Teaching Positions

Salaries

Newly hired full-time teaching staff will be positioned on our school pay scale and advance one scale point each year up to scale point 12. Positions of responsibility (master teacher, subject or team leader and senior leader/mentor) are placed in separate salary bands with additional steps. 

Salaries are reviewed on an annual basis by the BIS Board of Trustees. They are calculated on the basis of calendar months and not on the number of days worked. Salaries are paid in arrears on the 25^th day of each month.

Benefits

Working in Germany comes with a good work-life balance, especially for families with children. Not subject to taxation is a monthly child supplement of € 250 per child paid by the German government for all children under the age of 18 (sometimes up to age 25).

Due to a generous social system, employees benefit from maternity/parental leave, paid sick leave as part of the public healthcare system and free (no co-pay) doctor visits. The healthcare system is extensive and to a high standard. Most hospital workers can speak English.

BIS offers the following employee package to all new teachers:

• Modern and well-equipped workplace with current technology (MacBook also for private use)   
• A competitive salary 
• Relocation benefits for oversee hires  (transport and shipment) 
• Free loan in the first contract year (max. € 2.500)
• Tuition for dependent children (taxed according to German law except Early Learning) 
• Strong induction phase, continuous personal and professional development through both internal and external opportunities (IB-associated training and more)
• Health insurance, retirement benefits
• Occupational health system: social and health opportunities,  free coffee/tea/milk, staff events
• Child care during orientation, prep week and on staff PD days
• Assistance to find housing and with work permit and relocation
• Compassionate leave/family illness up to 5 working days (with medical certificate)
• Allianz pension insurance for tenured employees
• Bonus for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years employment
• Sabbatical/unpaid leave up to one year
• An open-door culture throughout the school and a collegial team environment
• A lively, international city, with a history of over 2,000 years, shaped by the Rhine River and surrounding nature reserves
   

Faculty are appointed to serve under the direction of the Director and Principals of the Primary or Secondary Schools. In addition to teaching duties and in-service days, a teacher will be required to attend relevant parent information evenings and conferences. Teachers are expected to carry various supervisory duties and to contribute to extracurricular activities as well as service projects. 

New teaching faculty are offered contracts of either one- or two-years duration. Contracts are only valid in conjunction with a valid work permit and an original current police clearance certificate from the teacher’s current host country (not older than 6 months). University and teaching degrees/diplomas and all transcripts have to be certified (notarized) and are to be submitted before the contract start date. 

After two years of service, the teaching contract changes from a limited duration contract to one of permanent employment. The first six months of a new contract is a probationary period. During this period, the contract may be terminated by either party by giving one month’s written notice. Neither party is required to state a reason for the termination. After the first six months, the work contract may be terminated by either party by giving six months prior notice to the end of any calendar month. 

At the end of a limited contract, the contract will expire; no prior notice will be required and renewal is not automatic. As a matter of information and not in limitation of termination rights, BIS will advise teachers by the end of November of the year preceding the expiration of a limited contract whether or not BIS intends to renew the contract. Any renewal agreement will be executed by 31 March of the year in which the contract ends. 

Initial employment contracts are only valid on the condition that BIS obtains the necessary work and residence permits for the employee as well as a police clearance certificate. Work permits can be applied for in advance by the school, residence permits will be issued on arrival in Germany. If at any time the police clearance certificate proves to be false or deceptive, the school shall terminate the employment relationship immediately. 

The school year consists of: 

●    180 teaching days 

●    7 days for professional development and for preparation/clean up at start and end of year
●    teaching days begin at 8:00 and end at 15:45 

●    a maximum teaching load is the equivalent of 40 periods in a two-week cycle with 60 periods


Faculty taking up their post for the first time are expected to arrive in Bonn by 1 August 2023. 

However, we recommend arrival two weeks in advance of induction to settle in and complete registration procedures. BIS offers interim housing during this time if necessary. This is a taxable benefit under German law; please ask Human Resources for details. Please note the orientation program begins at 8:00 on Monday, 7 August 2023 and is tightly scheduled. 
 

The leave entitlement is in accordance with the Federal Holiday Act (BUrG) and is confined to school holidays, subject to any requirements for teachers’ attendance when students are not in school. This leave is in accordance with the schedule of allowed holidays published each year for the current and successive academic year. 

