Garden jobs in United Kingdom

Activity Leaders play a vital role in creating a safe, engaging, and supportive environment for students during their time at the school. They design, prepare, and lead a range of activities and events, accompany students on excursions, and ensure their safety at all times. Their responsibilities extend to safeguarding, where they build positive yet professional relationships with students and maintain vigilance around their welfare, adhering strictly to all safeguarding policies.

Activity Leaders assist with student transfers to and from airports and provide guidance within the boarding houses, fostering a welcoming atmosphere and helping students develop independence, confidence, and social skills. They actively interact with students during meals, breaks, and free time, supporting a balanced combination of supervision and encouragement. Flexibility is key, as is a real enthusiasm for working with young people.

The Activity Leader-House Lead role covers some additional duties to an Activity Leader, details of which can be viewed in the Job Description attached.

Contract Dates: 24/03/2026 - 12/04/2026

Located just under an hour from London by train, Folkestone is a stunning coastal town renowned for its vibrant arts scene. Since 2002, Earlscliffe has welcomed young people from around the globe to its courses, offering the opportunity to learn English in Kent, famously known as the "Garden of England," while fostering cultural exchange and understanding.

Situated in Folkestone’s historic West End, Earlscliffe boasts an open campus featuring a blend of charming traditional buildings and modern, newly refurbished boarding houses and classrooms. The campus is ideally located within a five-minute walk of the town’s picturesque pebble beaches. At Earlscliffe, our courses balance rigorous academic study, engaging activities, and enriching experiences. As a single-site school, we ensure exceptional quality by maintaining complete control over every aspect of the programmes we deliver. With a curriculum rooted in 21st‑century skills—collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity—our students are inspired and challenged by course content tailored to their generation's goals and global perspectives.

• We will cover the full cost of a new DBS (if required) for your first contract working with SBC. We encourage all staff to sign up for the Update Service.
• Extensive, paid, on-site training prior to student arrival
• Accommodation included
• CPD and Appraisals
• Staff Wellbeing Initiative
• Access to Employee Assist Programme (EAP)
• Continual support for all staff from the Head Office Team, both on the ground and via phone/email
• Online safeguarding and prevent training
• Professional, fun and supportive environment

Remuneration: The salary for the Activity Leader-House Lead role is £708 per week (subject to tax and national insurance), paid weekly in arrears (for the avoidance of doubt this sum includes a holiday allowance at 12.07% of basic pay in the sum of £76.25), plus accommodation at the summer site.

Working Hours: A normal working week for Activity Leaders‑ House Lead will consist of up to 55 hours per week over six working days.

• Design, prepare and lead activities and events
• Lead groups of students on excursions, following the pre-planned itinerary
• Ensure that the students are safe at all times during an activity or on an excursion
• Assist the management in the effective day to day running of the school
• Be committed to the safeguarding and welfare of students in your care
• Adhere to all Health and Safety measures (including COVID safety measures, risk assessments and other policies and procedures)
• Help with student transfers to and from the airport for any arrivals and departures
• Be on call/overnight duty

The welfare of students is paramount to us. Every member of the team is expected to assist in maintaining the welfare and order within their boarding house.

• The allocated day’s house duty, including wake‑up, supervising students to, from and while in the houses, making sure to support a welcoming and positive atmosphere in the boarding houses
• Help transfer students to and from the airport when needed
• Actively supervise and interact with students during meal and break times
• Empower students to successfully engage in the programme while helping develop independence, confidence and social skills
• As with all residential work, be able to show a large degree of flexibility
• Help ensure that the students do not breach the rules of the school
• Engage with the students at all times, in a friendly but professional manner
• Assist at any time, whether on duty or not, with an emergency situation

• Be committed to the safeguarding and welfare of students in your care
• Attend on-site safeguarding training during induction week
• Carry out SBC’s safeguarding policy and ensuring others do the same.
• Develop positive relationships with students, earning their trust whilst maintaining proper professional boundaries,
• Listen to students and being vigilant regarding the potential indicators of abuse.
• Report any potential concerns to the school's Designated Safeguarding Officer

• E.g. Not sharing personal information such as contact details or social media with students.

Please see the attached Job description for a more complete list of the duties associated with the Activity Leader-House Lead role.

All members of staff employed by SBC will be expected to bring certain key qualities to the operation. There must be a professional interest in working with young people and particularly international children. Safety and welfare of the students is of paramount importance at SBC and a practical enforcing of this belief should be a quality exhibited by all staff.

• Approachable & empathic to the needs of students
• Enthusiastic & engaging
• Diplomatic, responsible & motivated
• Flexible within the summer school environment

We expect all SBC staff to be able to communicate effectively with our students, using an appropriate level of language to suit the group. SBC staff must demonstrate patience, empathy and an emotional awareness towards students both individually and in within a group setting. We expect all staff to take control of students and to manage discipline and behavioural issues in a firm, positive and constructive manner.

• Experience in leading or coaching groups of children in a professional capacity
• Experience of, and genuine enjoyment of working with children
• Strong communication skills, ability to work under pressure, flexibility
• Ability to take control of and lead a group of children on activities and during excursions

• Qualifications and experience in leading young people in either tennis, dance, performing arts, music or arts & crafts
• First Aid/Lifeguard qualification
• Familiarity with SBC Programmes or the Earlscliffe Site
• Experience and qualifications in coaching other sport
• Experience of residential international boarding

Founded in 2008, Summer Boarding Courses have united students from around the world through education. Delivering award-winning, future-focused courses that strike the perfect balance between academic and social enrichment.

Our courses unlock potential and ignite a spark for long-term success.

Our residential summer courses take place at some of the UK’s top boarding schools and university college campuses, including Eton College, Oxford University Colleges and Headington School. We carefully select our campuses to ensure that they provide the perfect environment for our students to live and study.

Over 15,800 students from 152 nationalities have been welcomed to study with us to date.

Whether it’s preparing for future studies, developing 21st‑century skills or building confidence, the knowledge gained on an SBC course allows students to go forward and apply what they have learnt to other areas of their education and beyond; giving them the necessary skills to achieve their future goals.

The EL Gazette publishes a league table based on British Council inspections, and SBC have been ranked Number 1 from 2018 to 2023. We are very proud of this achievement and will continue to grow and develop our courses to offer students extraordinary experiences.

SBC is the only multi‑campus summer school provider in the UK to have achieved a perfect 15/15 areas of strength by the British Council. A true hallmark of educational quality.

We want to make sure we do all we can to set candidates up for success in this process. If you require any adjustments to help you at interview and/or you have any questions at all, please contact us at: [email protected]

Please note, as this post involves direct contact with vulnerable children, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected'. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account.

• Any gaps in your CV will be enquired about and must be explained satisfactorily
• You will have to prove your Right to Work in the UK
• You will provide the details of two recent and relevant referees who we will contact and specifically ask about your suitability to work with children and any concerns.
• You will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS), and equivalent if you live, or have lived, outside of the UK
• You will be asked to state that you have no known reason why you cannot work with children
• Official identification and certificates will be required for our records

Please be aware that SBC may conduct online searches for shortlisted candidates as part of our legal duty to meet out safeguarding duties.

Summer Boarding Courses is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We have a comprehensive Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and procedures in place which all employees, volunteers and contractors are expected to adhere to.

We operate a policy of equal opportunities and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of sex, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin or disability.