Work at ACS
- About Us
- Teaching & Working at ACS
- Professional Development
- Working & Living in Lebanon
- HR Office
- Career Opportunities
About Us
We at ACS have a deep connection to each other and our school. For many of us, it is not just a place of employment or learning. It is a second home where we share a set of values and expectations and enjoy mutual support and respect. The deep Lebanese and American roots of this unique institution date to 1905 when the faculty of the American University of Beirut established a school to educate primarily American expatriate children of faculty, missionaries and diplomats. Over the last 120 years ACS has evolved to become a vital and influential player in the Lebanese educational landscape as an exemplar of student-centered, inquiry-based teaching and learning and as early adopters of best practices and innovation. For instance, ACS was the first school in Lebanon to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) degree, the first school to adopt Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the first school to host a TEDx event.
Today ACS’s student body is over half Lebanese. Many of our students stay at ACS for the majority of their primary and secondary school education. As a result, ACS is not your typical international school; rather, it looks and feels more like a US independent school operating overseas.
Watch the video below to hear our teachers, students, and parents explain why they have chosen ACS to be their school and second home in Lebanon.
Why ACS
Teaching & Working at ACS
ACS Beirut provides a unique educational experience for children in grades Nursery through 12, one that is more student-centered and empowering than other schools in Lebanon. Our teachers don’t stand in the front of the classroom and dispense their knowledge to students. Rather, our teachers are experts in their subject areas who use that expertise to collaborate with students in their learning. They are guides, they are referees, they are thought-provokers, and they forge productive relationships with their students. To be a successful teacher at ACS requires the following:
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expertise in one’s subject area
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a willingness constantly to reflect on and tweak one’s practice
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a desire to collaborate with colleagues across the division and the entire school
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an ability to develop supportive, mutually respectful, collaborative relationships with students
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an awareness that parents are partners in the education of their children and that these relationships often require diplomacy, empathy, and the ability to listen
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a commitment to working with students outside of classrooms in activities, clubs, athletic teams, and field trips
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strength to articulate ideas and opinions but also to adhere to the mission, values, vision, and strategic direction of the school
Working as Staff
Our facilities, security, business, human resources, IT, and health teams play important operational roles. Without them, the school, quite simply, would not function. As a reflection of this, all children of faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission as per our school’s policy.
We know that well-informed staff are more effective staff. We provide opportunities for all team members to learn more about our academic program, pedagogical trends, and strategic initiatives. As important, we encourage ACS staff to get to know the students and to take advantage of opportunities to share their expertise and to volunteer at events. As always, we expect all employees to adhere to ACS core values and to incorporate these into their daily work and interactions with each other and all those in our community.
Professional Development
ACS strives to provide numerous and varied professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. These include regularly scheduled in-service days throughout the year, during which we focus on school-wide or divisional initiatives. We also utilize the expertise of outside consultants as needed to help us home in on a particular aspect of pedagogy, curriculum, or other topic in education. For example, Bridget Doogan recently completed a 4-day “Adaptive Schools” certificate program with 60 of our faculty members.
We send faculty and staff to relevant professional development conferences or more specialized programs. These can be initiated by the school or individual faculty members, and are approved based on the connection to our mission, pedagogical practices, and strategic initiatives. Decisions are made by the Professional Development Committee, which includes the Head of School and other members of the Leadership Team.
As a member of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA), we benefit from the wide variety of online and in-person professional development opportunities that NESA provides.
Working & Living in Lebanon
ACS is located in cosmopolitan Beirut, a city of approximately 2.5 million residents once dubbed the “Paris of the Middle East.” Arabic is the official language but both English and French are spoken widely. Lebanon is known for its rich culture, delicious cuisine, splendid scenery, and the warmth and resilience of its people. Within an hours’ drive from Beirut one can access spectacular hiking and skiing, picturesque traditional villages, award-winning vineyards, and ancient archaeological sites dating to the Pheonician, Roman, and Crusader periods. Rafik Hariri airport is only a 20-minute drive from campus, and direct flights to Europe as well as Cairo, Amman and other Middle Eastern capitals, are easily obtainable.
ACS is fortunately located just meters from the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and next to the American University of Beirut, the country’s and region’s top university and hospital system. Within a short walk are a variety of cafes, shops and essential services, as well as the Corniche – a seaside promenade ideal for walking and jogging. The nearby neighborhoods of Achrafieh, Mar Mikhael and Saifi offer a sophisticated array of upscale boutiques, bistros and cultural venues within historical, pedestrian-friendly settings.
Overseas hires will find the following video and Instagram feeds especially useful as a means of gaining insight into ACS and Lebanon.
