GESS welcomes Stephan Spieker, our new Director of Middle School, German Section, in AY2025/26. We find out more about him and what he is looking forward to contributing in GESS.
Tell us about yourself, your academic and career background.
Thank you very much for inviting me to this interview. It is a great pleasure for me to start working at GESS this school year.
After completing my teacher training in German and history, and obtaining an additional qualification in individual support in Germany, I taught at a secondary school in North Rhine-Westphalia for several years. Early on, I became enthusiastic not only about teaching itself, but also about school development. For example, I was actively involved in a steering group that helped shape the school’s strategic and educational development.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to work internationally. For the past eight years, I worked at the German School Shanghai, first as coordinator for the middle school and most recently as deputy headmaster. During this time, I not only gained valuable experience in an international school context, but also deepened my skills in managing and developing school structures.
I am convinced that schools today must be places where holistic learning, individual support, and respectful coexistence are central — and that is precisely what I am committed to.
What made you take on this role at GESS?
My first contact with GESS dates back several years: as part of the cooperation between German schools abroad in the Asian region, I had the opportunity to know GESS personally in 2018. I was already impressed by the atmosphere in the school — characterised by a high degree of professionalism, a genuine international spirit, and great openness to diversity.
Since then, I have maintained contact with the school, and when the opportunity arose to take on a management role in middle school, I didn’t hesitate for long. I find GESS’ clear value-oriented approach particularly appealing — openness, mutual respect, and a focus on individualisation and diversity are principles that I personally feel connected to.
I am also excited about actively contributing to the further development of such a vibrant and forward-looking school like GESS, and working with a dedicated team to create a place of learning where students can develop to their full potential.
The new school year has just started. How is your initial impression of GESS? What do you feel about the support you have been getting so far to get you settled in at GESS?
My start at GESS has been going really well so far. I already had a very positive impression from my previous visits, but this was surpassed in my first few days. I would like to thank the entire team for their open and friendly welcome and also for their great support. Everyone is so helpful and friendly, which makes starting in a new place much easier. Of course, I am also looking forward to getting to know our students, their families and other members of the GESS community as soon as possible.
What have you been primarily busy with since the school year started? What is your vision for German Section Middle School, and could you share with our readers your areas of focus or planned initiatives?
There is always a lot to prepare and plan for a school year, especially at a school like this with such a wide and varied range of activities on offer. Even if I have been involved in school management for a while, it is still a big step to start at a new school. I am glad that the team has been so supportive and involved me in many processes from the end of last school year. Thank you very much for that!
My idea of school is that everyone can feel part of a lively, open and supportive community. In addition, my focus will be on our students, who should find a holistic place of learning and living that prepares them for life after graduation in the best possible way and with high quality. A school should help them develop into exemplary personalities. For many, the middle school years are associated with major developmental steps – here, I would like to work with my teaching staff to create conditions that optimally support this development. There are already many concepts in place at GESS, and I would like to commit myself to successfully developing these further for the future.
What are some challenges you foresee in this role, and how would you overcome them?
Of course, every new position brings challenges with it – that’s perfectly normal and part of a vibrant school environment. However, I have found myself working with an extremely dedicated and multi-professional team that collaborates with great commitment and many good ideas from different perspectives. I really like the collegial and constructive exchange so far, and I am confident that I can face future challenges here with good communication and teamwork.
Finally, what do you like to do in your personal time?
When the opportunity arises, I love to travel – discovering new places and meeting different people are exciting and broaden my horizons.
I also enjoy being active: padel and other racket sports, as well as swimming, are among my favourite activities.
Stephan & partner
