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Director
American International School of Conakry (Guinea)
Appointed - Lauryne Massinga
Feb 13, 2015
Apr 3, 2015
The American International School of Conakry (AISC)
Conakry, Republic of Guinea, West Africa
seeks a new
DIRECTOR
-- effective July 2015 --
The School
The American International School of Conakry (AISC) is a private, co-educational day school which offers an academic program from nursery through grade 12 for students of US and other nationailities. Students enrolled in nursery through midde school follow a regular school program, while students enrolled in the high school program (grades 9–12) follow the correspondence curriculum of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Independent Study High School.
AISC is a small but energetic educational institution emerging from a challenging period of declining enrollment due to external factors. A hallmark of the school is its strong sense of community and committed teaching staff. The school is administered by a Director, under the supervision of a seven-member Board of Directors. At the annual meeting of the AISC Association (parents, teachers, and TAs), Board members are elected for one-year terms. A representative of the United States Ambassador is an ex officio member of the Board.
The school is divided into the following levels:
Nursery/
Pre-School/Kindergarten Ages 3/4/5
Grades 1-2-3 Ages 6/7/8
Grades 4-5 Ages 9/10
Grades 6-7 Ages 11/12
Grade 8 Age 13
High School Ages 14 and up
The school, established in 1964, operates on the quarter system extending from mid- August to October, November to late January, January to March, and March to mid June. AISC is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The United States Embassy provides a grant to the school anually to assist with operations.
Faculty and students
Enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year is 37 students with the majority in the lower elementary grades. Families representing over 10 different nationalities are expected for the 2015-2016 academic year. The teaching staff includes ten certified teachers. There is also one teaching assistant.
Curriculum
The American International School of Conakry follows an international curriculum incorporating the AERO Standards. In addition to the core subjects, AISC offers physical education, computer science, French, and music. Special Education for students with learning disabilities is not available. An expanded program of after school activities including sports, music, and robotics is followed. AISC anticipates participating in international robotics competitions during the 2015-2016 school year.
The Community
Conakry residents agree that one of the most attractive aspects of life in Guinea is the natural, self-respecting disposition of Guineans toward foreigners. The climate is tropical with heavy rains from late May through September. Boating trips to offshore islands provide weekend entertainment, as do drives into the nearby Belle Air Beach & Futa Jalon mountains. These lovely green and cool highlands include several cascades of waterfalls. Guinea is famous for its music and culture. The Guinean "Ballets Africans" enjoys an international reputation.
Guinea is a relatively poor country and Conakry is one of the most impoverished cities in West Africa. Like all developing countries problems do exist in terms of infrastructure and some basic civil services.
Facilities
The current AISC campus is one-acre, located on the southern shore of Conakry's Kaloum peninsula. Two main buildings comprise the school, including 11 classrooms, a computer lab, a science room, an art room, a library, a recently grassed playing field, playground with recreational equipment, a small swimming pool, and an office complex for school administration. The school and offices are air-conditioned. Recent renovations have included the upgrading of the school’s swimming pool and surroundings.
AISC anticipates moving to a new campus in the Nongo area for the 2015-2016 school year and beyond. The new campus is close to the US Embassy and is currently an embassy residential compound complete with 3 houses, a multi-purpose building, a warehouse, a basketball court, and a swimming pool.
The Position
The Board is seeking a Director who has the energy, commitment and vision to lead the school for several years through a number of new initiatives. These include but are not limited to marketing the school, oversight of further facility rennovations, continuing the transition to standards-based grading and reporting in line with the AERO standards, ongoing performance monitoring plans for all AISC employees, the transition to a multi-age teaching model, and following through with initiatives set out in the school’s strategic development plan.
Qualifications:
The AISC is looking for a new Director who has:
- Proven commitment to student welfare;
- The ability to cultivate a nurturing and caring school environment;
- Experience in promoting extracurricular programs;
- Overseas teaching experience, preferably in the developing world;
- Experience working in an American school and a knowledge of the American education system;
- Ability to impart and maintain high ethical standards of behavior among teachers and staff;
- Capability to monitor, evaluate, and remedy academic, adminisitrative and support staff performance;
- Ability to respond creatively to a variety of challenging conditions related to weak infrastructure in Conakry;
- A demonstrated commitment to academic excellence and professional development programs within the school;
- A participatory management style that is child-centered;
- The interpersonal skills to maintain a close and productive relationship between parents, faculty, the AISC Board and the US Embassy;
- The administrative skills to manage the AISC budget, including supervision of accounting and business management staff, and to promote the marketing of AISC;
- A good knowledge of spoken French is preferable but not a prerequisite;
- Experience in school-wide curriculum development and knowledge of the AERO Standards;
- The background and ability to lead AISC through improvement initiatives in line with the school’s strategic development plan;
Salary and benefits
The salary will be dependent on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. Benefits include furnished housing, utilities including internet, health insurance, annual vacation, limited shipment of effects, waiver of AISC tuition fees for dependent children, and retirement contribution. A vehicle with fuel allowance is also provided for personal and professional use.
Procedure for Filing Application
The Board of Directors of The American International School of Conakry has appointed Search Associates to act as consultant in the search for a new Director. Candidates who wish to apply must apply through Search Associates to facilitate the application process and insure that credentials are provided to the Board / Search Committee in a uniform and consistent manner.
The deadline for applications is April 3rd 2015 Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials as early as possible as the Search Committee/Board of Directors reserves the right to close the selection process at any time if the right candidate is found. The review of files will begin as soon as applications are received. Finalist candidates may be interviewed in Conakry by the Search Committee and the Board of Directors and may have the opportunity to visit the school and meet with faculty, parents, students, and non-teaching staff. The new Director will be selected immediately after the interviews of the finalist candidates have been completed.
Candidates should send the information listed below as a single pdf file of less than 3MB in size attached to an email:
- A letter of application highlighting your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in the school Director position at AISC.
- A current résumé not to exceed two pages, addressing the desired professional qualifications as well as the desired personal qualities
- A one-page list of references with current phone numbers and email addresses
- Up to three letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession
Applications should be sent to rjahr@searchassociates.com and nkendell@searchassociates.com Additional information about AISC can be found on the school’s website at http://www.aisconakry.org
Ralph Jahr Tel: 609-759-0431 USA – Pacific Time Zone
Skype – ralph.h.jahr Email: RJahr@searchassociates.com
Nick Kendell Tel – 61 459222156 Australian-Eastern time)
Skype – nickdragon1 Email –-nkendell@searchassociates.com
