The Ministry of Education and Training in the Cayman Islands invites candidates to join our team as a occupational therapist.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Education Services (DES) is the operational arm of the Ministry of Education relating to the provision of compulsory education. It is responsible for supporting school improvement and raising standards through the implementation of ministerial policy, the development and implementation of operational level policies and the provision of a range of centralized services to support the effective management and day to day operation of schools.
DES is under the leadership of a Director (DES). The work of schools is overseen and supported by a Deputy Director (Teaching & Learning), Deputy Director (Operations) and a School Improvement Team which includes SSIOs, Teaching & Learning Unit, Data & Testing Unit, Business Services Unit, Facilities Unit, Child Protection Unit, Head of Professional Development, Customer Service Unit and HR Services, from within DES. Education is mandatory from age 5 to 17 years, which culminates in the sitting of external examinations, and a further year (Year 12) at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC), as a bridge to further education or the world of work.
The DES provides services to approximately 2,800 Secondary and 2,700 Primary students through one Further Education Centre, three High Schools, ten Primary Schools, and a Special School; in addition to an Education Service provision on Little Cayman. The Department of Education Services employees over 950 staff in these schools and several specialist support areas.
Senior School Improvement Officers (SSIO) form the link between the DES and the individual School Principals who are responsible for the management of a school and teaching and learning outputs delivered by the school.
The post works under the immediate supervision of the Allied Health Team Leader who reports to the SSIO (SEN). The post holder works as a member of a multi-disciplinary team delivering specialized services within the education system.
The emphasis of this role is to provide therapy to students and to assist teachers/care-givers/other support persons and parents in carrying out programmes to improve the child’s performance to the best of their abilities based on their special educational needs.
DIMENSIONS
Throughout the academic year occupation therapist services will be provided to approximately 5% of the school population. Individual Occupational Therapists will;
* provide approximately 30 - 40 assessments to identified students annually within compulsory school age or for preschool students
* write 30 - 40 assessment reports annually
* attend 75 – 85 specialist consultation meetings annually
* provide ongoing professional support and advice to Principals, Special Education Needs Co-coordinators [SENCOs], class-based Teachers and parents
* make 3-5 school visits per week to provide interventions
* deliver system wide professional development [PD] on 3-5 identified PD days and on-going ad-hoc training for designated schools
KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:
Required;
§ Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy or Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy (at the level required in the jurisdiction for licensure)
§ Professional Registration and certification to work as an Occupational Therapist.
§ A minimum of three years post registration experience as an OT working in a school or hospital setting with children requiring physical/occupational therapy.
§ Experience with students with a wide variety of disabilities is necessary as the job involves working with students with medical, neurological, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral and/or learning problems.
§ The post holder must be able to articulate clearly and communicate both orally and in written form to parents, educators and other professionals
§ The post holder should have administrative skills that enable him/her to perform duties in developing a budget to complete annual equipment orders, providing or attending training and workshops
§ The post holder must have competent with a range of IT applications including Microsoft Office and preferably relevant reporting software
§ The post holder should be confident working independently and as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
§ The post holder should have experience managing a large caseload and prioritizing initial consultations and therapy
Preferred;
§ Certification in Neurodevelopment (NDT) treatment or Sensory Integration (SI).
§ Substantial experience using the NDT or SI Treatment approaches.
§ Familiarity in monitoring the fitting and maintenance of wheelchair equipment, other ambulatory aids, and orthoses
* Familiarity with basic hand splints
* The post-holder must be able to travel between schools so a valid driver’s license would be an advantage
Applications can be submitted through the online jobs portal, visit
Application deadline: January 18, 2026