Lead Counsellor - Al Hamra Campus - Required August 2026

The British International School Riyadh (BISR) has provided high-quality education to the expatriate community since 1979. As a well-regarded, not-for-profit, co-educational institution in the Middle East, we serve students aged 3-18 across multiple campuses.

Our school is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and as a British School Overseas (BSO). Additionally, BISR is a member of the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME), the Association of British Schools Overseas (AoBSO), the Heads Conference (HMC), and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).

Following the English curriculum, which is greatly enriched by the local and international context, BISR offers a holistic learning experience. Our broad co-curricular program includes extra-curricular activities, student leadership opportunities, service learning initiatives, and residential trips. We are also committed to strong pastoral care to support student well-being.

The role of Lead Counsellor is a rare opportunity to lead and further develop a whole-school counselling service in a leading international school. We are seeking an experienced Counsellor to lead the development of counselling provision at our Al Hamra Campus.

This is a specialist role for an experienced counselling professional. The postholder will initially be the sole on-site counsellor , delivering high-quality counselling support to students while holding responsibility for counselling systems, ethical practice and quality assurance within the school’s Student Support Services framework.

Working in a highly supportive, multidisciplinary environment, alongside Safeguarding, Support for Learning (SEND), nursing and pastoral colleagues, the Counsellor will also benefit from close professional collaboration with counsellor colleagues across the wider BISR group , ensuring shared practice, supervision and professional dialogue.

In addition to responsive counselling provision, the role contributes to proactive and preventative wellbeing work . This includes advising and supporting teachers and tutors, contributing to transition and onboarding processes for new students and families, and supporting the development of whole-school wellbeing and peer-support initiatives (such as buddy or mentoring programmes). This work is collaborative and system-focused, complementing pastoral provision rather than replacing it.

The is available here: Lead Counsellor JD - Jan 2026

The successful candidate will:

• Bring extensive experience in counselling children and young people, strong safeguarding judgement, and possess the ability to work confidently as a sole practitioner while influencing practice across the wider school community.

• Hold a recognised professional qualification in counselling or psychotherapy appropriate for work with children and young people.

• Have active and ongoing registration with an appropriate professional body e.g. BACP or equivalent

• Have significant experience delivering counselling to children and/or adolescents, ideally within a school or educational context.

• Demonstrate a strong working knowledge of safeguarding and child protection, including thresholds, escalation and information-sharing.

• Have experience managing complex cases and working within multidisciplinary teams.

• Show evidence of sound professional judgement, ethical practice and reflective working.

• Be committed to ongoing clinical supervision and professional development.

• Possess outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with students, staff, parents, and external stakeholders.
  

We can offer:

• Highly motivated and engaged students

• A school with a strong sense of community

• A learning focused school committed to staff development

• Motivated, hard-working and dedicated colleagues, who are committed to high quality learning, student well-being and the school's enrichment programmes

Key Dates:

• Closing date for applications: Sunday, 31st May 2026.
  

Important Notes:

• Application guidelines are available here: Guidelines

• To apply, please follow the application link: and provide a supporting statement of application following the provided guidelines.

• For non-teaching roles, applicants will need to register as a qualified teacher on the application tracking system (InTeachers) to complete the application.

• BISR reserves the right to make an earlier appointment if a suitable candidate is identified before the closing date.

• Comprehensive background checks will be required for all staff.

• Please link here to our Safer Recruitment Policy:

• For more information about the school, visit:

Safeguarding:

BISR believes very strongly in the role of the school in safeguarding children and young people.  All staff, whatever their role in the school, will be required to undergo rigorous background checks before commencing employment.