Job Details

About Rise International School
Rise International School is a new, affordable international school opening in August 2028 in Thonburi, Bangkok. We aim to make a high-quality international education accessible to more families. Our mission is to bring out the best in every child through purposeful learning, inspiring opportunities and a caring environment.

We will open with Early Years and the first Primary year groups, before expanding progressively into a full K–12 school. Our Early Years provision welcomes children from 1.8 to 5 years old and follows the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). In Primary, we follow the Cambridge International curriculum alongside Singapore Mathematics.

Our approach to Early Years
We see young children as capable, curious and active participants in their learning. We believe they learn best through a thoughtful balance of child-initiated exploration and intentional adult guidance. Children need skilled adults who intentionally shape the environment, model language and thinking, teach essential early knowledge and skills, observe closely, and know when to guide, question, or step back. Our approach centres on guided play and meaningful adult-child interaction.

Our Early Years approach will therefore bring together:
- purposeful play and carefully designed provisions;
- developmentally appropriate guided play teaching of early language, literacy and mathematics;
- support for executive function, self-regulation, confidence and increasing independence; and
- responsive assessment that helps adults plan the right next steps for each child.

We are looking for a founding leader who shares this balanced view – neither a highly adult-directed classroom nor an entirely child-led one, but an ambitious, joyful and responsive Early Years education in which children learn deeply and grow with confidence.

The role
The Founding Head of Early Years will build the Early Years programme from the ground up, and then lead it. During the pre-opening phase, you will design the curriculum, set up the systems, and define the classroom practice for the whole phase. You will also meet the families who will make up our founding cohort. From opening, you will lead the Early Years team while teaching a homeroom class of your own.

This is a teaching leadership post, not a purely administrative role. It will suit an excellent Early Years practitioner who enjoys translating a clear educational vision into coherent curriculum, routines, environments and everyday teaching – and who enjoys building relationships with families.

What the founding year involves
A meaningful part of the pre-opening year will be family-facing. Playgroups, holiday programmes, open houses and parent sessions will help families experience the Rise approach and build our founding community. Some of these activities will take place on scheduled weekends, with appropriate time off in lieu.

What you will do
Pre-opening phase (AY 2027-2028): Building the Programme
- Design the Early Years framework. Develop unit themes, learning progressions, schemes of work and sample planning, grounded in the EYFS and in our guided play approach. This includes selecting the phonics programme, early reading, and numeracy approach.
- Design assessment and the transition into Year 1. Define what children should be able to do by the end of Early Years, aligned to the EYFS Early Learning Goals, and design how children move into Year 1.
- Establish the environment. Define daily routines, continuous provision and the physical set-up of the Early Years classrooms, working with the architects and fit-out team while the spaces can still be influenced.
- Build the systems. Create the observation, assessment, documentation and reporting tools to use.
- Meet the founding families. Lead playgroups, holiday camps and weekend family programmes for prospective families, and run parent information sessions.
- Help shape the team. Contribute to the recruitment, onboarding and induction of our first Early Years teachers, teaching assistants and nannies.

From opening (AY2028 onwards): Leading Early Years Provision
- Teach. Serve as a homeroom teacher in Early Years, with non-contact time protected for leadership.
- Lead the team. Set clear expectations for planning, routines and documentation, and provide guidance and informal coaching that builds a reflective, child-centred team culture.
- Model the practice. Demonstrate high-quality guided play, language-rich interaction, executive function and self-regulation support, and positive behaviour guidance.
- Work with parents. Communicate openly about child development, learning approaches and classroom expectations, and lead parent orientations and workshops through the year.

Who we are looking for
Essential
- Full professional fluency in English, written and spoken.
- A Bachelor's degree in Education or a related field, with an Early Years or Early Childhood specialism.
- A recognised teaching qualificationor professional teaching licence (QTS or international equivalent).
- At least five years as an Early Years homeroom teacher, including experience leading, mentoring or coaching other teachers.
- Strong practical knowledge of child development and experience planning, teaching and assessing a progressive Early Years curriculum.
- Experience with the EYFS framework.
- Evidence of curriculum leadership: designing frameworks, lesson plans, progressions, differentiation, assessment and classroom systems.
- Eligibility to obtain a Thai work permit and Khurusapha teaching licence or waiver. We provide full sponsorship and administrative support.
- Willingness to work some scheduled weekends during the pre-opening phase.

Desirable
- Experience in an international school in Thailand.
- Experience leading an Early Years curriculum, coaching teachers, or developing planning and assessment across a team.
- A strong record of parent communications, community outreach or admissions-facing work.
- Safeguarding training at Level 3, DSL or Deputy DSL level.

What we offer
- An opportunity to design and implement an Early Years programme from its foundations – curriculum, culture, environments and team development.
- A leadership role that remains meaningfully connected to children, teachers and classroom practice.
- The support of a committed founding team with a clear educational purpose and a long-term growth plan.
- Full visa and work permit sponsorship, and support with teaching licence or waiver processing.
- Medical insurance.
- Professional development budget.
- Tuition remission for dependents.

Safeguarding
Rise International School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff, volunteers and contractors to share that commitment.

All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. These include verification of identity, qualifications and previous employment; criminal record and police clearance certificates from every country the applicant has lived or worked in; and professional references taken up directly with previous employers, including the most recent one. Referees will be asked specifically about disciplinary and safeguarding matters. Shortlisted applicants may be subject to an online search. Any appointment is conditional on the satisfactory outcome of all checks.