Principal (Head of School)

Search for a new PRINCIPAL (HEAD OF SCHOOL)

 from August 2025

The Board of Governors of the HELP International School (HIS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is looking for a new Principal (Head of School) to take over from the current Principal, Martin Van Rijswijk, in the summer of 2025.

A.     THE SCHOOL

Established in 2014, HELP International School features world-class facilities on an attractive and spacious purpose-built campus located just 30 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur city centre.   

The School is managed by HELP Education Services Sdn Bhd (HES), a subsidiary of the HELP Education Group, one of the leading education groups in Malaysia with more than 30 years of experience.   HIS is one of three outstanding schools managed by HES, the other two being in Johor Bahru and Kuching.

HELP International School has the reputation as one of the fastest growing international schools in Malaysia, currently educating over 1,400 students of various nationalities and employing over 150 experienced teachers from all over the world.   HIS offers the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) for pre-school, the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for primary education, and both IGCSE and A Levels for secondary education.  It is an inclusive school with a Special Education Needs programme that reserves 10% of places in each year group for students with special learning needs.

The School is well known for educational excellence.  In 2024, the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Awards shortlisted HIS for Best International School of the Year for the second time, and for Best Use of Technology, recognising it among the top 8 schools from hundreds of nominations across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.   In December 2023 the School became the 10th international school in Malaysia to receive Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation.    HIS has been recognised by Apple for the third time (2017, 2019-2021, 2022-2025) as an Apple Distinguished School, for being a model of innovation in education, and has also been validated as an IPC Accredited School, joining 1% of schools worldwide to achieve such an honour.

This excellence is also evident in recent achievements: 95% of IGCSE students achieved A* - C grades across 29 subjects, and 96% of A-Levels students achieved A* - C grades across 16 subjects.  HIS alumni have been accepted by renowned institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College of London, University of California, Los Angeles, University of British Columbia, the ZJE Institute (Zhejiang University - University of Edinburgh), Seoul National University and many others.

The School’s Boards of Governors (overseeing academic quality and standards) and Directors (overseeing finances) are unwavering in their commitment to the school and to ensuring that the extraordinary growth and success HIS has achieved in its first ten years will continue strongly.

For further information about the School, please visit https://his.edu.my/.

B.    THE PRINCIPAL (HEAD OF SCHOOL) – SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS:

·      To create a challenging, effective, well-rounded international educational experience for the students attending the School.

·      To make the School a priority destination for parents looking to give their children an international education.

·      To ensure that the School is a school of choice for teachers and staff to work in.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:

The Principal (Head of School) is responsible for the direction and supervision of all personnel who perform their respective functions within the school.

The Principal (Head of School) reports directly to the CEO of HES, Dr Gerard Louis, and meets with the CEO regularly to provide updates on all aspects of school life.

The Principal (Head of School) will also have to provide regular reports to the Board of Governors who oversee the academic standards and the implementation of the School’s Strategic Plan.

C.     THE APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Suitably qualified candidates should send to David Cope of Search Associates – dcope@searchassociates.com – all the items below collated together in a single pdf as an email attachment (to arrive as soon as possible, and no later than September 15, 2024)

·      a letter of application (no more than one page), briefly outlining why the candidate wishes to apply for this position and what specific skills, qualities and experience he/she can offer

·      a CV (no more than two pages)

·      a statement of educational and leadership philosophy (no more than one page)

·      the names and full contact details of at least three professional referees (one of which should if possible be the leader of the applicant’s current organisation)

Interviews are scheduled to take place during October and November 2024, with the final round in Kuala Lumpur.    However, HELP International School’s Board reserves the right to invite selected candidates to interviews in advance of this schedule.

Closing date: September 15, 2024       

Applications to:           dcope@searchassociates.com

For the full vacancy announcement please click here.