Course Leader — Advanced Painting
A place where painters teach painters
| Location | ESOP Studios, Wood Green, London N22 |
| Fee | £18,000–£20,000 per annum, depending on experience (a part-time, 30-week academic-year appointment) |
| Pattern | September–June; two teaching days per week plus a half-day for preparation and administration |
| Basis | Academic-year appointment, renewable, with a probationary first term |
| Closing date | Friday 21 August 2026 |
The Essential School of Painting is one of London’s leading independent art schools dedicated exclusively to painting. For over twenty years we have offered an alternative model of art education — an atelier-scale environment founded on sustained studio practice, intensive individual tuition and the belief that painters develop through rigorous making, critical conversation and the confidence to discover their own artistic language. At its heart is our two-year Advanced Painting Course, an intensive postgraduate programme in which every painter has their own dedicated studio.
We are seeking an outstanding practising painter and educator to lead the Advanced Painting Course. Working closely with the Artistic Director, the Course Leader shapes the intellectual and creative life of the programme: leading individual tutorials, coordinating a team of visiting tutors, programming a lively public programme of visiting artists, delivering seminars and workshops, and overseeing the School’s interim and graduate exhibitions. It is a rare opportunity to lead a studio-based postgraduate painting programme while sustaining your own practice.
We are looking for someone who is
- an established painter with a significant exhibiting record, including solo and group exhibitions;
- an experienced and generous teacher, able to mentor across a wide range of painting practices without imposing their own;
- deeply engaged with contemporary painting, and equally committed to material practice and critical enquiry;
- warm, collegiate and attentive to the individual development of every student;
- well-organised, and comfortable representing the School publicly.
To apply
Please complete the application form click apply now. You will be asked for a CV including your exhibition history; a link to your website, portfolio or images of recent work; a short statement (up to 500 words) on your approach to teaching and mentoring painters and your interest in ESOP; and the names of two referees. Closing date: Friday 21 August 2026.
The Essential School of Painting is committed to an inclusive and supportive studio culture and warmly welcomes applications from painters of all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments are available at every stage of the process.
Animus ad Creandum — The Courage to Create
