What’s the point of teaching abroad? Are those who go overseas and work at international schools looking for adventure, escaping their reality, gaining personal strength or perhaps interested in becoming a global educator? Everyone has an opinion about those teachers who pack up and head abroad to work, and perhaps you do too. Perhaps you’re a teacher in the UK who’s currently dissatisfied in their role but unsure about whether an international school could offer you better opportunities?
Well, at Shelter Offshore we always believe that it’s only those who’ve ‘been there, done that’ who can really comment and give an honest opinion – and when it comes to talking about what teaching abroad can really teach you, it’s important that only experts comment.
So, in this report we’ve enlisted the help of the educational recruitment specialists Teachers International Consultancy, and we’ve been able to interview two of their teachers who speak from their experience of moving to live, work and teach overseas. They share with you what their international assignments meant for them – and how, if you want to get ahead in education, going abroad can be a massive step up!
“I’ve taught in Amsterdam, Borneo, Jakarta, Brunei and Qatar,” says Mary Van Der Heijden who is now Vice Principal of United World College in South East Asia. “I think many British teachers don’t realise the serious educational opportunities that are available to them around the world now. I’ve maintained connections everywhere I’ve been. I’ve left every country with at least one very strong friendship and many good colleagues, all who have remained in touch. That friendship and camaraderie grows with you over the years and can be incredibly powerful in work and social situations. It’s opened up doors and new opportunities that I could never have imagined. For my two daughters, they have been opened up to the world. They can talk to anyone, at any level and both have friends from all corners of the globe.
“I’m constantly using my past connections and am frequently linking back up with old colleagues around the globe for professional as well as social reasons. I also find it hugely valuable to refer to past experiences and the very different school environments I have worked in when making decisions and recommendations relating to the curriculum and teaching methods; looking at similarities and differences and what works in some environments but not in others is hugely valuable. Those incredible experiences never go away. The links keep growing and getting stronger. They’ve opened my mind and my world like I could never have imagined when I first trained as a teacher.”
As for Dominic Crompton, it never occurred to him to teach internationally, it was his wife Sarah who wanted to go abroad and teach. “Sarah wanted to go and I tagged along! She knew what she wanted far more than I did. I thought it was VSO or nothing.
“We got teaching jobs in the Colegio Anglo Colombiano School in Bogota, Colombia.
Once we were there we realised just how important the right attitude was. We were amongst a lot of young teachers from many countries including Australia and New Zealand, but they all had a great approach to teaching, really positive attitudes and open minds. Working with these teachers was an incredible lesson for us both. It’s very easy as a British teacher to have a self-inflated belief that the whole world follows our lead when it comes to education, but that is absolutely not true. The New Zealand systems in particular impressed me greatly; I was amazed that a country so small could be so dynamic and innovative! The knowledge of the Kiwi teachers was incredible too, and because we were having to think about what was right for the school curriculum, we were forced to consider the relevance of what we were teaching. Working as a team - sharing ideas, teaching skills and different perspectives - was an amazing opportunity and really encouraged you to be innovative.
“Looking back, the whole international teaching experience was a great way of opening our eyes to other people, to other situations totally different to those we grew up with. As a teacher it completely changed my opinion of what’s ‘best.’ No one knows the right way; it’s an amalgamation of experiences and knowledge. You go out there with one mindset, you return with another that’s broader and far more open to the rest of the world. And, without doubt, teaching abroad is an experience I would recommend to anyone. It is impossible not to bring something back that is of great value, professionally and personally. Professionally you are so employable, especially if you are returning with experience of developing curriculum and with leadership and international links.”
Mary and Dominic are just two of more than 230,000 teachers from all over the world who are teaching in international schools around the world. “And they’re a growing number,” says Andrew Wigford, director of recruitment specialists, Teachers International Consultancy. “There are currently over 5,000 international schools in almost every single country in the world. 380 new international schools were opened last year alone and by 2015 it is predicted that there will be 8,000 international schools. This massive growth means that these schools are crying out for staff.”
Many international schools not only offer competitive salaries and accommodation as part of the package, they can also be a fast-track to career development - as Mary and Dominic both experienced. But it isn’t just young, ambitious teachers who are taking up foreign posts. “More and more experienced teachers, including those from areas where multiple schools are closing as well as those on sabbatical, those taking early retirement and those with young families are grabbing the opportunity of travelling the world this way,” explains Andrew Wigford.
International schools are renowned for their small class sizes, good student behaviour and exceptional facilities; but many teachers simply don’t realise the opportunities available to them. “Many teachers don’t know that there are short-term contracts and the chance to move on to another post in another country after two or three years,” says Andrew. “We also find that many teachers haven’t applied sooner because they were under the misunderstanding that they needed to speak a foreign language to go and work abroad, or that these international schools are all about teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). That is absolutely not the case. It’s their subject or age group teaching skills that are valued.”
Interview procedures vary with the schools: some schools will fly you out to the school for an interview, others will ask the recruitment consultant that they are working with to interview you personally for them. Some schools arrange a week of interviews in London, still others, due to constraints of time and distance, will interview you over the telephone.
Andrew Wigford talks about the markets that are most popular at the present time: “Due to expanding markets in particular parts of the world, Teachers International Consultancy has a high demand at the moment for teachers in Qatar and China. Qatar is a great place to work - it’s very similar in some respects to Dubai. I.e., it is safe, very modern and has a vibrant social scene with great bars, hotels and restaurants. Qatar has a huge expat community too, with many international schools, most speaking and teaching in English. Qatar also recently hosted the Asian Games and has world-class sporting facilities. The other popular country at the present time is China. The number of international schools in China has grown enormously recently and there are now well over 200 English-speaking international schools in China and this number is expected to grow dramatically over the next few years. China also offers a myriad of opportunities for travel - not just within China but throughout the Far East. The ancient culture is fascinating and it is a great opportunity to learn Mandarin too!”
For more general information about opportunities at international schools, visit the Teachers International Consultancy (TIC) website at www.ticrecruitment.com or call TIC on 02920-212083 – after all, you have absolutely nothing to lose and potentially, a very great deal to gain!
Note, all factual data herein was provided to TIC by ISC Research, the organisation that analyses developments in the international schools market.
