Location: United Kingdom & Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Organization: British Council
Deadline: 18 April 2025
Job Description
We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.
Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
English Language Advisor (TREE), Ethiopia SSA
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract Lapsing in February 2028 (tbc)
NB: Role contingent on award of project contract
Pay Grade: 8
Closing date:18 April 2025 at 21:59 UK Time / 23:59 East African Time
Contract Type: Locally Engaged or LTSIA (Long-Term Strategic International Assignment)
Locally Engaged: Candidates for this role may have a natural right to work in this location and would normally already be based in the location.
LTSIA: This role will also be offered on long-term strategic international assignment terms which includes visa and transfer support and benefits such as assignment allowances, housing, utilities, and schooling. Please note Visa approvals are beyond the British Council’s control so any job offer will be subject to securing the required right to work. The full International Assignment package is offered at the discretion of the British Council. It may not be available to candidates who are currently already based in another location but have significant connections to the host location. Applications for locally hired candidates are welcome but if successful will not qualify for the international assignment package and will continue local terms and conditions of service.
Role Context – About The Team:
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language and education. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.
This role sits within the Cultural Engagement (CE) Strategic Business Unit (SBU). CE brings together our portfolio of work in arts, education, English, and research. Our portfolio is delivered through a set of globally led programmes that locates our work and impact within our strategic framework. These programmes deliver our key performance indicators and impact ambitions.
English and School Education in Sub Saharan Africa
The aim of the English and School Education portfolio of work is to support the improvement of teaching and learning in formal and non-formal basic education systems. English and School Education’s work is organised into three globally-operating programmes, each of which has a range of projects all working towards common objectives and outcomes:
School Systems – support to international basic education systems and governments, with particular focus on language policy and practice, foundational learning, English in education (English as subject and English as medium of instruction), teacher professional development, equitable access to and utilisation of education technology, and supporting women and girls to access quality education
English Connects – open and online professional development opportunities, communities, events and resources for school leaders, teacher educators, teachers and other education professionals
Empowerment – building English language, digital and core skills where it empowers disadvantaged girls and young women, displaced people, economically and ethnically marginalised youth and disabled people.
The English and School Education team delivers these programmes in country through policy engagement, technical advice, research and insight, capacity building and the delivery of grant, co-funded and full cost recovery contracts and programmes in more than 50 countries in collaboration with UK and international partners, ministries of education, education and donor agencies.
Country context
Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE) is a new 21 million GBP project funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that aims to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes and to increase access to education for girls and marginalised children. To achieve this TREE will work in targeted schools in selected regions of Ethiopia and will aim to a) improve the general quality of teaching and learning, b) improve the teaching and learning of English Language as a subject, and the use of English across the curriculum , and c) increase the number of marginalised children, particularly girls, accessing and staying in schools.
Role Purpose – The Job:
This posting is NOT a current opening. It is an opportunity to indicate an expression of interest in a future opening. This role is contingent on an award.
The FCDO-funded Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE) project aims to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes at primary and middle school level across Ethiopia and to increase access to education for girls and marginalised children. The project will focus on three key outcomes: 1. Access to quality education: Improved quality of teaching and learning in targeted schools; 2. English Language: Selected schools provide better teaching and learning in English Language as a subject, and improved use of English across the curriculum; and 3. Inclusion: Increased number of the most marginalised children, particularly girls, access education, stay in school and learn. The British Council is implementing TREE as part of a consortium and is recruiting for the project’s English Language Advisor role.
The post-holder will be responsible for the quality delivery of TREE’s English Language outcome, which will comprise of English Language Teaching (ELT) and Cross Curriculum Use of English (CCUE) components. This will involve designing and managing ELT/CCUE technical assistance and capacity building programming; organising field teams of technical assistance experts and professional development trainers; working with stakeholders from across the education sector, and all required internal and external reporting.
Main Accountabilities:
The post-holder is expected to provide technical leadership in the design, delivery and management of TREE’s English language teaching and cross curricular use of English components, and to be accountable for their successful implementation, reporting to and working under the oversight of the project’s Technical Lead. The post-holder will operate as part of a multi-specialist team of advisors and will work closely with these team members to ensure that the ELT and CCUE components align with and support the other project outcome components being implemented.
The post-holder will engage both directly and via the wider project with key partners and stakeholders including education ministry officials, regional education bureau personnel, woreda office staff, non-governmental organisations active in the education sector and colleagues from the wider British Council. The main duties and responsibilities will be in line with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Safeguarding and other overarching corporate policies and include:
- Planning
- Leadership and management
- Financial management
- Communications
- Reporting
- Monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL)
- Risk and compliance
- Technical expertise
- Relationship and stakeholder management
Requirements Of The Role:
Minimum/essential
- First degree
- TEFL-Q: a diploma level qualification in teaching English as a foreign / second language
- Minimum 3 years’ post TEFL-Q experience of English language teaching and training
- Minimum 2 years’ experience of managing partner funded ELT reform programmes in public education systems and working with a range of external and internal partners, e.g. Ministries of Education, teacher training institutes, education boards and international development organisations
- Minimum 2 years’ experience of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) teaching or training
- Minimum 2 years’ experience of managing external international consultants
- Experience of working in Sub-Saharan Africa and/or other development contexts
Desirable:
- Experience of managing remote/blended English language teaching programmes
- Experience of working in primary education sector in a developing context
- Experience of working in language supportive pedagogy and/or materials development
- Experience of project management of English language teaching materials development projects
- Experience of managing the development of English courses, including e-learning courses
Role-Specific Skills
- Able to work across a diverse team of internal and external project staff
- Able to think, plan and adjust creatively to find practical solutions to unexpected challenges
- Able to build and manage relationships with high-level education stakeholders
- Able to work in challenging environments, including in contexts where face to face engagement is not always feasible
Recruitment for this role is subject to the British Council’s successful bid. A formal appointment will only be possible once a contract is in place.
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability.
All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.
We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.
Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.
If you have any problems with your application please email askhr@britishcouncil.org
Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.
