Tandem Friends School, an all-gender, Quaker, 5th-12th grade independent day school in Charlottesville, Virginia, seeks an Upper School French and/or Spanish teacher for the 2025-2026 school year. This is a part-time position that may possibly be combined with another responsibility to create a full-time role.

The Opportunity:

A unique school with a unique history, Tandem Friends School of Charlottesville, VA, is guided by the Quaker principles that define Friends Schools and has three school mottos: kindness and wisdom, creativity and integrity, and freedom with responsibility. Founded in 1970 as an inclusive alternative to the segregation academies that had proliferated in Virginia at that time, Tandem was the first school in the area founded as both coeducational and racially integrated. Over time, Tandem found Quaker schools to be kindred spirits and joined the Friends Council of Education, becoming a Friends School in 1996.

As a community of just under 300 students, faculty and staff, close interpersonal connections are a defining feature of life at Tandem Friends School. TFS also strives to place student voice and agency at the center of the classroom experience. Tandem Friends seeks teachers from all backgrounds who bring diverse skills and knowledge, a willingness to learn new things, and an appreciation for collaboration with students. At TFS, all teachers are active community members who share in the general support and care of the school community, serve as student advisors, chaperone overnight trips, and participate in a wide range of community activities.

Tandem Friends School aspires to be an equitable and inclusive school community. The school welcomes applications from candidates who will contribute to an atmosphere in which all are valued and supported. People of color and members of other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and references to worldlanguagepositions@tandemfs.org.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• a relevant advanced degree and at least 3-5 years of teaching experience
• a strong understanding of the developmental needs of early adolescents
• experience with curriculum design, and student-centered teaching and learning practices
• a pedagogical approach to world language instruction that incorporates equitable and inclusive teaching strategies and curricula
• a demonstrated ability to work with students with a range of abilities and backgrounds
• self-awareness in regard to one’s own strengths and areas for growth; an approach to others characterized by empathy and generosity of spirit
• enthusiasm for Quaker values, including principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging
• an eagerness to partner with a dynamic team of colleagues in the day-to-day activities of the school
• an ability and willingness to engage professionally with students, parents, colleagues and other members of the TFS community.

About Tandem Friends School

At Tandem Friends School, we believe that the finest education is achieved through an active partnership between faculty and students. We honor students by holding them to high standards. Teachers are dedicated to the intellectual, aesthetic and moral growth of each student. In turn, our students are expected to enter into this partnership with a sense of responsibility and respect for their mentors and for the entire school community. Our high expectations of students are possible because our faculty and staff meet a high standard of professional and personal excellence in their work. All teacher candidate finalists spend a full day here and teach sample classes. We actively foster our employees' continuing growth through professional development funding and an environment that is characterized by open communication, collaboration and a strong sense of community. The combination of motivated students, engaged families, active institutional support and highly qualified employees makes this a dynamic learning community. Tandem Friends School is a co-educational, independent day school for grades 5-12 with a diverse enrollment of 250 students. The school is located on a 31-ac...re campus in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded as The Tandem School in 1970 and was affiliated as a Quaker (Friends) school in 1995. Tandem Friends is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or national ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, hiring policies, admissions policies, scholarship or loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs. People of color and members of other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

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Connections working at Tandem Friends School