In addition, the following special leave days are granted: 

●    moving house (1 working day)
●    marriage of employee (2 working days)
●    marriage of employee’s child (1 working day)
●    birth of child (2 working days)
●    death in family (parents, spouse, own children: 3 working days)
●    job seeking – interviews or recruitment fairs (1 working day)
●    family illness, with medical certificate indicating the necessity of the employee’s help (up to 5 working days)
●    doctor appointments (exceptional), if it could not happen off the job or if it is a medical emergency (duration)
●    parent-teacher conferences (employees with children in German schools)

When relocating to Bonn, faculty members will accrue certain costs. Teachers will be reimbursed for the following relocation expenses upon presentation of original receipts verifying these expenses:

●    BIS will cover the cost of non-taxable relocation expenses from home of record to Bonn. This allowance covers costs up to a maximum value of € 1,500 each for the teacher and married (legally recognized partner) partner and € 500 each for his/her legal dependents residing with him/her in Bonn (non-taxable).  
●    The cost of economy class airline tickets for the teacher, married partner and dependent children from home of record or current home of record.
●    Teachers will receive a lump sum reimbursement amount of € 500 for miscellaneous moving expenses. This payment does not need to be supported by original receipts.
●    Teachers will be reimbursed up to € 1000 for interim housing expenses (e.g. hotel, accommodation). The reimbursement of interim housing costs is  taxable, even when the housing costs are paid directly by the school. The tax effect will be deducted from the monthly paycheck. 
●    € 2,500 interest free loan to be repaid by the teacher in the first contract year. 
 

One great advantage of working at BIS is living in Bonn. Housing is affordable and often within walking distance of the school. BIS has personnel and a network of relocation agents who work with new staff (often before they arrive in Bonn) to identify and secure their accommodation. BIS has built up a selection of good quality apartments which often pass from teacher to teacher. Some apartments can be rented with built-in storage and come with kitchen cabinets and appliances included. Some apartments come without things like light fixtures, curtains, storage, or kitchens, but it is often possible to buy these from the previous tenant. 

All teaching staff, including Principals and Assistant Principals, are entitled to school fee waiver for dependent children who are educated at BIS. The respective amount of this school fee waiver is calculated in each individual case on a pro-rata basis, depending on the percentage of the current contractual teaching time for the respective school year.   
 
Example: A teacher with a full-time employment contract is entitled to a 100% waiver from school fees. A teacher with a part-time employment contract of 80% of the contractual teaching time is entitled to a tuition waiver amounting to 80% of the currently payable school fees.
 
Tuition waivers for dependent children of teachers, as defined above, is a benefit of BIS subject to tax and social security contributions. BIS will therefore deduct the respective portions of taxes and social security contributions attributable to the teachers from the monthly salary of the teachers. 

As a guide, the following regulations apply to working and residing in Germany: 

• citizens of the European Union and citizens of the European Economic Area can work in Germany without applying for work visas. 

• citizens of non-EU countries (Australia, Canada, USA, for example) require a residence permit that includes a work permit for BIS. 

The BIS Human Resources Office will apply for necessary work permits for teaching staff needing them. 


A valid driver’s license and insurance are required to drive a car in Germany.

• Citizens from EU member countries can use their driver’s license from their home country.
• Non-EU drivers must obtain a valid German driving license within 6 months of arrival or else liability insurance normally covering accidents will be invalid and a fine charged.
• Some US states and Canadian provinces have reciprocal driving arrangements. 

Taking on a new job can be overwhelming, especially in a new country. BIS has put great thought and resources into providing new faculty with the support they need while getting used to their new jobs and homes. 

The BIS Human Resources Office provides initial assistance with relocation and prepares administrative paperwork for new faculty upon arrival in Bonn. This includes support scheduling appointments (e.g. bank, insurance, internet) and certifying documents. 

During the teacher orientation week in August, every new teacher receives a MacBook laptop. The first days include a tour of Bonn, a tour of the school campus, sessions with representatives of insurance companies and other vendors and a careful, slow introduction to the school, its curriculum, its culture, and its unique history. There is time for visits to beer gardens and Rhine-side restaurants. When the returning staff come back, we have a welcome event and a week of preparation with all staff back at school. 
 

BIS is committed to its teachers and supports them in an environment where innovation and collaboration are encouraged. The school ensures that all faculty members have a solid understanding of International Baccalaureate Programmes and participate in continuing professional development. 

Working in an established IB World School with all three well-embedded IB programmes is an exceptional opportunity. While over 5,000 schools world-wide provide IB programmes, not many offer all three programmes starting in Early Learning and continuing through to the Diploma Programme. BIS is proud to be amongst a handful of schools in Germany doing so.

Professional development budgets are delegated to staff to manage in teams. PD goals are agreed between faculty members and their Principals. The school especially supports staff members who wish to become IB workshop leaders, IB examiners or international conference presenters. 

PD support is not limited solely to IB-associated training. Teachers can apply for other courses and support may also be given for studies towards an advanced degree. 

In-house PD includes: 

●    opportunities for leadership within BIS and a clear emphasis on “growing” the potential of staff 

●    teaching teams with commitment to collaborative planning and appropriate time allowance for this 

●    frequent in-service training. 

All faculty are challenged to build and improve their classroom practice through a peer coaching model we call the Professional Growth Framework.