Careers Lead (Full Time/ Part Time / Remote / Online / UK)

Explore our website (https://www.minervavirtual.com/) to learn all about us, including our Four Pillars, Teachers, recent news and pupil/parent testimonials. You can also see an introductory video here.

We have an opportunity for a well-qualified, insightful, and committed Careers Lead and Teacher.

Job Overview

As the Careers Lead at our online school serving students aged 11-18 years old, you will be responsible for developing, implementing, and ensuring compliance with a comprehensive careers curriculum in line with policy and guidance. Your primary objective will be to support students in making informed decisions about their future pathways while maintaining impartiality and considering the individual needs of each student. Through a combination of virtual resources, personalised guidance, and tailored support, you will empower students to explore diverse career options and equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in their chosen paths.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop and Implement Careers Curriculum:

• Design and execute a robust careers curriculum that aligns with national policies, guidelines, and best practices, catering to the needs of online learners aged 11-18, both nationally and internationally
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements related to careers education, information, and guidance (CEIAG), including adherence to relevant legislation and regulations, to meet Gatsby Benchmarks and the Baker Clause, ensuring that it is tailored to the needs of students
• Working with the Deputy Head Academic and Head of Sixth Form, administer and manage information for key stages, including GCSE options, A-Level choices, and alternative pathways, facilitating smooth transitions to Further Education and post-18 options

Provide Impartial Guidance:

• Offer impartial careers advice and guidance to students, taking into account their individual interests, abilities, and aspirations, and ensuring suitability for their age and stage of education.
• Curate and utilise a variety of virtual resources, including online career assessment tools, virtual career fairs, webinars, and interactive workshops.
• Support students in making informed decisions about their future education, training, and career pathways.
• Provide personalised support and guidance to students, tailoring your approach to meet the unique needs and circumstances of each individual learner
• Promote Equality and Inclusivity by fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where all students feel valued and empowered.

Collaborate with Stakeholders:

• Work collaboratively with teachers, parents, external agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure a coordinated approach to careers education and guidance.
• Liaise with relevant colleagues to integrate careers education across year groups, fostering cross-curricular learning and promoting student leadership opportunities
• Enhance the quality of education by providing resources and support within academic subjects to integrate careers education seamlessly into the curriculum
• Collaborate with colleagues to identify students needing bespoke careers guidance,
• Develop and maintain relationships with alumni, education establishments, employers, and professional organisations to create meaningful opportunities for students
• Create opportunities for workplace experience awareness, including guiding work experience exploration, careers enrichment week and Minerva Rostrum speakers.

Monitor and Evaluate:

• Regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the careers provision, gathering feedback from students and stakeholders to inform continuous improvement.
• Engage in ongoing professional development to stay abreast of current trends, developments, and best practices in careers education and guidance for online learners.
• Maintain accurate records of careers interactions, including individualised action plans and progress tracking, to ensure accountability and support continuity of support.
• Create and maintain records, including destinations reports for transition students, to track progress and inform strategic planning.
• Liaise with relevant colleagues to integrate careers education across year groups, fostering cross-curricular learning and promoting student leadership opportunities

Support and Manage:

• Support Academic Subjects: Enhance the quality of education by providing resources and support within academic subjects to integrate careers education seamlessly into the curriculum.
• Manage Transition Processes: Administer and manage information for key stages, including GCSE options, A-Level choices, and alternative pathways, facilitating smooth transitions to Further Education and post-18 options.
• Provide Personal Careers Guidance: Conduct one-to-one personal careers guidance meetings with students to offer unbiased, realistic, and achievable career pathways.
• Maintain Records: Create and maintain records, including destination reports for transition students, to track progress and inform strategic planning.
• Identify Students Needing Specific Guidance: Collaborate with colleagues to identify students needing bespoke career guidance, utilising tools like The Risk of NEET Indicator (RONI) to support at-risk students.
• Disseminate Labour Market Information: Provide updated labour market information to stakeholders, including daily sharing of opportunities.
• Update Careers Literature: Ensure careers literature is up-to-date and inform relevant colleagues of changes in the labour market to inform strategic planning.
• Manage Careers Portals: Administer careers portals like Unifrog to ensure students have access to relevant information.
• Attend Events: Attend appropriate parents/options/information evenings to provide guidance and support.
• Develop Resources: Develop, manage, and maintain careers resources across online platforms
• Provide Marketing/Publicity: Liaise with colleagues to provide marketing publicity for careers events and opportunities.
• Build Relationships: Develop and maintain relationships with alumni, education establishments, employers, and professional organisations.
• Organise Events: Organise events, such as careers fairs and speakers
• Facilitate Work Experiences: promote opportunities for workplace experiences

As the Careers Lead, you will play a vital role in guiding and supporting our online learners as they navigate their career pathways.

For more information and to read the full job description and person specifications, please see the attached documents or contact recruitment@minervavirtual.com

Closing date: 21 April 2024 at midday

It is the perfect school for modern times - combining smart technology and engaging online resources with one-to-one support, active group learning and exciting multi-disciplinary projects.

We offer pupils the flexibility to learn from the comfort of their home, anywhere in the world, while ensuring they develop the social skills required to live fulfilling lives and succeed in the workplaces of the future.

The skills we champion are self-sufficiency, collaboration, problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, leadership, and mindfulness.

We operate term dates broadly in line with those in the independent school sector.

Our curriculum for Years 7 and 8 takes advantage of Key Stage 3's flexibility. Alongside the foundational curriculum, students encounter a diverse array of topics. The key stage 3 curriculum combines the Inner core subjects of English, Maths, and Science (Cambridge Lower Secondary) and the outer core is made up of History, French, German, Spanish, Global Perspectives, Digital Literacy, PSHE, Classical Civilisation, Computing, Music and Art & Design.

Pupils commonly study between 5 and 9 subjects in Years 9-11 and 3 - 4 subjects in Years 12-13. These include a combination of the core subjects: Maths, English Language, English Literature, Biology, Chemistry and Physics - and electives: Geography, History, Business Studies, Psychology, Global Citizenship, Computer Science, French, Spanish, Art and Music. All of our courses (with the exception of Psychology, Art and Music) are IGCSEs awarded by either Cambridge or Pearson Edexcel.

How Pupils Learn

Pupils learn through a combination of modules on our online learning platform, small group live lessons that take place for one hour per fortnight per subject, and the support of a personal mentor (again one hour of dedicated time per fortnight, after which the mentor writes an update report for parents). In addition to their subjects, all pupils take part in our cross-curricular World Changers sessions for one hour per week, Well-being for half an hour per week, Assembly for 30-40 minutes per week, and a Club for one hour per week. Pupils studying 9 subjects can therefore expect to have 8-9 hours per week of live contact time, and they structure and complete their self-guided work via the online platform around these sessions.