Head of School – International School of London Qatar

An exceptional opportunity for an experienced, innovative and committed leader to guide the International School of London Qatar into an exciting new period of its development.

August 2027

ISL Qatar is a very successful IB World School. It was founded in 2008, serves both Qatari and expatriate families and has become a school of choice in Doha; students are drawn from c.80 countries and staff from more than 50. The school has a distinctive Approach to Learning and an exceptional commitment to multilingualism and intercultural understanding.

The school is in a strong position in terms of its world-class education offer – it is one of the most successful IB Continuum Schools in the Middle East – and its robust structures, systems and processes. However, there will be significant opportunities for the new Head of School because the school is planning a move to a new campus. Intended to facilitate an even stronger focus on child-centred education, and planned with a strong focus on sustainability, the new campus will enable ISL Qatar to grow from 1,200 to 1,700 students and provide a chance to consider how its education can remain relevant in a fast-changing world.

While the new Head of School must be experienced and equipped to sustain ISL Qatar’s commitment to excellence and a deeply impactful student experience, they should also be comfortable looking outwards. There is an opportunity to develop a stronger external profile for the school. This will mean investing time in parental engagement, but also giving the school more visibility in education circles in Qatar, the Middle East and beyond.

ISL Qatar forms a group with ISL London, started by Nadim Makarem in 1972. Amin Makarem is now the CEO of both schools. There is careful and robust governance and the school will be seeking a Head who can build strong trust with the CEO and Board and balance considerable autonomy with appropriate accountability.

For the right candidate, this could be a very significant career step. There is a chance to make a difference in a school that is already flourishing. The successful candidate will need cultural adaptability, a commitment to an international education that aligns with the context of Qatar, good external instincts, and an enthusiasm for guiding the school into its next phase, including in its future new home.

The position is available in August 2027.

ISL Qatar is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, with zero tolerance for any breaches of safeguarding standards. All applicants/new staffmust undergo child protection screening, including employment references, prohibition from teaching checks, and a criminal records check (DBS or an equivalent certificate from the applicant’s country of residence).

All staffare required toactively support the school’s child protection and safeguarding commitments bycompliance withrelevant policies, promoting student welfare, and promptly reporting concerns to Designated Safeguarding Lead(s).

Safeguarding-related questions will form a part of each stage of the appointments process.

RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.

There will be three stages of selection: Preliminary Interviews with RSAcademics, which will take place ahead of and shortly after the applications deadline; further video interviews with members of the ISL Qatar team; and a final stage in Qatar.

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