Tessa International School

Tessa International School is a day school in Hoboken, New Jersey, serving preschool through elementary students in an intentionally small community of fewer than 100 children. The school's defining feature is its multilingual approach: students become fully bilingual in Spanish, French, or Mandarin Chinese alongside English, with language immersion woven through daily instruction rather than isolated to single periods.

What makes teaching here distinctive is the pedagogical integration of language and culture. Children don't simply learn vocabulary in another language; they develop adaptability across cultures as a core outcome. Faculty design curriculum that treats language acquisition as inseparable from understanding the wider world, meaning teachers collaborate across grade levels to reinforce linguistic and cultural learning simultaneously. This requires educators comfortable with flexibility and cross-subject planning.

The small size shapes the work environment profoundly. With enrollment under 100, the school operates as a tight community where each educator knows every child and family. This allows for personalized attention to both academic progress and social-emotional development—two pillars treated as equally important. Teachers have real influence over how curriculum evolves and how school culture develops year to year. Unlike larger independent schools, there are no silos between departments or grade spans.

Tessa hires across preschool and elementary roles, including classroom teachers, language specialists, and support staff. The school seeks educators who are genuinely interested in multilingual instruction and who view cultural awareness as foundational to learning, not supplementary. Day school positions mean no residential component, making this appealing for candidates seeking work-life boundaries while staying in the New York area.

For teachers drawn to small independent schools and committed to language-immersion education in New Jersey, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape early childhood and primary instruction in a multilingual setting.