Academic Administrator

Overview

The Academic Administrator serves two primary purposes. Their first role is to support volunteers who come to Shanti Bhavan with various teaching backgrounds. Their second aim is to ensure that Shanti Bhavan children experience consistent, high-quality teaching that fits with the school's cultural values.

This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a close-knit community with the common goal of poverty alleviation through world-class education. Your experience as an Academic Administrator will allow you to grow your cross-cultural competency and equip you for future success in international spaces anywhere in the world. Past Academic Administrators have gone on to work in organizations like the World Bank and UNESCO or moved up to leadership roles as Vice Principals and Deans after completing their tenures.

Location

Baliganapalli, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

Compensation

The position includes a salary equivalent to Indian local standards plus an additional monthly stipend equivalent to $2500 USD.

Benefits

All expenses paid, including:

• Roundtrip airfare/transportation to and from campus.
• On-campus room and board.
• Visa fees.

Contract Period

Start Date: June 2025. Candidates must be willing to commit until mid-December 2025, with the possibility of an extension until April 2026.

Responsibilities

1. Manage the academic responsibilities of a team of up to 10 volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
2. Conduct regular volunteer teacher observations. Engage in post-observation debrief conversations, providing feedback, both positive and constructive.
3. Create a volunteer teaching schedule that reflects volunteers’ areas of expertise and meets the school's needs at any given time.
4. Develop and maintain curricular materials across grade levels. Ensure volunteers regularly contribute to and update resources for the classes they teach.
5. Oversee the tutoring program. This includes collaborating with full-time Indian staff and volunteers to identify children needing additional support, set up and maintain individual tutoring logs, and provide volunteers with resources to utilize in tutoring sessions.
6. Maintain academic assessment data across grade levels.
7. Cultivate strong working relationships with Shanti Bhavan faculty and senior administration based on high trust and respect to ensure high-quality education for all students.
8. Teach one academic class per semester.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, Master’s in Education preferred.
2. Minimum 3 years of teaching experience.
3. Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.
4. Superior written and verbal communication skills.
5. Ability to observe and provide feedback to volunteer teachers with a wide variety of teaching experience.
6. Exceptional mentorship skills to support volunteer teachers with individualized meetings and goals for growth, both in lesson planning and behavior management.
7. Capacity to serve as a supportive and professional mentor to children.
8. Ability to communicate effectively with local staff, ensuring that teaching practices and curricula are aligned across subjects and grade levels and consistent with Indian standardized testing requirements.
9. Ability to oversee the development of class materials, maintain an archive of past materials, and systematize access to curriculum change over time.
10. Comfort in leading weekly professional development sessions to promote a robust and joyful teaching culture.
11. Detail-oriented and conscientious.
12. Flexibility to adapt to changing situations and expectations and relay those adjustments to other team members.
13. Superior ability to handle stress and set boundaries both personally and professionally.
14. Strong work ethic and an openness to learning new skills.
15. Ability to work under minimal supervision while remaining abreast of the school's vision.
16. Competency with Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and other office software/tools.

Work Environment/Health Requirements

Shanti Bhavan is a residential school exclusively for children born into India’s lowest socioeconomic class. Those born into poverty remain entrapped in systems that perpetuate inequality due to a lack of social protection, access to quality education, and low wages. In fact, it would take seven generations for an individual born in a low-income family to reach a mean income. Shanti Bhavan breaks the cycle of poverty in a single generation.

As a registered non-profit in the US and India, we provide high-quality education from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. We promote academic achievement, instill values of global citizenship, and emphasize leadership development. Our program gives individual attention to every aspect of a child’s upbringing: emotional development, mental and physical fitness, social and cognitive growth, and academic excellence. The support extends beyond pre-K-12 education as we strive to ensure graduates continue to excel in higher education and employment. In total, this is 17 yeast of intense intervention per child – from age 4 to 21.

You can visit www.shantibhavanchildren.org to learn more about the school.

• Shanti Bhavan is a rural village and self-sufficient, relying on solar power and an organic farm for food. Living conditions are relatively basic (dorm-style rooming, possible power outages, etc.), with limited opportunities to travel off campus. Candidates must be comfortable working in such an environment.
• Complete COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory to work on the Shanti Bhavan’s Children’s Project campus. For the purpose of this policy, fully vaccinated indicates that you have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

Application Procedure

Interested candidates should submit a resume or CV and cover letter to Associate Vice Principal Gabrielle Mahesh at gabrielle@shantibhavanchildren.org.