Chaplain

Glenalmond College, an independent co-educational school with around 350 pupils 12-18 is seeking as Chaplain a priest of the Anglican Communion, starting in August 2024. She or he will lead the worship in our College Chapel, and provide spiritual care for pupils and staff of various Christian backgrounds, other faiths, and no faith.

Detailed information about Glenalmond, together with a full job description and an application form, can be found at https://www.glenalmondcollege.co.uk

Closing date: 26th July 2024

Interviews from: 5th August 2024

Glenalmond College is a registered Scottish charity. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting children's welfare, and the successful application will be subject to a PVG Disclosure Scotland check.

Package Description

We offer:

• A competitive salary
• Wokplace pension scheme
• Free staff lunches and complimentary refreshments during term time
• Employee assistance programme
• A great working environment as part of a developing team and the possibility of opportunities for the role to grow.

Main Responsibilities

Specific Duties

The Chaplaincy has three main areas of responsibility:

1. As the priest in the community with specific liturgical duties;
2. As a pastoral leader within the community;
3. To uphold the moral values of the College;

Priestley & Liturgical

The Chaplain is expected:

• to provide an agreed focus for the development of a Christian presence in the College to provide an agreed focus for the development of a Christian presence in the College
• to be responsible for all services and worship in the College Chapel of the Holy and Undivided Trinity;
• to lead daily worship and services, liaising with the Director of Music, the Organist, and Deputy Warden;
• to celebrate at all major festivals outside term, specifically Christmas and Easter; to lead a weekly service of Compline during Term;
• to take prayerfulness, spirituality and the notion of service into the houses and develop the houses’ ability to lead worship in Chapel;
• to be responsible for preparing pupils/staff for baptism/confirmation and arranging the services;
• to be responsible for arranging and conducting regular College Eucharists as the central acts of worship for the community;
• to organise non-eucharistic worship and school religious societies;
• to be responsible for arranging special events, e.g. Remembrance Service, Carol Services, Baptism, Confirmation, to be responsible for arranging and celebrating a House-centred worship;
• to be responsible for conducting other voluntary services and events as the demand arises;
• to maintain links with the wider Scottish Episcopal Church community;
• to maintain links with the local Christian community;
• to encourage, recruit, and train volunteers from within the College to act as servers, sacristans

Pastoral

Glenalmond has always regarded its chaplain as a parish priest to the whole College community and, as such, the Chaplain should thus be available to all as a counsellor, friend, and support to all and should:

• nurture and support the core Christian community of staff and pupils, as well as being sympathetic and supportive to those of other religious persuasions or none; 
• encourage those of other faiths and encourage wider inter-faith dialogue;
• be involved in the full life of the College;
• support pupils, their families, and staff at times of particular stress and distress, especially in times of loss and bereavement;
• work with the SubWarden Pastoral in developing Pastoral Care in the school as required;
• attend regular pastoral meetings with the Sub-Warden Pastoral and Housemasters/-mistresses;
• liaise with Housemasters/-mistresses and Tutors on pastoral matters;
• work with the Medical Staff and College Counsellor as appropriate;
• support pastoral work in Tutor Periods through the contribution of appropriate materials on spiritual, pastoral, and moral questions;
• be a regular physical presence in each of the Houses;
• be available to any who might need to talk in confidence [within the bounds of safeguarding legislation];
• support College events and concerts;
• care for specific groups, e.g. servers, sacristans, choir and other pupil Chapel personnel;
• make a central contribution to the Services programme within the College;
• contribute to pastoral developments such as peer support, House events, and the Wellbeing Award.

How the pastoral role is worked out in practice will depend on the incumbent’s individual style.

Overseeing the spiritual health and direction of the College

• take prime responsibility with the Warden and Deputy Warden for encouraging the formation and delivery of spiritual education in Chapel, through the curriculum, in the pastoral context, and in every area of the College’s life;
• the Chaplain must act as a moral compass for the community and for individuals within it;
• to find ways, both traditional and inventive, to promote the ideals of Christian service;
• to challenge, inspire, and encourage members of the community to fulfil their spiritual lives.

Administration

• to produce an annual report on the life and work of the Chapel;
• to organise within the College community a group of volunteers to assist with Chapel matters, e.g. floral displays;
• to select and rehearse lesson readers, prepare sermons, and talks along with other contents for individual services;
• to ensure the quality of readings and prayers, the standard, length and appropriateness of others’ presentations to girls and boys reflects the highest standards;
• to be responsible for the fabric of the Chapel and the Chaplaincy budget.

Equal Opportunities

Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of Equality and Diversity legislation and the College’s Equality and Diversity policies and procedures, in particular regarding the recruitment and retention of staff.

Safeguarding

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of Safeguarding legislation, and the College’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

Health & Safety

• Ensure that an up-to-date knowledge of Health and Safety legislation as applicable to the role is maintained and that the College’s Health and Safety policies and procedures are fully implemented and adhered to.

Professional Development

• Maintain and update your own knowledge and skills in line with legislation and the needs of the role.

Other

• Any other reasonable duties as directed by the Warden.

About the school/organisation

Glenalmond College is an inspiring place to live and work. The community atmosphere and warmth of welcome are matched by the commitment and professionalism of our staff, who are key to the success of the school.

Glenalmond welcomes boys and girls, aged 12 to 18, as boarders or day pupils. Most of our pupils are British, but we also have a number of pupils from up to 16 different countries around the world. There are up to 400 pupils at Glenalmond College, an almost even balance of boys and girls.

Glenalmond offers a rigorous model of education with international currency. A curriculum of breadth and depth, balancing a core of facilitating subjects with a variety of options to inform, challenge and ignite passions and recognise developments in technology.

Our purpose at Glenalmond is to help make the world a better place. That aim hasn’t changed at all since our foundation way back in 1847, and we share Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition of success:

“To laugh often and much…to appreciate beauty…to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better…to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.”