Spanish Language Assistant

Spanish Language Assistant

• Job title: Spanish Language Assistant
• Job Type: Permanent, 3 days per week. Term time only. 8am-4pm with an hour unpaid lunch
• Salary: £13,818.60 - £14,932.20 pro-rated (FTE: £23,031 - £24,887)
• Department: Modern Foreign Languages
• Reporting to: Head of Spanish
• Location: Highgate Senior School, North London
• Start: 20th April 2026
• Closing Date: 16 March 2026 at 9:00 am

Highgate School is seeking an enthusiastic, well-qualified Spanish speaking assistant to join its successful Modern Languages department. Applicants should be excellent linguists with a first‑rate command of Spanish, either with a background in the language or high levels of proficiency acquired through academic study. Candidates from Spanish‑speaking backgrounds with qualifications in a variety of academic disciplines are warmly encouraged to apply, regardless of their specialism.

The successful applicant will share our vision for education and, importantly, enjoy working with young people. Applicants should be passionate advocates for the study of Spanish and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to language learning generally. They will be able to articulate to pupils and their parents the value of learning their subject and are likely to be lively and imaginative teachers.

They will work well under guidance from their Head of Department, certainly, but equally enjoy having a degree of independence designing and leading sessions. They will set an inspiring personal example of scholarship and high standards of professionalism.

Highgate’s curriculum offers five modern languages (French, German, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish). The Spanish department is well‑established, and the subject extremely popular with pupils. The department offers a rich and varied programme of talks, academic societies, clubs, trips, visits, and exchanges, and in recent years, pupils have taken part in trips to Valencia, Salamanca, and Madrid.

The Modern Languages department boasts some twenty specialist classroom teachers, ably supported by nine language teaching assistants. Our teaching space is set in modern, well‑resourced classrooms at the heart of the school.

There is a strong culture of language learning at all key stages with compulsory and some optional languages, and each year a good number will apply for courses in Hispanic studies ils have enjoyed considerable success in local and national speaking and drama competitions too.

A language assistant’s role typically involves working one‑on‑one with sixth‑form pupils, providing tuition and support on the range of A‑level topics. Besides, they may coach small groups of pupils in other years, helping them improve their speaking skills, or may support a teacher’s work inside the classroom. Successful applicants can expect to be involved with pupils throughout the senior school, helping develop pupils’ confident and accurate speaking proficiency, as well as other language and cultural skills.

At the heart of our school is a nurturing environment where pupils feel happy —
Philippa Studd, Principal

Location: Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.

Pension: AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered – 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non‑pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.

Personal development: Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.

Leisure facilities: Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).

Lunch: A complimentary lunch including hot meals, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and dessert.

Help with sustainable travel: Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.

Family‑friendly policies: Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks’ full pay, then 10 weeks’ half pay) and paid dependant leave.