The Art of International Teaching: A Guide to Employment and Teaching Abroad

What is International Education and how is it different

When considering taking the plunge into International education there are a great many factors to consider. What is your main driver for teaching abroad? What are you looking for in a move away, start with the why as Sinek says. Are you looking to make a difference? Are you looking for financial gain? Are you looking for a more comfortable life, at the beach at weekends? All of these factors need to be considered as they will affect your selection and limit your choice of destination.

There are schools around the world where a great deal of money can be made, tax free, others, in more remote destinations, deemed as hardship posts where the package is excellent and with little to spend it on you can gain financial security in a few years. There are other destinations where the pay is very low but the lifestyle that accompanies it with low cost of living means your personal gain is immense whilst not your wallet.

 It is difficult to group these in terms of area, for instance in areas of China you can attract a very good package whilst in Thailand these vary incredibly. Schools also vary their packages frequently and most will not have a fixed pay scale, choosing a more fluid model to suit the applicants. This, of course, is not the case in all and certainly not in bigger groups of schools where the same package is offered to all employees. The main factor, regarding package is housing allowance. In overseas schools outside Europe and the US, this is very common and considering this takes a huge chunk of any pay cheque, is a big draw. European and US schools do not offer this as a rule and therefore the package is similar to that in the UK. In the rest of the World, the schools acknowledge your overseas choice to be away from your home country and provide either accommodation allowance or housing.

So what is different? A great deal is the answer. These schools are businesses at the core and the parents are customers. This must never be forgotten as your role as teacher, nurturer remains the same as in UK, but you are now a salesman, a customer relations officer. Everything you do inside and out of school must put the school in the best light. Quite often schools admissions teams will bring potential parents to your classroom doors to show off the school in its best light. This is not really the norm in the UK but it is standard overseas.

However, don’t think it stops there….You will be expected to engage with the parent, if you can do so without disrupting the lesson, show examples of work, explain what the children are doing. Talking to potential parents is hugely importance as converting an enquiry into a full time enrolment is what the business is all about for the admissions team. I never particularly had a problem with this as a teacher, I was immensely proud of my classes and the work the had produced but as a head I had strict instructions for admissions teams on disturbing the learning, even scheduling their route around the school for them so as not to impact on the children. This ‘selling’ aspect is foreign to many teachers making their first move overseas but it a necessary one, it pays the wages quite simply.

This also applies on branding and communication. All communication that goes from the school needs to be properly checked and branded, if it comes from the school, the school is responsible. Wherever possible the schools will try to get their name in the community so expect to be part of this. I have always been proud of the schools I am associated with so have no problem wearing a school scarf to do my shopping!

All communication with parents needs to be well considered, every word needs to be analysed, not in the sense of your meaning, but how it can be construed. You need to consider the cultural aspects involved in internationalism. For instance, silly behaviour is a term frequently used in UK for young children, this is a quite acceptable way of describing thoughtless, excitable behaviour in young children. This is not the case in French where silly can be translated to Idiote- idiotic, stupid or imbecile. You can see how a simple turn of phrase can be easily misconstrued. All communication needs to be thought through for dissection later.

International schools are part of a community and comments from teachers can be discussed in social groups, often parents do this to ensure they have the correct translation or to gain another’s opinion. There is, in the modern society, a need for communities to have chat groups on social media. These are the plague of a head teacher. Never has a frenzy been so quickly whipped up than in a whats app group! Teachers marking or homework provision can become the topic for discussion among the community. Parents feel the strength of the collective and you will be surprised by what the ‘power of the group’ feels this can achieve.

Most recently, during school closures for the Covid19 virus, one group of parents gathered enough momentum in their class whats app group that they demanded the school open their class for their children, if not, they would all leave the school. Now this is an extreme example and an extreme group of parents, (besides if all schools were closed, where did they think they would take their children?) but the point is that parental communication and interaction is pivotal. Being as transparent with them all the way, allowing them in so nothing is hidden will result in a positive attitude and communication in the groups.

Be personable and friendly, don’t keep them at arms length which seems to be the advice in the UK.  This is an extreme example not unrealistic. International schools are at the centre of the community for foreign workers. It brings them together and forges new friendships. Whilst this is what brings them together, it also becomes the topic of many of their conversations. This spotlight does not only focus on school life, in many International schools, the close knit community also overlaps with your personal life. You have a very close work life balance and can find it very difficult to segment the two.

