Job Introduction

This is an opportunity for an existing Rowing Coach to play a key role supporting the running of a hugely prosperous, thriving, and motivated Boat Club at one of London's top schools.

Rowing, aka Water, is a popular indoor and outdoor activity at Westminster School, with a Boat house on the Putney embankment and purpose-built training facilities in the school sports centre in Westminster. The Boat club is a significant part of both the school and local Putney community on the river. With rowing activities established at Westminster before 1813 -The Boat club is amongst the oldest in the world and has played a significant role in British rowing history. More recently the Boat club has provided an impressive roster of Junior rowing internationals and Oxford and Cambridge blues. The school also founded the prestigious Schools Head of the river race in 1946 and continues to organise the event

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will have proven coaching experience within a school environment, ideally supported by relevant coaching qualifications. You will be an inspirational coach contributing as a team player in a team coaching environment. Part of the role could include transporting both boats and pupils to events and camps, therefore a full clean minibus and trailer driving license is desirable (but not essential). The ability to assist with minor boat repairs may also be an asset.

Hours are determined by fixed school sports sessions and the successful candidate must be available to coach on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (term-time) between 2:00pm and 4:30pm and possibly one day each weekend between 2:00pm and 5:00pm. This is a part-time role, with approximately 6-12 hours coaching required per week. Some coaching may also be required during the half-term and Easter holidays. Details of working hours will be discussed at interview.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: as soon as possible

Location: Boat House (Putney) - Westminster School

Contract: casual/zero hours contract

Hours of work: Hours are determined by fixed school sports session, please read the job description below

Salary: £34.84 per hour

The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 13th June 2025. Interviews will follow shortly after the closing date.

About the School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Westminster School is friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more. 

The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence. 

Westminster School