Working at Athenian

As a member of our community, you can eat up to three healthy meals a day with our boarding community in the dining hall, use the athletics facilities (including a pool, gym, and fitness center), participate in yoga classes and fitness bootcamps, and enjoy social events with colleagues.

Our benefits and compensation include fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, retirement, life and disability insurance, and Flex Spending for medical and dependent care. 

Life Insurance / Long Term Disability Insurance

All eligible employees are currently covered for life insurance at a benefit one times annual salary or $125,000.

Long term disability insurance is available to all eligible employees who work at least half time (20 hours per week). This plan pays for covered disabilities on the 91st day of disability with plan reimbursement equal to 60% of covered salary to a maximum monthly benefit of $10,000. 

All eligible employees are eligible to participate in Athenian School’s retirement plan after one month upon employment at the school. After two years of equivalent experience in field, the school will contribute 2% of the employee’s salary toward the plan. This percentage contribution will increase by 1% annually up to a 6% contribution after six years of equivalent experience in field, subject to any legal limits on 403(b) contributions. The percentage of employee’s contribution is determined by the employee. 

Faculty: Faculty are present on campus for opening meetings and classroom preparation ahead of the start of the school year. During the school year, faculty generally follow the student calendar for time off, including long weekends and winter and spring breaks. Summer break for faculty begins one week after the last day of classes. 

Staff & Administrators: Staff and administrative employees accrue vacation time in line with active service. Vacation benefits increase with level of experience and length of service. 

All employees at Athenian will observe 24 paid school holidays, including a floating holiday.

All Athenian employees participate in school-wide professional development and have the opportunity to pursue a range of additional professional growth opportunities. In the past, employees have attended seminars and courses, and have represented Athenian at conferences as participants and presenters. Employees also have access to funding to support continued education and innovation in their field.

Athenian employees' whose children attend The Athenian School are eligible for up to 50% tuition remission. Athenian employees are able to apply for financial aid. Additional discounts are available for Athenian employees teaching during the summer.

(Excerpt from the 2025-2026 Employee Handbook) 

CA Law AB500 requires schools to share their student/employee interaction policy in their employee handbooks, on their school websites, and in writing to all parents at the beginning of the school year.  

Employee/Student Boundaries As School employees, we are entrusted to educate students, provide a supportive learning environment,promote student growth and success, and model the values of the School at all times. While employees are encouraged to develop positive, friendly, and supportive relationships with students, there is an innate power imbalance in the relationship between an employee and student, which must not be abused. School employees are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students at all times, whether on or away from campus. For purposes of this Policy, the term “employee” also includes volunteers. In maintaining professional boundaries, employees must consider how their actions and words may be perceived by others, and

must take care to avoid intimidation, abuse of authority, excessive attention, and any other conduct that is not an appropriate employee/student interaction or could be perceived as such.

Below are rules employees must follow regarding maintaining appropriate boundaries with students. These rules are not an exhaustive list, but rather a general framework for describing inappropriate and appropriate employee/student interactions. The School may discipline employees for any conduct that the School determines is not in keeping with the School’s expectations for appropriate employee/student interactions.

General Requirements

● Any interaction with a student must be something that would be appropriate for an employee to say or do in front of that student’s parents/guardians, the Head of School, and the employee’s supervisor.

● Employees must avoid creating excessive emotional attachments beyond a healthy employee/student relationship and must not lean on students for emotional support.

● Employees must not involve students in personal matters or workplace conflicts, including by soliciting student support or advocacy. Students should not be placed in situations that distract from instruction, create discomfort, put them in an inappropriate role, or require them to take sides in adult issues.

● Employees must use sound judgment as to how much information they share with students about their own personal and professional lives and must, in turn, refrain from asking students about overly

personal information. For example, employees must not share any information about romantic or sexual experiences, personal problems, or other types of private or sensitive information that is inappropriate to share.

● Employees must consult their supervisor promptly if a student is or seems to be pushing the employee’s or another employee’s personal boundaries, or attempting to establish an inappropriate relationship.

We expect any member of our community, and require all employees, to report a concern about a potential violation of the above to the Head of School or another member of the School’s Leadership Team. The School has the right to investigate adult compliance with this code of conduct even if no report has been made.

(Excerpt from the 2025-2026 Employee Handbook) 

CA Law AB500 requires schools to share their student/employee interaction policy in their employee handbooks, on their school websites, and in writing to all parents at the beginning of the school year.  

Employee/Student Boundaries As School employees, we are entrusted to educate students, provide a supportive learning environment,promote student growth and success, and model the values of the School at all times. While employees are encouraged to develop positive, friendly, and supportive relationships with students, there is an innate power imbalance in the relationship between an employee and student, which must not be abused. School employees are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with students at all times, whether on or away from campus. For purposes of this Policy, the term “employee” also includes volunteers. In maintaining professional boundaries, employees must consider how their actions and words may be perceived by others, and

must take care to avoid intimidation, abuse of authority, excessive attention, and any other conduct that is not an appropriate employee/student interaction or could be perceived as such.

Below are rules employees must follow regarding maintaining appropriate boundaries with students. These rules are not an exhaustive list, but rather a general framework for describing inappropriate and appropriate employee/student interactions. The School may discipline employees for any conduct that the School determines is not in keeping with the School’s expectations for appropriate employee/student interactions.

General Requirements

● Any interaction with a student must be something that would be appropriate for an employee to say or do in front of that student’s parents/guardians, the Head of School, and the employee’s supervisor.

● Employees must avoid creating excessive emotional attachments beyond a healthy employee/student relationship and must not lean on students for emotional support.

● Employees must not involve students in personal matters or workplace conflicts, including by soliciting student support or advocacy. Students should not be placed in situations that distract from instruction, create discomfort, put them in an inappropriate role, or require them to take sides in adult issues.

● Employees must use sound judgment as to how much information they share with students about their own personal and professional lives and must, in turn, refrain from asking students about overly

personal information. For example, employees must not share any information about romantic or sexual experiences, personal problems, or other types of private or sensitive information that is inappropriate to share.

● Employees must consult their supervisor promptly if a student is or seems to be pushing the employee’s or another employee’s personal boundaries, or attempting to establish an inappropriate relationship.

We expect any member of our community, and require all employees, to report a concern about a potential violation of the above to the Head of School or another member of the School’s Leadership Team. The School has the right to investigate adult compliance with this code of conduct even if no report has been made.