Job Description: HS Science Aide and Teaching Partner (Lab Technician) Tentative

CAMPUS: Johannesburg Campus | SUPERVISOR: HS Principal | START DATE: 01 August 2027 |

POSTING DATE: 05 October 2026 | CLOSING DATE: 28 October 2026

Inspire Learning to Build Our Better World. At the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), we are committed to providing an exceptional education that empowers global citizens to fulfill their future purpose. Our vision is to inspire learning to build a better world. We seek a dedicated and passionate professional who aligns with our commitment to excellence and believes in the transformative power of education. Every team member is crucial in creating a supportive and nurturing learning environment. At AISJ, we value every employee as a learner and expect them to embody and support the AISJ Portrait of Learner (Resilience, Mindful, Thinker, Globally Connected, Curious, Contributor) through their work. We are dedicated to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within our school community.

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Position overview

The High School Science Aide (Lab Technician) supports AISJ’s mission to inspire learning to build our better world by ensuring that students and teachers have access to safe, well-organized, and engaging laboratory experiences. Working collaboratively with the High School Science team, the Lab Technician prepares materials, equipment, and laboratory spaces for practical investigations across the High School science program, including IBDP courses, while supporting the safe and effective use, storage, and maintenance of laboratory resources. The Lab Technician contributes to high-quality teaching and learning by helping teachers provide hands-on scientific experiences that foster curiosity, inquiry, experimentation, and evidence-based thinking, while maintaining a safe, efficient, and well-resourced laboratory environment.

Qualifications, Experiences, & Role Specific Requirements

Required Educational Qualifications & Certification

• Bachelor’s degree in Science
• Prior laboratory experience necessary

Preferred Qualifications & Specialized Experience

• Knowledge of current safety regulations
• Prior experience working in a science laboratory
• Ability to manage a science laboratory and relevant chemicals & equipment
• Genuine desire to work with children - exhibits patience and empathy when dealing with children
• Able to address and treat children with respect and dignity
• Willingness to learn and grow under the instruction of teaching faculty and in a professional environment
• Ability to work individually and as part of a team
• Experience working with children, preferably in a school environment
• Technologically literate
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (especially in English)
• Organized, reliable, dependable, works well independently

Key Responsibilities:

• Preparing solutions and setting up equipment prior to lessons, as well as clearing afterward
• Maintaining, repairing, and at times, creating new equipment
• Ensuring students and teachers utilize equipment and chemicals efficiently and are not wasteful or reckless
• Collaborating with teachers with regards to timetables and expectations of lab experiments
• Experimenting with labs beforehand or conducting trials if required
• Sourcing and ordering new equipment and replenishing chemicals, while accounting for the Science budget
• Ensuring chemicals are safely stored and disposed of in line with school policies/regulations
• Ensure lab rules are maintained, adhered to, and labs are kept safe at all times
• Be present during experiments in order to assist teachers as necessary (especially when they are unfamiliar with the equipment)
• Ensuring the Science Department adheres to and remains up to date with the Health and Safety protocols
• Keeping all records and conducting safety equipment checks each Monday on Fume hoods, showers, eye washes, gas taps, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and sink drains
• Always be available to the Team as requested to support
• Safe storage and removal of harmful chemicals and equipment
• Ensure an adequate supply of equipment and materials is always available
• Keep track of materials borrowed by teachers and students
• Be available and support students with their personal investigations in the science laboratory
• Collaborating with teachers regarding timetables and expectations of lab experiments.
• Communicate with faculty proactively and positively
• Serve as a substitute teacher/cover teacher if necessary
• Present topics or demonstrations, using an inquiry-based method
• Prepare and present displays of students’ work in the science building
• Assist in maintaining classroom bulletin boards/displays that represent student interests and learning
• Prepare teaching materials as needed
• Assist in the classroom and or on field trips
• Attend team meetings and professional development as necessary
• Undertake professional duties that may be reasonably assigned by the principal
• Be proactive in matters relating to Health and Safety
• Assist with an after-school activity as directed by the principal
• Adhere to supervision and chaperone duties as directed by the principal
• Invigilate tests and exams as needed

Additional Responsibilities

• Engage in our Well-being Program as an Eagle Forum Teacher/Advisor.
• Facilitate a service learning group.
• Supervise students during Break and/or Lunch periods on a rotating basis.
• Supervise students during Access on a rotating basis.
• Chaperone Classroom Without Walls Trips.
• Engage in our Co-curricular program for at least one season per year.

Teacher Competencies

Planning for Learning

• Curriculum Design: Creates personalized, challenging learning sequences that build on prior knowledge while ensuring knowledge transfer and regular reflection opportunities.
• Collaborative Planning: Partners across disciplines and specialties to create cohesive learning experiences that connect global contexts while anticipating student needs.
• Inquiry-Based Learning: Designs flexible conceptual units that honor student choice, pace, and multiple pathways to demonstrate understanding.

Maximizing Teacher Efficacy

• Student Agency & Critical Thinking: Creates self-directed learners who think critically, set goals, and drive their own learning journey.
• Research-Based Instructional Excellence: Implements proven teaching strategies that adapt to individual student needs through continuous assessment and adjustment.
• Connected Learning Design: Weaves together global perspectives, real-world applications, and cross-disciplinary connections to create meaningful learning experiences.
• Collaborative Leadership: Builds a learning community where students develop leadership skills through structured collaboration and personalized engagement.

Reflecting as Practitioners

• Student Agency: Builds student capacity for self-assessment through modeling, tools, and targeted feedback that drives individual growth.
• Data-Informed Practice: Analyzes student achievement data to align curriculum, refine teaching strategies, and measure instructional effectiveness.
• Professional Growth: Engages in collaborative reflection and data analysis with colleagues to continuously improve teaching practices and student outcomes.

Promoting Relationships, Community, & Culture

• Builds strong community-school partnerships and actively participates in community initiatives to enrich the learning environment.
• Adapts teaching practices by staying informed of educational and societal changes while understanding each learner's unique cultural background, learning style, and needs.

• Creates an inclusive learning environment that embraces diversity, challenges stereotypes, and connects learning to students' real-world experiences and cultural contexts.
• Fosters a growth mindset by encouraging calculated risk-taking and developing students' autonomy, personal responsibility, and ownership of learning.

All community members are expected to be committed to the AISJ Community Principles.

• We are better when we act together.
• Our differences make us stronger.
• Every voice counts. Every voice matters.
• Every team needs individuals. Every individual needs a team.

Work

Number of Work Days: : Monday through Friday - 188 (one hundred and eighty-eight) days per school year.

Work Day: 7:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 7:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Other Duties As Assigned: The Teacher will be expected to perform any work assigned to them that is within their skills and capabilities and to be flexible about changes to this function that may be required from time to time for operational reasons. This includes other duties as assigned by their supervisor from time to time.

APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, please complete the electronic form [Click here]. Information captured will be securely stored and used for a reference check on the candidate's compatibility. AISJ reserves the right to appoint the strongest candidate before the closing date if required.

SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION
AISJ maintains robust child protection policies to ensure a safe, secure, and caring environment for our students. All employees must undergo criminal background checks, attend annual training, and sign a safeguarding agreement.

PRIVACY
By submitting your CV, you consent to AISJ processing your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, accessible at AISJ Privacy Policy, and under the Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013.