15 May 08 (03:35 EAT)

General Information for Prospective Teachers

International School Moshi was founded in 1969 and currently has about 400 students from 43 countries on two campuses in the northern Tanzanian towns of Moshi (day and boarding) and Arusha (day only). We are accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and by the Middle States Association (MSA).

Life at ISM

The Moshi campus with just under 200 students from age 3-19 is on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, and on most days we enjoy fine views of the snow-capped summit. A pleasant climate helps fill our shady campus with flowering shrubs all-year round; a deep borehole provides an excellent and safe water supply and power is backed up by our large generator. All staff houses are on or near the main campus and have their own gardens. Arusha campus is in fine new buildings on the edge of the town facing Mount Meru. It currently has about 210 students from age 3-16. We have a spacious and flat site with ample room for further expansion. Arusha staff live in rented accommodation provided by the school.

Moshi Campus staff house

The towns of Moshi and Arusha provide most everyday needs - an excellent range of fruit and vegetables in local markets - and also contain banks, hospitals, churches, mosques and hotels, as well as a sports club. Dar es Salaam and the Kenyan cities of Nairobi and Mombasa are all within a day’s drive. Kilimanjaro International Airport is midway between Arusha and Moshi and offers scheduled flights to many international destinations - Europe is eight hours flying time.

Local people are friendly and welcoming, especially if you take the trouble to learn Swahili. A range of Tanzania’s unrivalled Game Parks is within easy reach. The school has its own beach house/field studies centre on the Tanzanian coast at Pangani. Needless to say, the school makes full use of our wonderful environment with an active Outdoor Pursuits programme, which has a carefully structured mountain programme. All in all, this is a place for those who enjoy an outdoor life, can make their own entertainment and can cope without big city sophistication.

Tanzania is of course a developing country with all the problems and possibilities that this entails. A lack of local job opportunities means that we have a strict policy of employing only Tanzanians as support staff. Potential expatriate teachers should be aware that employment opportunities for spouses are almost non-existent.

Our school

Raft races

Moshi Campus provides for the full 3-19 age range with a kindergarten, primary section (P1-P6); secondary (M1-M5) and International Baccalaureate (D1/2). In Arusha we offer Kindergarten, P1-P6 and secondary section M1-M5. Our primary schools are teaching the IB PYP programme, our secondary classes M1-M5 are following the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), and we were the first school on the continent to adopt the IB Diploma programme which is going from strength to strength. Support for English as a Second Language is offered as well as for other learning difficulties. Formal tuition in the mornings and early afternoons is followed by a full and varied programme: cultural activities, community action, sport. Students take their work seriously and are ready to seek guidance. We are proud of our results but conscious of the need to strive for excellence.

Each campus has a good range of buildings and other facilities, two libraries in Moshi and one in Arusha, and a range of computers; the supply of books and equipment is generally good. Sports facilities at Moshi include a twenty-five metre outdoor pool, tennis courts, football pitches and multi-purpose hall as well as ponies for riding. Arusha campus also has a 25-metre outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and sports pitches. We are a no smoking school.

About sixty students in Moshi are boarders, in a range of small dormitories of study bedrooms, each in the charge of a Boarding Parent who lives in or close to the dormitory. Shared activities and living together with students of many cultural backgrounds help to forge lasting friendships. Moshi teaching staff are expected to contribute to the boarding ethos and some are involved in boarding duties. In the school as a whole relationships are excellent and teaching is a real pleasure. Rules are based on common sense and respect. The need to apply sanctions is rare. Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including a significant number from Tanzania, and this makes for a stimulating environment.

Boarding in Moshi

We try to practise an open style of management and decision-making: staff debate is lively and major decisions are made by a management team which includes elected staff representatives. Student representation is developed through a Student Council and Boarding Council. Relations with the Board of Directors (on which staff and students are represented) are good and the school has a clear sense of purpose.

ISM was founded by Christian organisations. However, there is no established religion and the school’s approach is to emphasise what unites us rather than divides us.

In short this is a rewarding and stimulating place in which to live and work. From you we shall expect commitment and expertise, a determination to join in and contribute and - not least - a sense of humour and a willingness to give and take. Current Tanzanian regulations mean we are only able to consider teachers who are under fifty-five years of age at the time of taking up appointment.

Salaries and benefits
We offer a two-year contract. For teachers we have a stepped scale with allowances for departmental responsibilities. A teacher with six years’ experience can expect over US$36,000 gross (approximately $2100 net monthly) while an experienced curriculum coordinator could receive over $48,000 gross (approximately $2800 net monthly). All gross salaries are subject to Tanzanian income tax (currently about 30%) but net salaries are paid in US dollars or GB pounds into any bank account inside or outside Tanzania.

Benefits include accommodation with basic furniture, medical insurance for teacher and immediate family including evacuation, local medical expenses, a full education grant for tuition at ISM for accompanying children, access to professional enrichment funds, flight for teacher and dependants at beginning and end of each two-year contract, baggage allowance at the beginning and end of employment. We can also offer an interest-free car loan repayable over the first year (4WD vehicles are recommended, purchased within Tanzania).

New teachers will normally be expected to arrive at the very end of July in time to settle in and take part in our orientation programme before the new term begins in August. There is a two-week break in October, a 3-4 week holiday in December/January and 2-3 weeks at Easter. Classes end in June.

All teacher recruitment matters are dealt with by Barry Sutherland and should be addressed to him at the Moshi main office. Wherever possible use e-mail on . Letters mailed from Europe take up to 8-10 days or you can use DHL courier services (faster but more expensive).

The school also uses placement agencies to assist in our search for strong teaching candidates. However we encourage direct applications and will not be liable for agency placement fees when teachers contact us directly through this website.

November 2007