Middle School Special Education Teaching Assistant (full-time position) SY 2025-2026

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American School of The Hague (ASH) is looking for a full-time Middle School Special Education Teaching Assistant SY 2025-2026. Start Date: August 1, 2025

Location: Wassenaar, the Netherlands
Language Skills: Fluent English is Essential

You believe that school is preparation for life, more than simply the next level of school. You are passionate about education, understanding the key role you play in enabling student growth and development, preparing students for success in their future. Just as in life outside the classroom, you believe that students with different backgrounds, gender identities, and learning abilities benefit from working together.

You understand team dynamics and work well with teams of other educators and with administrators. You are an excellent communicator and see parents as your partners in their child's education. As a lifelong learner you are energized by new ideas, professional development and sharing your learning with your colleagues. You are solution-oriented and like to contribute to a positive, enjoyable working environment. The status quo is never good enough for you.

You are independent and confident in the classroom. When making decisions, you focus on how we can best serve our entire learning community, always looking for a way in which we can make ASH just that extra bit better for them. You recognize that learning is not confined to a classroom or a timetable. Having an open mind and being able to give and receive constructive feedback is something you pride yourself on.

You are a Middle School Special Education Teaching Assistant. You have a degree in a relevant subject, preferably a Master’s degree. You have at least five years of successful teaching, teaching assistant or clinical work experience with students requiring intensive support. You have an understanding of general concepts of student growth and development, as well as current knowledge of special education interventions and strategies. You integrate technology into your instruction and see IT as an enabler for you and for learning.

In addition you:

• maintain a respectful and patient attitude toward students while fostering independent work and social habits,
• respect the cultural differences of our international families and demonstrates basic, effective instructional strategies when working with students learning English,
• establish and maintains cooperative working relationships with staff, parents, and other team members,
• show self-motivation and high level flexibility and has experience working with students with exceptionalities,
• maintain confidentiality of information relating to the school and students,
• provide appropriate accommodations that enable students to access grade curriculum, when appropriate,
• modify curriculum under the guidance of the special education teacher, when appropriate.

The Role: Under the supervision of the special education teacher, the teaching assistant’s primary responsibility is to reinforce academic, behavioral, and social skills instruction to students within the special education and mainstream classrooms. The teaching assistant will also perform clerical tasks related to the instructional assignment. 

The Work: As a Middle School Special Education Teaching Assistant, you will work individually and in small group settings with a student who has identified needs, performing various instructional and management tasks. This is done under the supervision of the Special Education and classroom teachers. On a daily basis, you will work on developing a supportive relationship with the student, by observing, recording, and reporting on the progress of the students. You will offer support to the teachers’ classroom management plans and school philosophy of inclusion. You will attend mainstream classes with the students and implement accommodations and/or modifications as necessary. In addition, you will supervise students at recess, lunch, during transitions, and other non-instructional times. As needed you will support the classroom teacher in:  grading assignments, photocopying, laminating, filing, preparing and organizing instructional materials, assisting with the setup and clean up of the classroom, and other tasks as assigned. You will accompany students on trips as needed.

You encourage learning through discovery, selecting age appropriate projects for the students so they can become hands-on learners. Whether in the classroom, the library, learning music or P.E., participating in athletics, or getting involved in gardening, your students are always learning. If you have talents or interests outside of school in the areas of music, athletics, the arts or other such interests, bring them with you as you’ll be participating in after school activities in support of our students. We hope you are as interested in service learning, community engagement, and sustainability as we are. Your experience in these areas is highly desirable.

Strong, open communications are your hallmark. Regular communications with parents is essential as you provide and explain information regarding students’ social, academic, and behavioral progress. You will be actively involved in school-wide, divisional, and grade level meetings and will have the opportunity to engage fully and openly in our professional learning community. You will be fully involved in daily life at ASH. Your “can do” attitude will be essential for your success in your daily school life.

Does this sound like you? We want to hear from you. To apply, please visit our school website and click the 'Send Application' button.

The School & The Curriculum: To learn all about  the  American School of The Hague and read about our school, we invite you to visit the school website.

Child Protection and Safety
The American School of The Hague is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Aligned with the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective recruiting practices with specific attention to child protection.