Senior Primary Teacher for Innovative Private School in Zurich (Grades 1–3)

A CHANCE TO HELP BUILD THE SCHOOL YOU ALWAYS WISHED EXISTED

Do you love teaching but sometimes feel boxed in by your current role? Imagine a school where teachers have real freedom, children receive extraordinary individual attention, and learning combines curiosity, joy and academic depth.

At Lumos, you'll find:

• Exceptionally low student-to-teacher ratios (approximately 1:7)

• A two-teacher grades 1–3 classroom, working alongside an experienced German-speaking primary teacher

• Real autonomy to design meaningful learning, with substantial protected planning time

• A thoughtful, collaborative team and the chance to shape an ambitious new school

• Competitive salaries, 16+ weeks of school holidays and relocation support if needed

We're seeking an experienced Senior Primary Teacher to help lead our youngest learners. You'll bring particular strength to English language and literacy, share ownership of the wider primary curriculum, and coach a small group of children individually. German fluency is NOT required.

WHO WE ARE

Lumos is a small, bilingual (German–English) private school in the Zürich area, currently serving grades 1–7 and growing over time to grade 9. We're intentionally small enough to know every child deeply, personalize learning and build a close community.

Our founders previously created an innovative US school in 2020 that now serves 900+ students and is recognized for its project-based approach (www.joinprisma.com). After moving to Zürich, they wanted a school that combined academic excellence with confidence, curiosity and a love of learning for their own three children. So they built Lumos.

Our international team brings exceptional teaching experience and a shared belief that rigor and joy belong together. Former employers have described some of our teachers as among the top 5–10% they've worked with. We plan collaboratively, share feedback and ideas, and give teachers meaningful influence over the school's direction.

Our approach draws on personalized and self-paced learning, mixed-age groups, hands-on projects, one-on-one coaching and the science of how children learn. Four beliefs guide us:

• Learning how to learn: Curiosity, reflection and independent learning are lifelong superpowers.

• Hard Fun: The best learning is both deeply engaging and appropriately challenging.

• Agency: Children gradually take ownership of goals, schedules, projects and learning.

• Depth + breadth: We build mastery of essentials while exploring broadly to spark new passions.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Co-lead the grades 1–3 classroom

You'll share responsibility with our German-speaking teacher for literacy, numeracy, science, social studies and interdisciplinary learning, as well as curiosity, play, independence and social-emotional growth. This is a senior teaching role with substantial ownership: you'll independently lead lessons and groups, design learning experiences, assess progress and strengthen classroom routines and systems.

Personalize learning while creating a strong group experience

Math, reading and writing are often individualized because children progress at different rates. Science, social studies, art, music and other subjects often come alive through shared inquiry, discussion and projects. You'll:

• Set individual learning goals and use assessment to identify each child's next steps.

• Turn those goals into clear short- and medium-term plans.

• Design engaging whole-group learning and hands-on, collaborative projects.

• Monitor progress and adapt challenge, support and groupings as children develop.

Whether a child needs extra support or is ready to advance well beyond their age group, you'll help them thrive without losing the benefits of learning together.

Strengthen English language and literacy

You'll take particular responsibility for English within our bilingual program, including oral language, vocabulary, phonics, beginning reading, reading instruction, writing workshops and support for children at different stages of English proficiency. You'll also teach across the broader primary curriculum. German is a significant advantage, but not a requirement.

Make learning genuinely engaging

We believe in Hard Fun: purposeful, hands-on and intellectually rich learning that children WANT to engage in. You'll draw on explicit instruction, games, stories, investigations, discussion and projects—choosing the right approach for the children, rather than rigidly following a single methodology. We value warmth with rigor, imagination with structure, and great teaching supported by thoughtful planning.

Coach and know children deeply

You'll hold weekly one-on-one coaching conversations with a small group of students, helping them set goals, recognize progress, navigate challenges and develop self-awareness and independence. This is also an opportunity to build exceptionally strong teacher–student relationships.

Help build Lumos

As a school in its first year, Lumos offers something unusual: a real opportunity to shape curriculum, systems, culture and what the school becomes. You'll collaborate with talented colleagues, try ideas, learn from what works and participate in field trips, expeditions, camps and school community events.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We want someone who reads this and thinks: “This is how I want to teach.” A teacher who loves younger children and understands their enormous potential alongside their need for warmth, movement, structure and play.

You'll be confident enough to take meaningful ownership of teaching, planning and assessment, yet genuinely excited to share a classroom with another strong teacher. You won't simply follow a prescribed curriculum: you'll use strong core programs where appropriate, then bring your own creativity and professional judgment to make learning memorable. We provide significant protected planning time so you can do this work well.

Essential qualifications and experience

• Fluent English; German proficiency is a strong plus but not required.

• Teaching degree and substantial classroom experience (typically 7+ years), ideally including grades 1–3.

• Strong foundations in early primary education, early literacy and numeracy, including phonics and beginning reading.

• Proven ability to plan curriculum, assess learning and take ownership of student progress.

• Strong experience with differentiated and individualized teaching.

• Understanding of multilingual learners and early language development.

• Excellent organization and ability to build effective classroom routines and systems.

• Comfort with mixed-age groups and flexible grouping.

• Eligibility to work in Switzerland is essential.

Particular advantages (not requirements)

• Experience with interdisciplinary or project-based teaching.

• Familiarity with Montessori, personalized learning or other innovative approaches.

• Knowledge of Lehrplan 21.

Personal qualities

You're warm, kind, patient and passionate about children and teaching. You're confident, creative, highly organized and reliable; you combine strong follow-through with flexibility. You communicate clearly and compassionately with children, families and colleagues. You're curious, reflective, open to feedback and eager to experiment. You take initiative, enjoy co-planning and sharing responsibility, and are willing to roll up your sleeves to help a growing school improve.

Our Lumos team values are:

• Gutsy — Speak up, take thoughtful risks and think differently.

• Humble — Share credit, own mistakes, welcome feedback and keep learning.

• Can-Do — Stay optimistic, solve problems and find a way.

• Team Players — Care for others, pitch in and put collective success first.

• Driven — Set high standards, attend to details and keep improving for every child.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salaries typically 15–25% higher than most Zürich private schools, benchmarked against the official Zürich public teacher salary scale.

• 16 or more weeks of school holidays.

• Significant protected planning time to create exceptional learning experiences.

• Relocation support, if needed.

• Approximately 1:7 student-to-teacher ratio and the ability to know every child.

• Real autonomy and ownership over how you teach.

• Supportive leadership that empowers teachers and welcomes new ideas.

• Thoughtful, aligned families and a creative, collaborative, can-do culture.

• A rare chance to shape a school while it's still small enough for your ideas to make a difference.

HOW TO APPLY

If this sounds like the school you've been looking for, we'd love to hear from you. Please complete our short application form: https://repeated-woolen-415.notion.site/32cc4aeca78880d596c7cea910700b35