Valladolid, which takes place in June/July each year. Based in the Cantabrian countryside near a national park, the 10-day residential courses are a way for teachers to work for part of the summer holidays, before a well-earned break.

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Teaching Life

Teaching at IH Santander is largely based on site, in recently acquired premises in the centre of the city. The facilities are excellent, including a classroom specifically designed for Primary learners and another for Business English students. Off site teaching takes place in 2 local primary schools, and most teachers have 1 class a day off site at 1pm. Working hours are a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 26 contact hours per week. All teaching takes place Monday to Thursday, with Fridays used for professional development meetings, lesson planning and meeting parents.

Resources:

As an IH affiliate member, IH Santander has access to the huge variety of dynamic, innovative materials that are created within the IH network. In addition, the school has a large resources room with current teaching materials, reading for teachers interested in professional development and YL, business and exam sections. The school materials are updated annually according to teacher feedback.

Accommodation:

The school will arrange for temporary accommodation with a host family for newly arrived teachers, although a contribution towards food costs is expected. Help with finding a flat is provided, and helping teachers feel comfortable and settled is a priority during the first weeks of term.

Requirements

IH Santander is one of the largest language schools in Cantabria, and as a member of the IH network and of EAQUALS, sets the very highest standards for language teaching in the region. All teachers are required to be native speakers, with a minimum of a CELTA and 2 years teaching experience, or 1 within the IH network.

How to Apply

Recruitment takes place in the spring of each year, and candidates wishing to apply for positions should send their CV and a covering letter to Urien Shaw, Director of Studies at: DOS@ihsantander.com