The standards of the educational provision is high among the better schools. Curriculum design is a collective effort, resourcing is progressive and at the fore-front of educational thinking. Communication is excellent with parents and engagement with students is outstanding. Whilst the core of the education remains the same, International schools offer a similar or tailored version of the same curriculum offered at home in schools. This allows creativity and flexibility. Staff are encouraged to be curriculum innovators, to adapt the content they deliver to make it more personalised to their learners and the country they reside in. It is pointless teaching children about the rivers and mountains of UK when many countries have their own impressive rivers and landmarks and unique geography.

This empowerment, encouragement to be creative and imaginative in the material they deliver, staff have more freedom. Curriculum design becomes school centric and designed for the learners and school population. Teachers see this as invigorating, not having a curriculum fed to them to deliver and content to cover ‘in case it appears in SATs’. That is not to say the coverage differs much, in all the schools I have worked in our students have taken SATs and external assessments and always succeeded, the cohorts achieving higher than their peers in the UK The standards expected are the same or higher, the aspirational targets exceed those you would be used to teaching in the UK, the way it is achieved it what differs.

Of the top 50 IB schools in the world, 28 are International schools, 2 of the 9 schools to average over 40 points are International schools. Most schools will average around the 35 point mark, higher than the UK average of 30 points. As far as IGCSEs are concerned, most schools boast over 50% of all IGCSEs being A* or A grade in comparison to 20% in the UK, Such high standards are commonplace and with this standard set by the schools you can see what attracts parents to this and why they are so supportive in ensuring their children reach such levels.

As the school days are usually longer, the contact time with children is greater, meaning more can be covered each week. Far more coverage is possible in subject areas in Primary and secondary with the hours available. This also means the flexibility to add in subject areas that you may previously not seen before or had experience teaching. Greater tutorial time and mentoring session in Secondary, wellbeing lessons for all the school and more enquiry based learning in primary are just some examples where the extra time is used.

After school activities are a given, all schools offer a huge range of sports and activities, helping the children to explore new activities and experiences, extend their understanding and reach mastery in certain areas such as music. Schools will analyse your CV for sports played and coached, musical interests and dramatical involvement. All schools will want staff to engage in after school activities to increase provision and broaden their options. Fear not, if you are struggling to have an automatic choice, schools will often have a pre set list of activities that need covering. Sports will always run so staff need to sign up for these, however, if chess is your thing you can create a new option and run this, selecting the appropriate age groups to attend. The after schools activities in most schools is diverse and leads to great provision for the children and excellent competitive sport being played among the schools circuit.

The curriculum is also, on the whole, more rich and broad. Languages are always taught from a young age, depending on the country the school is in. In some countries this is law and so all children will attend classes of the native language. In others it is choice and some children will be learning Mandarin for example, others will begin Spanish. This leads to a huge level of proficiency in the school and adds to the linguistically diverse setting. It continually amazes me to see children from completely different countries conversing in a language native to neither, their only commonality it the countries they have lived or are living in and the education they have had.

The use of specialist teachers from a young age allows specialist teaching of Music, P.E, and languages. In many schools music is a big selling point. Because of the added curriculum time children can spend lessons composing and learning the structure of music in one lesson a week, whilst spending the other learning an instrument. This again leads to a greater level of proficiency and schools boast orchestras and bands where children have literally picked up an instrument on entry to the school and are now very proficient and performance standard.

P.E is also a huge element of international schools. It is one of their many means of pegging themselves against each other. In my early career in Kenya, we had a sports afternoon twice a week where all children were on the fields, training together in squads of all abilities. They focussed on seasonal sports and worked as a group all term long, building on team dynamics. This not only helped them compete with other teams, but also taught the children a great deal about teamwork, working collectively and sportsmanship. In other regions new sports are played in line with the US curriculum in order to compete, new sports to learn and new teams forged. The coaching is excellent but can only take the children so far in curriculum time, this is where enthusiastic teaching staff come in to develop and fine tune their skills, adding to the expertise of the sports staff.

Swimming is also a big thing internationally. Most schools will have a pool and swim squads well established. Squads train in the mornings before school as well as after, they compete regionally and are dedicated. This is very different to my schooling where we were lucky to traipse to the local high school and chase after bricks on the bottom of the pool. This specialist teaching also allows class teachers time to plan and prepare lessons with more enthusiasm and create learning environments that inspire young learners. There is much more non-contact time in international schools, timetables working towards a 75% contact ratio allowing far more time in the classroom to make your provision the best it can be.

