Job Introduction
School Accompanist
Required for: September 2026
Location: Dean’s Yard, Westminster School
Contract: Part-time, Permanent Position (term time only)
Hours of work: The postholder is employed for 27 hours per week, term-time only. The nature of the work will require the postholder to work a number of these hours in the weekday evenings as well as during the daytime, and occasionally on Saturday mornings, as agreed in advance with the Director of Music.
Salary: £25,024.19 per annum (actual)
Benefits include:
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A generous School pension scheme
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Free access to the School’s leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours)
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Access to the School’s Cycle to Work Scheme and season ticket loans following completion of our standard probation period
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Private medical insurance (opt-in)
Free school meals are also available when working on-site.
The closing date for this role is 09:00 on Friday 3rd July 2026. Interviews will take place in person on Wednesday 8th July 2026.
We are looking to recruit a first-rate accompanist and an inspirational communicator with a willingness to be part of a friendly and supportive team. Outstanding keyboard skills and first-rate sight-reading skills are essential. You will be flexible in your approach, with the ability to work across a variety of musical styles, both with those pupils who are exceptionally talented and with those who are less advanced.
You will coordinate the provision of all piano accompaniment throughout the School. You will also provide some individual tuition.
You will be an outstanding musician and accompanist, a performer of the highest standard, and an inspirational communicator. Positive teamwork skills, outstanding keyboard skills and first-rate sight-reading skills are essential.
Responsibilities
Oversee all accompanying within the Department, organising the provision of piano accompaniment for*:
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House Concerts (nine per year)
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Soloist Concerts (three per year)
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Vocal Concerts (two to three per year)
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Music Society Recitals (weekly informal recitals on Thursday lunchtimes)
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Annual series of masterclasses (five to seven per year)
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Lunchtime recitals at external venues
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ABRSM or Trinity Laban examinations (presently three sessions per year)
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GCSE / A Level recitals, including the performance of all examination coursework
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Sufficient rehearsal opportunity for all of the above
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Meetings between the Director of Music and prospective music award holders
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Auditions for 13+/16+ Music Awards
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Academic Music interviews for 13+/16+ Music A Level entry
- This list is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be asked to take on additional accompaniment responsibilities as reasonably requested by the Director of Music
The candidate will also be responsible for:
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Encouraging pupil pianists to take on the role of accompanist as appropriate
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Overseeing the provision of solo performance opportunities for all Music Award holders
The School Accompanist will be expected to attend the Weekly Department Meeting, which takes place on Wednesday mornings.
Teaching
Provide a maximum of four-to-five hours per week of instrumental tuition.
Management of School Pianos
Ensure that school pianos are tuned and maintained to a consistently high level throughout the academic year and particularly before performances and examinations in liaison with the Head of Piano.
Provision for Music Award Holders (MAHs)
Oversee the contribution of MAHs to the annual calendar of performances, and to:
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Develop strong rapport as an accompanist, offering both musical and pastoral benefits
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Monitor progress of MAHs as soloists (many have external teachers)
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Ensure MAHs are getting through plenty of repertoire
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Identify those ready to perform a piece in public
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Encourage MAHs to sign up for performance opportunities
Hours of work
The postholder is employed for 27 hours per week, term-time only. The nature of the work will require the postholder to work a number of these hours in the weekday evenings as well as during the daytime, and occasionally on Saturday mornings, as agreed in advance with the Director of Music.
As a term-time only post, holidays are taken in the School’s main holidays.
This is a permanent role.
Salary
The salary for this role is £25,024.19 per annum (actual). This post is subject to a six-month probation period.
The Music Department
Music plays an integral part of life at Westminster, where pupils are encouraged to learn and participate as fully as possible in a weekly routine of rehearsals, recitals and concerts.
Many internationally renowned musicians have been educated at the school including Adrian Boult, Alexander Shelley, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Clemency Burton-Hill, Dido Armstrong, Gavin Rossdale, George Benjamin, Grace Chatto, Henry Purcell, Ian Bostridge, Julian Anderson, Michael Flanders and Donald Swann, Mika Penniman, and Roger Norrington.
Up to twelve Music Scholarships are awarded each year. Academic music standards are extremely high, with a good proportion of music students going on to read music at University or Music College.
The Manoukian Music Centre, an excellent facility opened in 2005, is fully equipped with Rehearsal /performance hall, recording studio, classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal rooms and instrument storage to the highest standards.
Concerts take place annually in St John’s Smith Square, Westminster Abbey and the Royal Festival Hall or the Barbican. The location of the school allows unrivalled opportunities to attend musical performances on the South Bank and West End.
Instrumental Music
There has long been a tradition of excellence in instrumental music at Westminster. Over 30 instrumental ensembles rehearse each week including orchestras, bands, three large string ensembles, numerous brass, wind and percussion ensembles and an extensive jazz programme.
Westminster musicians regularly attend the junior departments at the Royal Academy, Royal College and Guildhall, and a good number are members of national ensembles.
Choral Music
In recent times, the Choir of Westminster School has developed a national reputation for excellence as a Signum Records recording artist, giving annual concerts at the Barbican or the Royal Festival Hall and performing regularly at venues including Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The school’s Chamber Choir rehearses regularly throughout the week in preparation for twice-weekly services in Westminster Abbey, as well as regular evensongs in the School Chapel. There are additionally other choirs that rehearse weekly, and 190 parents sing in The Westminster Choral Society which meets throughout the Lent Term.
Staff
A team of 45 members of music staff provide opportunities for all pupils at Westminster. In addition to the full-time members of academic teaching staff, there are Heads of Brass, Keyboard, Popular Music and Jazz, Singing, Strings, Woodwind, and a School Organist. Departmental logistics are coordinated by a Music Department Manager, Music Secretary, Music Assistant, and the Sound and Events Technician.
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.
Working at Westminster
Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.
Our staff are 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.
