Mandarin Language Assistant

Job Summary

Brighton College is seeking to appoint a Mandarin Language Assistant to start in August 2026.

Brighton College is a sector leader when it comes to the teaching of Mandarin. It has been a compulsory subject since 2006 for all pupils in Year 7 and 8 and the department consists of three members of staff. There are currently 40 non‑native pupils taking the subject at GCSE, with a strong proportion of pupils choosing to continue the subject into Sixth Form.

There are also a large number of native or heritage Chinese pupils learning the subject off timetable.

At present we follow the AQA syllabus for GCSE and the Edexcel Chinese A-level course, as well as HSK4 in the Sixth Form. The results in recent years have been excellent, achieving 100% 9‑7 at GCSE with over 80% achieving 9‑8, and 100% A*‑B at A-level. The department also has a comprehensive Oxbridge programme, with much recent success in this area.

We run a challenge week encouraging all pupils and staff to have more contact with Chinese culture. Every year we have pupils enter Mandarin speaking and translation competitions. We encourage all our pupils to make Chinese a real part of their everyday lives and use their language as often as possible.

The successful candidate will support the teaching of Mandarin across the curriculum, from Year 7 to A-level. The candidate will primarily assist with heritage or native pupils' learning from Year 7 to Year 10, both one‑to‑one and in small groups, and with our provision for speaking practice for native speakers of Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese), as well as conducting speaking sessions, both one‑to‑one and in small groups for our GCSE and A-level groups.

There may be opportunities to develop classroom teaching for those with an interest in this area. Part of the role also involves planning and organising cultural enrichment activities for different Chinese festivals, and departmental school trips and outings for pupils.

Additionally, all teaching assistants at Brighton College are expected to contribute to the school’s pastoral system, generally as a tutor in one of our 16 houses (of which six are boarding houses and ten are day).

There is also an expectation that all teaching assistants will contribute to the co-curricular life of the school, through the extensive Games programme, and/or through the leadership of one of over 100 school societies.

Candidates are encouraged to point to interests and enthusiasms as part of their application. All staff have the opportunity to contribute to our Masterclass programme; this is a series of weekly lessons designed to celebrate the enjoyment of learning, focusing on an area of personal academic or cultural interest. These have included subjects such as Magical Realism, Cuisine and Culture and Great Debates in History.

We are looking for individuals who foster a passion for learning and who can demonstrate an ability, and genuine desire, to develop pupils to their fullest potential. In this role, language skills in Mandarin are of paramount importance, with native fluency required. The ability to communicate with and inspire teenagers in both English and the target language is also crucial.

Knowledge and understanding of GCSE and A-level requirements would be advantageous but is far from necessary; the ability to learn quickly is essential. Those applying for the wider assistant teacher role will also need to demonstrate willingness to support the ambition and values of the school and to be involved in a breadth of College life.

Monday to Friday, 8:15am to 4:45pm with a 30‑minute unpaid lunch break (40 hours per week) during term‑time (35 weeks). Additional Saturdays are to be worked for Open Mornings, admissions and weekend duty, as well as attending school trips (two of which fall outside of term time).

The salary for this role will be £24,095 per annum. Holiday entitlement is included in the salary for this role. All holiday is to be taken outside of the working weeks.

For full details of the role please see the Job Profile Document below.