Jobs

Wheel Throwing Tutor / Trainee Pottery Tutor and Technician

We’re looking to fill 2 pottery tutor positions. A trainee pottery tutor with technician duties and a ready to go wheel throwing tutor. This position can be wheel throwing only, but also has the option for teaching hand-building in future as well. The job may include some technician duties to be discussed at interview.

Part-time: 1-3 weekday evenings and 2-4 weekend days per month.

Start date to be discussed, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the positions closed when filled.

Running for over 26 years, Seven Limes pottery is Manchester’s first community pottery studio open to the general public. We deliver training in traditional pottery making skills. We’re looking for an experienced pottery tutor who wants to be part of a thriving pottery studio; someone who can commit to our student’s development in learning for both casual and serious learners; who can contribute to the overall success of the studio as a business; and someone who is able to encourage a supportive and positive working environment. The individual must be proactive, reliable, responsible, amicable, enthusiastic, helpful with tasks around the studio, and willing to adapt their teaching to Seven Limes Pottery’s teaching style.

Teaching Duties

  • Teaching evening and/or daytime taster classes and courses as well as weekend workshops plus associated studio management.
    • Ensuring equipment and materials are ready for each class.
    • Ensuring the workshop remains clean, tidy and organised after all sessions.
    • Lesson planning, evaluating courses, and developing and implementing improvements to them with the director.
  • Trainee position will involve a combination of support teaching and solo teaching with training provided to upskill in the role.

Technician responsibilities

Loading/unloading kilns, preparing clay/reclaiming clay, organising student work, mixing up slips, mixing up glazes, mould making, studio maintenance, managing member cleaning, stock taking, and cleaning among other duties.

Essential attributes

  • Must be able to throw and turn on the wheel confidently and proficiently (to be demonstrated at interview).
  • Excellent hand-building skills including but not limited to throwing, turning, coiling, pinching, slabbing, decoration and glazing.
  • Good communication skills, particularly verbal interpersonal skills
  • Ability to learn new skills and methods and to improve on current skill base.
  • A good understanding of COSHH and the tasks required to maintain good health and safety in a ceramics studio environment.
  • Must be able to deal with the physical nature of lifting clay regularly (12.5kg) and moving heavy objects (35kg) regularly kneading clay in preparation for classes.
  • A consistent ability to be a positive ambassador that promotes the studio.

Desirable attributes

  • Experience of managing, motivating and inspiring students and their creativity (essential for non trainee position).
  • Previous experience teaching wheel throwing (minimum 1 year essential for non trainee position).
  • A track record of producing wheel thrown pottery (essential for non trainee position).
  • Teaching qualification or equivalent experience, with a good understanding of teaching approaches and learning methods.
  • Degree in ceramics or equivalent experience from a reputable pottery or University course.
  • Mould making
  • Specialist techniques within ceramics such as Raku, pit firing, glaze making, ash glazes, wild clay or other.

The position would work well for someone alongside their own professional ceramics practice. There is the possibility to implement more working hours up to full-time.

Trainee Pottery Tutor and Technician: £28,000-£32,000 pro rata incl 5 weeks holiday.

Wheel Throwing Tutor/ Pottery Tutor: £33,600- £48,000 pro rata incl 5 weeks holiday.

Freelance is preferred, but we will also consider applicants who will require an employment contract. We welcome applications from previous applicants as well as new.

Apply

If you don’t meet all the attributes do still apply, as training can be provided. Please send a covering email and CV along with and a link to portfolio (website/social media/google drive folder; there must be at least 4 images of your own work and if you have images of student work that’s useful too) to:

jobs@7limes.co.uk

A demonstration during a Manchester pottery class