The American International School of Kingston is a co-educational, private, non-profit day school that provides educational services for students from Pre-School through Grade 12. It was founded in 1994 and is an IB World School with authorization to use the IB Diploma Programme. AISK is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school has an excellent website with full information about their program with the exception of information on salaries, benefits and the employment process.
AISK has approximately 270 students that represent over 26 nationalities. The student/teacher ratio is 9:1.
image: Ezhiki
AISK’s mission is to help students become lifelong learners and responsible global citizens.
Facilities
AISK moved into new purpose built 9-acre campus in 2009. Among the facilities are a dance studio, a cafeteria, a football pitch, tennis courts, an administration building, a computer lab and science labs.
Curriculum
AISK is organized similarly to American K-12 schools with an Elementary School, a Middle School and a High School. The school uses a fusion American/national curriculum. The Middle School and High School are designed to prepare students for university entrance. Students that graduate from AISK receive an American high school diploma. Grade 11 and Grade 12 students can study for the IB Diploma.
Extracurricular Activities
The school offers a wide range of activities including Model United Nations, dance, music, choir, Chemistry of Cooking, ESL Club, Journalism, SAT Math, SAT English, American Football, Basketball, Cricket, Soccer and more.
Technology
AISK has a strong technology program. It has a 1:1 laptop program for the Middle School and the High School and a Mac lab for Elementary students. Teachers have MacBooks, and all classrooms have overhead projectors. The entire campus has Wi-Fi. Technology is integrated throughout the curriculum.
Professional Development
The school provides teachers with support for professional development activities.
Employment
Teacher candidates need to have a Bachelor’s Degree, certification, two years experience, strong IT skills especially with Macs and IB experience is preferable. Job openings are listed online. The school only hires American, British and Jamaican passport holders. Teachers who are interested in working at the school should send a letter of interest addressed to the Head of School, a CV, proof of a degree and certification, and contact details for referees to humanresources@aisk.com.
New teachers will be expected to turn in lesson plans weekly and to have an outline of the year’s course with all topics covered ready to give to students on the first day of class. Teachers are expected to sponsor 15 hours of extracurricular activities per year. While detailed information on salaries and benefits is not given, the school does note that they are competitive.
About Kingston and Jamaica
Living in Jamaica can be great for teachers that love the outdoors. For golfers, there are two 18 hole course close to the school. Other outdoor activities include diving, hiking, cliff jumping, and boating. Kingston has a number of supermarkets with Western goods, but at a higher price than found back home. There are plenty of restaurants and bars for hanging out. And, of course, Jamaica is the home of reggae. Take a visit to the Bob Marley Museum, and then check out a reggae concert. If you have a desire to live and work in a fabled tropical island, you might want to check out AISK.
Recent Comments