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Deputy Head
The Smith Foundation
Guangzhou
Full-time
27th September 2025

Deputy Head

Harrow International School Guangzhou

Guangdong

  • New
  • Job type:
  • Full Time, Fixed Term
  • Start date:
  • 01 August 2026
  • Apply by:
  • 27 September 2025

Job overview

We are looking for two Deputy Heads to join our start-up team.Our Head Master is in place, bringing with him a decade as a Head and over 30 years in education in the UK and China. Our functional teams are in place, supported by a committed, experienced Head Office not far away in Hong Kong. The construction is nearly complete. We are ready to go, and need two experienced, creative and ambitious Deputies to work with the team to shape the next ten years of our school.

  • A competitive salary
  • Housing allowance 
  • Relocation and repatriation flights for employee and eligible family members 
  • Annual flights for employee and eligible family members 
  • Relocation and repatriation allowance 
  • Settling-in support 
  • Full visa sponsorship 
  • 100% tuition remission for up to two dependent children enrolled in the School; 
  • 50% remission from the third child onward.
  • A good first degree, a PGCE or equivalent, NPQH and a higher level
    degree (not necessarily in education)
  • Significant whole school leadership in a good school 
  • Both curriculum and pastoral leadership, including as DSL or as a DDSL, and evidence of leading effective change in those areas 
  • Quality assurance leadership in a range of contexts 
  • Substantial teaching in an English curriculum school 
  • CPD leadership, including in the area of leadership 
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills 
  • A range of well-developed collaborative leadership skills 
  • Adaptable pastoral leadership skills 
  • Good understanding of distributed leadership models 
  • An ability to manage the competing demands of stakeholders 
  • Strong project management skills 
  • Exceptional organizational skills 
  • Warmth and an ability to convey care and love 
  • Curiosity, openness and a sense of wonder 
  • A very well-developed sense of perspective (and humour) 
  • Resilience and adaptability 
  • High levels of empathy 
  • Cultural responsiveness and interest 

https://career.aisl-edu.com/#Harrow_School_Guangzhou

https://www.harrowguangzhou.cn


Attached documents

About Harrow International School Guangzhou

Welcome to Harrow Guangzhou, and thank you for your interest in our school. As we are hoping you can see in the words and pictures in the application pack, we are planning a warm, wonderful school, working closely with our community to give our children every opportunity we possibly can. Academic outcomes will be outstanding; music, art and the dramatic arts will be at the core of the school; and we will grow a fantastic sports programme.

We open in September 2026, with a planned capacity of 1,530 and approximately 300 boarding spaces. We will be the fifth AISL Harrow School in the Greater Bay Area, welcoming children aged 3-18 from expatriate families and residents of Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan region.

Guangzhou is one of China’s, and one of the world’s, great cities. It is one of the country’s four “Tier 1” cities, and has long been the political, cultural and economic capital of Guangdong Province, the large, heavily-populated and vibrant region that lies to the west of Hong Kong. With a population of over 20 million people, there is always something to do and someone to see.

Guangzhou was the first city in China to make substantial international connections and it has retained that tradition into the 21st century. Known for its manufacturing, it has a growing strength in high-tech industries; but you will find it an open, green place, banyan trees and vegetation growing in every imaginable space. It has a laid-back feel, and its warm climate means much of life is enjoyed in the open.

It also has the best food in China (which means the best food in the world). Don’t let people from other places fool you with their biases: Cantonese food is fresh, tasty, varied and always high quality. Our school food will also be special with our own, specially-developed menu.

We are a school with our eyes firmly fixed on the future. Our FutureLab will be one of China’s most innovative learning spaces; our Entrepreneurship Centre will connect learning to the vibrant business world outside our doors; and our Language Learning Centre will ensure that our children are well-prepared for the future.

Our community will be a very committed one. Our parents and families mean a great deal to us, and they will be heavily involved in school life. They will support us in our work, and have high expectations for their children. We will also have high expectations for them, so that works very well!

We will be, finally, a British curriculum school in Guangzhou, China. Our identity has many strengths: we are connected to Harrow School in London, with whom we will continue to have very close ties; we will be part of the AISL group of premium schools and have close ties to our sister schools; and we will be firmly rooted in our time and place. Our children have rich, complex identities, and we will explore these in every way we can. It will be a great place to work, and a wonderful community to join: we hope you will agree!

Please note that you are wholly responsible for fact checking in respect of the information provided by schools. Please also check for the latest visa and work permit requirements that may apply. Tes is not responsible for the content of advertisements or the policies adopted by advertising schools. Tes asks that all schools follow Tes' Fair Recruitment Policy.

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