Opportunities at Vidya Bhawan

Vidya Bhawan Society (VBS) is a group of educational institutions based in Udaipur, Rajasthan. It was established in the conviction that quality education, with emphasis on character building, could mould children and teachers as responsible citizens and leaders who value social justice and inclusion.  Beginning with the founding of a small school in 1931, VB has grown into a family of institutions with 3 schools, 2 teacher education colleges, Polytechnic, post graduate level Rural Institute, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (for outreach and innovation in agriculture), Education Resource Centre, and Prakriti Sadhna Kendra (to study the environment). Vidya Bhawan is presently in a rejuvenation phase seeking to practice its founding vision in today’s context. The challenge is to harness synergies across this education ecosystem of institutions to build quality education through a student and staff body committed to democratic values of inclusivity, pluralism, civic engagement and social justice.

We are looking for suitable candidates for the following roles at Vidya Bhawan:

1. Teaching Fellows

Teaching Fellows will stay with us for a limited duration (6 months to 2 years, based on their availability), and will support our existing teachers and ongoing education development programs like English Plus. Their pay scales will be competitive to other such fellowships in the country, designed to attract professionals/recent graduates from good colleges to gain teaching experience in a good NGO.

These Fellows may not have B.Ed./M.Ed. degrees, but should necessarily have experience with teaching, and/or background in education. They should be highly motivated towards improving learning outcomes of schools and colleges, and in enhancing their own skills and experience through such an engagement.

Number of vacancies: Multiple

2. Wellness Fellows

These Fellows will be similar to the Teaching Fellows in that their engagement with Vidya Bhawan will be for a limited duration (6 months to 2 years), and their compensation would be competitive with other such fellowships. They should have a strong aptitude in psychology and counseling, and have an inclination to work towards mental/physical well-being.

These Fellows will support the activities of our Wellness Center: of providing direct counseling support to our students and staff and helping us design trainings/workshops on various topics related to mental and physical wellness.  They should be able to understand the underlying philosophy of Vidya Bhawan Wellness Center, to empower students to help themselves, and build skills that can help them in the long term, rather than providing solutions or lecturing them.

Number of vacancies: 2

3. Student Engagement Fellows

 These Fellows will work directly with our students from schools, colleges and hostels and will focus on improving their experience at Vidya Bhawan. They will devise ways to utilize post school/college time of our students in better and innovative ways to bring out our students’ potential. They will learn about our students’ lives through direct interaction. They will not only engage with our students while they are with Vidya Bhawan, but also more importantly, help us create programs and systems to ensure that strong student activity continues after the Fellows are gone. We have a student strength of approximately 5000.

Through relationship-building, they will promote leadership and communication skills among children by building various clubs/committees and enlarging student activities in schools, colleges and hostels. These Fellows will provide exposure and engagement to students in various fields. They will help these students to identify their talents and leverage their potentials by giving them a chance to interact about their skills and talents with them. The Fellows will be designing their sessions according to their viability, strengths and will have the autonomy to execute it in their considered ways.

There is no particular background necessary for this role. People interested in these kinds of initiatives, and who gain energy from interacting directly with the youth should apply.

 Number of vacancies: 5

4. Agriculture Fellows

The Fellow will be placed at Vidya Bhawan’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra(KVK) which undertakes agriculture extension activities in rural areas of Udaipur district. The Fellowship will provide exposure and engagement to individuals from in various fields but will primarily involve on-field documentation. Although agricultural background is not mandatory, Fellows are expected to have some experience with record-keeping and documentation. Expected work is documenting (a) current activities, practices, thinking, and challenges; (b) current work procedures and work flows; (c) evolution of priorities and activities from the 1980s; (d) narratives of rural change/transformation. Such documentation will greatly help KVK and Vidya Bhawan to craft strategies moving forward.

Number of vacancies: 2

5. Counselors

Similar to Wellness Fellows, the counselors will support the activities of the Wellness Center, provide direct counseling to our students/staff and help us build/conduct workshops and trainings. While the counselors should have background in Psychology, we will select them on the basis of their aptitude to connect with children and adults, and ability to grow with the Center. Professional experience and academic strength, while important, are not the primary selection criteria for this role. We are looking for men/women who have a high empathy quotient and are dedicated to helping others through psychological support. They should have good ideas, and be open to improvising according to the needs of Vidya Bhawan. Ideally they should be looking for a long term engagement.

Number of vacancies: 2

6. Organization Development and New Initiatives Fellows

These Fellows will again be with us for a period of 6 months to 2 years and will be paid competitive salaries. They will help us become more efficient, through initiatives like documentation, digitization and streamlining of processes. They will help us improve our communication and outreach initiatives, like social media marketing, producing marketing materials like brochures, scoping out potential donors. They will help us strengthen our programs like Alumni Management and Volunteer Management. Lastly, they will help launch and coordinate new initiatives, like menstrual and sexual health trainings, engaging with our students through art forms like dance and drama, etc.

The educational and professional background of these Fellows can be varied, but should have demonstrated leadership and management skills, and should be interested in organizational development and leading new initiatives. They should be self-motivated to work in the development sector and be open to understanding the philosophy of Vidya Bhawan.

Number of vacancies: 2

7. Fundraising and Communications Professionals

We need 1-2 persons with excellent English communications skills, both writing and speaking, and an ability to use Microsoft Word and Excel. The professionals will support our work towards reaching out to potential donors, managing communications with existing donors, and improving our communication and marketing materials like brochures, posters etc. Experience with proposal writing, social media marketing, designing, photography is a bonus. They should be able to coordinate between the donors and VB institutions for regular and effective reporting. They will be required to write proposals for our funding needs.

Professionals with experience of fund raising would be eligible. Those with no previous experience, but good sense of communication and marketing, and an openness to learn would also be welcome. Ideally, these professionals should be looking for a long term engagement with Vidya Bhawan.

Number of vacancies: 2

To apply or get more details write to suraj.jacob@gmail.com