The biggest difference in standards in International schools and schools in the UK is the children. Children overseas are true global citizens, more than often third culture kids. They have a passion for learning, are excited by school. They value education and the opportunities it provides. Their parents are aspirational and global in their outlook. The parents are predominantly supportive of the school and work with their children to complete home learning and reading. They get involved with all aspects of the school and create a collaborative approach to learning for their child. This support is invaluable and ensures that opportunities are explored, initiatives taken up and all teacher led improvement strategies are followed through at home. The children are proud of their school so no matter what age will be sure to say hello if they see you out on the street (see note on representing the school at all times) so it is worth considering this when considering, for example, going on a celebratory evening where a few drinks may be had.

In combination, the attitudes to learning of the children and the parents allow teachers to take children further in their learning. It allows teachers to focus on individuals and create personalised interventions to ensure children reach their potential. When combined that International class sizes are usually between 20-24 you can imagine the impact it has on a cohort of children.

The benefits of International teaching are numerous. Professionally it is hugely rewarding. You will receive a huge amount of positive feedback, parents are happy, and they tell you. You get to see children come in with very little language skills and leave proficient. Watching a child make great progress is what we came into this job for.

By working in a competitive market your schools will be well resourced, forward thinking and developmental. The technological resources will be good, where an innovation in teaching delivery has been made, schools scramble to have this before their competitors. Take advantage of this, be experimental, try out new things, be bold and creative, this is what international schools encourage. Schools are reflective and constantly reviewing what works and what doesn’t for the parental body. This means the educational provision is constantly shifting making it hugely satisfying and challenging. The approaches to learning are wholly child centric, there is no pressure to reach levels, to make decisions in the interest of the outcome and not the child.

The children will be eager, diligent learners. The children have a different appreciation of education, they have been nurtured to respect and be grateful for education. They know they are in privileged positions and how they are lucky to be able to attend a school overseas. There are, in general, very little behaviour problems in international schools. The schools have strict behaviour policies and adhere to them closely. By being in a multicultural environment the children are more respectful and tolerant of differences. The children are also knowledgeable of other nations, their celebrations and cultures. My own children constantly enlightened my when it was a friends ‘special time’ during Diwali or demonstrated great empathy for friends fasting. As international students they will be truly multicultural and linguistically bilingual, possibly even trilingual.

The parents will be fully supportive of the school, after all they have bought into the school vision and ethos, they had a choice in a competitive market and chose the school for a reason. They will need plenty of attention, communication and reassurance but their interests lay with the school and supporting you in providing the best educational experience for their child. Having on board parents makes life so much more rewarding in teaching and creates a really thorough dynamic where all three parties, the child, the teacher and the parents share the same goal.

Your learning environment will be modern, forward thinking and packed with resources to support the learning. The school facilities in International schools are always of a high standard. They will have theatres, music rooms, gyms and swimming pools. Some schools welcome parents by having coffee shops in the entrances for the parents to mingle and congregate. Trailing spouses often involve themselves in the school community, either in the classroom or in the school in any way they can. I have had app developers working on a parent association app, a 3D printing expert running printing classes, doctors and dentists speaking with the children, volunteer librarians, reading parents, carpenters working on design projects, chemists setting challenges, recruitment experts helping to organise career fairs. The more the parents can do to improve the school, they will, they are heavily invested and want the school to thrive.

Professional learning overseas begins in school. Teachers are encouraged to try new strategies, to be creative and imaginative, to be a reflective practitioner. Working parties and professional learning communities are common place. Traditional models of performance management have been replaced by developmental lesson observations, constantly looking for growth opportunities rather than critique your practice. Professional learning exists in regions and leadership programmes are available more freely through regional groups such as COBIS and FOBISEA. Your working hours are more effectively used as you have PPA time from the children having specialist lessons. Your work life balance is better meaning you can give more time in school to activities for the children and professional learning for yourself.

Then of course there is the travel aspect, why be overseas just to stay in the city you reside in. Travel is part and parcel of living abroad and the opportunities are endless and encouraged. Teachers return from breaks and share their experiences with the children, the children sharing the amazing places they have visited. Travel is a major draw for some and if this is your driver selecting a country where this is more accessible needs to be a priority. Some countries have an immense amount to see and do in themselves, I lived for 5 years in China and only saw half of what I wanted to! In some Asian countries air travel is very cheap, as is UK and Europe and this opens the doors to fantastic opportunities. Africa has unlimited safari and beautiful beaches, America is huge and hosts endless destinations, rail travel in Europe is cheap and amazing, a beautiful way to see the continent. All of these adventures are possible on a teachers wage and you will see colleagues embarking on trips every school break.

International schools do have one very common feature on the whole for both the student and teaching body, its transient nature. Due to the demographic of the parent body, the diverse occupations they have, the contractual basis of their employment, parents often come and go from schools. There are usually a large percentage that reside in the country and will see schooling through in the school but for the majority, the school will be one of many on their educational journey, hence the importance of the transferability of the curriculum.