@LebanonByDann
@LorientToday
@LebanonTrail
HR Office
The Human Resource Department led by Director Jocelyne Diab Bitar is the campus resource center for professional services and information in the areas of recruitment, benefits, compensation, training and development, employment records, employment processes and transactions, personnel policies and legal compliance, and employee relations. Its goal is to provide prompt and comprehensive services to all employees, thereby supporting the school’s overall operations and mission.
Career Opportunities
At the American Community School Beirut, we firmly believe that quality education is highly dependent on both the recruitment and development of a talented and a vibrant Faculty and Staff. We place critical importance, and expend considerable energy, on the recruitment and training of our Faculty and Staff.
Each year we work hard to intentionally recruit and retain an outstanding group of Faculty because we care deeply about our mission. Thinking about living and working in Lebanon at ACS means advancing understanding of this fascinating and important region of the world. It means exploring Beirut and the beautiful countryside, knowing the Lebanese people, to being in close proximity to the Mediterranean and its wonderful climate, and working closely with interesting colleagues and motivated and talented students.
- Search Associates
- The International Educator
- University of Northern Iowa
- Global Recruitment Collaborative
Our vacancies are updated online through the HR Office as they become available. We use our own forms as well as those professional sites you may be listed on as a teaching professional. Annually, we subscribe to several international teaching search firms, as we look for qualified teachers worldwide.
Leadership Opportunities
Faculty Opportunities
HS Social Studies and Economics Teacher
Duties and Responsibilities
- Act as a positive role model for students.
- Plan and prepare throughout the year for effective classroom instruction in Social Studies and Economics.
- Provide a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.
- Effectively manage each group of students while providing for a variety of learning styles, ability levels, and educational background.
- Individualize the content when necessary to meet each student's learning needs.
- Accurately assess student progress using both formative and summative assessments.
- Continuously monitor student learning and make appropriate modifications of goals and strategies to meet students' needs.
- Engage parents and students in the learning process through frequent and meaningful communication about student progress.
- Keep current in education through personal and school-based professional learning.
- Employ technology as appropriate to enhance instruction.
- Engage with leadership in a committed effort to improve one's own instructional skills.
- Engage with students in meaningful activities beyond the classroom which extend learning experiences for students (coaching, organizing field trips, sponsorship of clubs, events, community service projects, etc.).
Job Requirements
- Degree in Economics; M.A. in Education (preferred).
- Teaching credential in Social Studies.
- Training and teaching experience as a high school Economics classroom teacher, preferably with IB experience.
- At least two years of experience teaching in an international or independent school setting (preferred).
- Excellent command of English (native level required).
Part-Time MS English Teacher
Duties and Responsibilities
- Serves the whole child, acknowledging that a student’s physical, social, and emotional well-being is critical to learning.
- Is committed to character education and social / emotional learning.
- Designs lesson plans based on the appropriate standards and benchmarks.
- Designs and implements a curriculum that takes into account the developmental levels of the children.
- Engages children in problem-solving, working cooperatively in groups, interacting with the community, appreciating diversity, and learning through service.
- Instills confidence and adaptability in students to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies.
- Encourages students to be self-motivated, work independently, and maintain a sense of wonder and love of learning.
- Establishes and models high expectations for students’ achievement and behaviour.
- Helps students continuously assess their progress and consider feedback as part of the learning process.
- Links assessment directly to instruction and provides regular feedback for students on their progress and achievement.
- Builds and sustains positive and productive partnerships with parents.
- Attends meetings and performs duties as assigned by the Principal.
- Communicates effectively and in a timely manner with all stakeholder groups.
- Attends and participates in school events at the request of the administration.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in English; Master’s degree preferred.
- Teaching credential in English Language Arts.
- Proven training and experience teaching English at the middle school level.
- Minimum of two years teaching experience in an international or independent school setting (preferred).
- Excellent command of English (native level required).
ES Homeroom Teacher
Duties and Responsibilities
- Effectively collaborates within a professional learning team to improve student learning.
- Effectively uses the workshop model for teaching reading and writing using a balanced literacy approach.
- Effectively uses the workshop model for math instruction applying a conceptual approach.
- Effectively uses formative, classroom-based assessments to guide instruction and evaluate student learning.
- Uses the “Understanding by Design” model for unit planning.
- Maintains a positive and student-centered learning environment, while focusing on the development of social emotional skills.
- Uses technology innovatively to enrich and empower student learning.
- Works on projects and other duties as required by the Principal.
Job Requirements
- BA or MA in Education.
- Valid teaching certification or credential.
- Minimum two years of experience teaching in an international or independent school setting (preferred).
- Excellent command of English (native-level fluency required).