Are you a highly qualified, inspirational, and values driven professional capable of managing, supporting and excelling across several areas of leadership looking for a unique role at a successful international school? If so, you will be interested in this exciting opportunity to join us as our Head of Secondary.
About the School
Britannica International School is the longest-established British School in Hungary. We cater for children from five to eighteen years of age. We have a thriving Primary Department and an excellent Secondary Department.
The foundation of our educational programme is the National Curriculum for England suitably enhanced to reflect our truly international nature. In the Secondary Department, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and Advanced Levels (A-Levels), provide graduating students with gold standard diplomas for entry to leading universities around the world.
In recent years, our public examination scores have been well above the UK national average, and their A-Level grades have allowed our students to enter prestigious universities in Hungary and abroad. The school is a fully accredited member of the Council of International Schools and the Council of British International Schools and is a registered teaching and examinations centre for Cambridge International Examinations and Edexcel/Pearson.
About the Opportunity
The school is seeking to appoint a Head of Secondary, with effect from August 2026.
Applicants should be committed and outstanding teaching practitioners, able to lead by example, possessing excellent teaching, organisational and communication skills. We are seeking individuals who can apply a committed and common-sense approach to secondary education, such that it achieves outstanding results and happy children. The role requires an individual who can successfully motivate and manage, can delegate responsibility, and who has sky-high expectations of what children can achieve and how they can behave.
The successful candidate will be a member of the Senior Leadership Team and play a key role in the development and implementation of the school’s strategic plan, supporting the delivery of the school's mission.
As an English school, specialising in the English National Curriculum to a diverse, international student population, strong English language is an essential requirement and applications from native-level speakers of English are encouraged.
For more information, please refer to the separate Job Description and Person Specification.
The ideal candidate:
- resilient and resourceful with a strong commitment and knowledge of outstanding teaching and learning;
- recent and up to date experience and knowledge of the English National Curriculum;
- fully versed in current methods of assessment and use of data to track progress at KS3-5;
- able to lead the continuing development of the curriculum from Year 7 to Year 13 in response to any UK changes;
- ambitious and forward thinking, capable of promotion to a Principal position in the future and of contributing to wider Orbital group developments;
- highly motivated and an excellent classroom practitioner, with the ability to inspire and engage students;
- enthusiastic, energetic, inclusive and unstintingly positive and committed to children of all abilities;
- highly IT-literate, skilled in using several systems and platforms and able to contribute to the strategic development of digital learning and technology within the school;
- able to work with a diverse group of teachers with a range of pedagogical experience from an array of international perspectives;
- able to inspire others and lead by example;
- possess excellent listening skills and be able to communicate and connect empathetically with parents, teachers and students;
- able to develop and maintain trust and respect in all parts of our community.
Our Offer:
- an enthusiastic learning community of pupils, teachers, parents and Orbital Board members, who are all dedicated to maximising student achievement for every child, and creating positive learning opportunities within and beyond the classroom;
- working within a team of highly driven, forward-thinking, collaborative, student-focused colleagues and senior leaders;
- contract is initially for two years and includes an attractive remuneration package for international schools in Hungary. It is mutually renewable;
- assistance with relocation and excellent professional development and leadership opportunities.
Living and working in Budapest:
Budapest is Eastern Europe’s expat hotspot. An increasing number of people are relocating to Budapest each year. The Hungarian capital has all the things Western European cities have to offer – good quality of living, diverse culture and attractive job opportunities – with q lower cost of living. You may wish to visit the following website, which compares the cost of living in different cities around the world.
Orbital Education
The Britannica International School, Budapest is part of the Orbital Education group, an expanding group of international schools specialising in providing the National Curriculum of England to an internationally diverse student population between the ages of 3 and 18 years.
In addition to our school in Budapest, the Orbital Education group has schools in Spain, Mallorca, Slovenia, China, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Middle East, with ongoing plans to open schools in new regions across the globe. In this role, you would have the opportunity to collaborate and work with staff at other schools across the group, to support our students achieve their potential. After two years’ successful employment you would also have the option to be considered for roles at other schools across the group, providing the opportunity to progress your career while also seeing the world.
Duties and responsibilities specific to the post:
Our teachers are responsible for delivering high-quality learning in an organised, happy and safe environment. They work together with other teaching colleagues in medium and short-term planning, target-setting and monitoring to ensure challenge and the very best possible progress for every student. They participate in the broader life of the school, enriching the learning experience for students.
Applicants should be committed and outstanding teaching practitioners, able to lead by example, possessing excellent IT, organisational and communication skills.
For more information, please refer to the separate Job Description and Person Specification provided.
Applications
Applications should be made by e-mail and include a covering letter addressed to Mr. Neil McGarry, School Principal, along with a colour photograph and an up-to-date CV including the details of at least two referees, one of whom must be your most recent employer. Interested applicants should review the job profile and person specification, and ensure their covering letter highlights how their experience, knowledge and skills match those of the ideal candidate.
Applications should be sent to: neil.mcgarry@britannicaschool.hu
Closing date: The closing date for applications is 7/11/2025. The school reserves the right to appoint before this deadline if the right candidate is found, so early application is recommended. Shortlisted applicants will initially be interviewed remotely by Mr. Neil McGarry, School Principal in the week beginning 10/11/2025
If you have not been contacted by this date, please assume that, on this occasion, your application has not been shortlisted.
Final interviews will be held at the school.
Safer recruitment
Britannica International School, Budapest is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and stakeholders to share this commitment.
Appointment to this role is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and systems overseas. This position is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’, must be declared. We operate an equal opportunities policy.
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Start Date
1st August, 2026
- Contract Date Full Time
- Contract Term Two-year Renewable
- Closes 7th November, 2025
Britannica International School Budapest
Britannica International School Budapest, established in 1993, was the first British-style curriculum, secondary school in Hungary. The school became a member of the Orbital Education group of schools in 2008. Today it is a thriving school for students aged from 5 to 18 years old. A whole primary section with children from age 5 was successfully opened in September 2010. The school is registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture in Hungary and is a full member of the Council of British International Schools. Britannica International School Budapest is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools.