Whilst this doesn’t seem much, economic changes can result in devastation in schools. An economic downturn in China in 2009 resulted in a projected large number of foreign workers not moving to China. This had no impact on existing schools but on the projections, schools had arisen to cater for these incoming families. A huge school, opened for 1500 children but upon opening it had only 60 children and was forced to close a year or so later. When large manufacturers pull out of a country, taking its workforce, this can decimate a school, 50 families can result in 100 children leaving the school, a large percentage of your population. Children of these foreign workers, diplomatic staff etc are used to change, to adapting to new environments and the teaching staff have to adapt to this change. Very rarely will a teacher end the year with the same cohort of children they began with. In some countries the student turnover can be low. This could be due to a number of factors but mainly the parents residence and contractual status if they are overseas employees. In other areas of the world a 25% turnover is normal, a quarter of the school leaves and is replaced in a single year.

This leads to the classrooms being very transient places in themselves and the children becoming used to change. My own son constantly complained about his best friend leaving every year, the bright side of this was that he made a new best friend every year demonstrating adaptability, open friendship and a tolerant attitude. The children are far more malleable and socially aware, they are more empathetic to the needs of others as they have all moved on and been in new schools. The atmosphere in classes is an embracing one, all children excited about the possibility of a new member of the class. This also makes the children forge friendships with a great number of peers, not a small clique. The classrooms become communities in themselves and the playgrounds are inclusive.

The final, and most pivotal for teachers considering a move, is the staff body is highly transient. Staff turnover is high in International schools due to the ability to move on at the end of contracts. In the UK, in my first teaching post, I entered a classroom for the first time, taking over from a teacher who had sadly passed away. The rest of the staff had all taught in the same school for the past 20 years.

This is incredibly rare in International schools where staff come and go all the time for a variety of reasons. International teaching allows you to experience a new culture and life but some destinations have a lifespan. Teachers are as dedicated to the school and the children but after spending a good few years in one country, the appeal of a different culture and way of living can come calling. Many teachers, once on the international circuit move every few years to pastures new. This is very normal and indeed is valued, the experience they have working in different settings and cultural environments.

Upon signing a contract it feels as though your whole life is ahead of you in this new country, you feel this will be home for a long time. In reality it is a blink of an eye before contract renewal meetings take place, usually happening just after the completion of your first year. At this point you can re-sign for a further year or two or decide to move on. Professionally it is not advisable to jump schools every two years as it looks as though you fail to settle but if you have valid reasons for these it is acceptable. So you can see that in a very short time you can have lived in numerous countries and experienced different lifestyles over the world.

This transience can be beneficial for the schools and the teachers but also provides a fragility in schools, after all the teachers are the cogs of the engine that keep it running smoothly. Parents are constantly asking about staff intentions for next year, teachers are also interested and always on the lookout for a better option, as is nature. Schools have to be adaptable to this and form teams with the current staff, plans for the future are not made staff specific beyond their current contracts, recruitment has to be excellent in order to maintain high levels set by staff. This may feel less secure than positions in the UK, that it isn’t the case. Schools want staff to stay on, to offer continuity and retain the best practitioners but it is the nature of international education that staff move on. In some regions this isn’t so, when my wife, for instance, worked in Hong Kong, her school had numerous staff who had been at the school for 10+ years. It is very country specific but having gone back to some schools I have worked at a number of years ago, none of the full time teaching staff remain and only a few of the teaching assistants are still there.

Perhaps the biggest draw for international education is the empowerment. As professionals you are trusted. You were given the position because you were deemed of a high enough quality to educate the children of the school. Staff are seen as the biggest asset of the school, the providers of the quality the parents have enrolled for. Staff are integral to the school in every sense, if the school has good staff, the resources, the facilities and all other aspects pale into insignificance. Staff are involved in much more of the school development, have a greater voice and engaged and informed during all change processes. Teachers are continually looking to innovate, to get involved and have a voice in change. This is actively encouraged in most schools and projects taken on by staff have a massive impact on the running of the school. Because of the nature of the job staff become far more collegiate in schools, they become each others surrogate families. Staff socialise together out of school, play sports together and form excellent relationships both inside and outside of school. This cohesion further strengthens the family feel to the school and helps staff new to the school settle, after all, they were all there once.

Whatever you have established as your main driver for the move, this then needs to channel your search for schools. Obviously if you have family connections or ties to one country or region you have already slimmed this down. If not, the world, quite literally, is your oyster.