Academic Director

EF Education First Gruppe; Toronto; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic leader to oversee academic programs in a vibrant, multicultural environment. This role involves managing teachers, coordinating classes, and ensuring student success through personalized academic support. The ideal candidate will be a proven leader, capable of motivating a diverse team and fostering a positive learning atmosphere. With a strong emphasis on innovation and collaboration, this position offers an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact in education while growing your career in a supportive team. Join a passionate community dedicated to opening the world through education!

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years teaching experience in an adult ESL environment.
• Experience managing in a unionized environment is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the Academic Department and develops staff at all levels.
• Coordinates curriculum, teaching staff, and student placement testing.

Skills

Fluent written/oral English

Leadership

Problem-solving

Customer service

Flexibility

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Social media

Job description

EF Toronto offers a dynamic, multicultural environment that brings together passionate professionals from around the world, all dedicated to opening the world through education. Our team is committed to student success, cultural exchange, and personal growth—for both students and staff. With a strong focus on innovation, collaboration, and leadership development, EF Toronto is a place where you can make a meaningful impact, grow your career, and be part of a supportive, energetic team!

Job Description

Responsible for academic programs in the school including hiring and managing teachers, coordinating classes, and supervising academic components of the school budget. Tests all students upon arrival to ensure appropriate level placement, provides academic orientation and creates schedules for all students. Customizes special academic programs as requested, counsels individual students regarding academic performance and coordinates all student questionnaires and academic reports.

The ideal candidate is someone driven and a proven leader with an ability to collaborate and grow his/her staff. This person can problem solve, does not subscribe to a “that’s not my job” attitude, is social media-savvy, and has ambitions to grow both personally and professionally while reaching new targets at a heavily customer service focused school.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the Academic Department and is entrusted with developing all staff at all levels
• Represents EF Toronto globally through our sales offices and central office
• Coordinates curriculum and teaching staff
• Involved in teacher screening and recruitment
• Conducts orientation and training for new teachers and provides academic support for teachers
• Schedules classes and organizes placement testing and places students in appropriate levels
• Counsels individual students regarding academic performance
• Tracks students with excessive absences and initiates Academic Warning letters
• Coordinates professional development of the teaching staff
• Works closely with other departments to create a positive atmosphere and professional academic learning environment within the school, regularly assisting with school-wide initiatives and events
• Works with production supervisors to control academic components of the budget, including class size averages and hour banks for salaried teachers.
• Is a supportive team-leader to a high-quality teaching team who embody the EF core values; this includes conducting regular classroom observations and training/development sessions
• Has an open-door policy for all staff and students

Qualifications

• Fluent written/oral English language skills
• Bachelor’s degree required (Masters preferred)
• CELTA/DELTA/TESL Canada Level 1 TESL and minimum 5 years teaching experience in an adult ESL environment
• Experience managing in a unionized environment is an asset
• Experience in counseling international students living in Canada
• A proven leader with the ability to motivate a diverse and experienced teaching team
• Extremely flexible – evening and weekend work required at certain times of year
• Goal-oriented and results-driven; accountable to firm deadlines
• A team-player who goes above and beyond, never settling for the status quo
• Cool under pressure – willing and able to take charge in an emergency, think and react quickly to daily surprises, comfortable with a fast-paced and ever-changing environment
• Business-minded with a strong sense of customer service and attention to detail
• A positive attitude, sense of humor and empathy for others – passionate and fun!