What Is an International School?
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. ”
This chapter aims to help you focus your job search at a true international school, which is where the richest rewards of teaching overseas reside. Or at the very least, I want you to know what you’re getting into.
What International Schools Are Not
For the sake of expediency, let’s start with what a top-tier international school is not:
· Language or TEFL school, where untrained people teach English to local students wishing to learn the language.
· A proprietary (for-profit) school calling itself international but which lacks too many of the hallmarks listed below.
Definition of an International School
“Just because it says “international
school” doesn’t make it so”
So what is an official definition of a true international school? There is much disagreement, but here is the most commonly cited list of characteristics, from IASL (International Association of School Librarianship) cited in a TIEonline article.
1. Transferability of students’ education across international schools
2. A moving population (higher than in national public schools)
3. Multinational and multilingual student body
4. An international curriculum (i.e. IB - DP, MYP, PYP)
5. International accreditation (e.g. CIS, IBO, North Eastern ASC, Western Assoc. of Schools and colleges, etc.)
6. A transient and multinational teacher population
7. Non-selective student enrollment
8. Usually English or bi-lingual as the language of instruction
#8 is the most crucial feature in terms of your job prospects, since the language of instruction is English and you are a native speaker. PE classes and the lunchroom and chemistry classes all happen in English.
But #3, 4, 5 probably should be high on your job hunting criterion. Otherwise, you might end up in a never never land of low-end and predatory for-profit schools.
Purpose of These Schools
To provide an international and transferable education to K-12 students and fluency in English. The equivalent in your home country might be a top-drawer private school vs. the public school system.
The Players: Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Parents
The students are largely from the expat community, meaning children of diplomats, businesspeople, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), and other non-natives living in the country, usually temporarily.
A certain percentage might be local students whose parents want them to have an international education and fluency in English. More about this when we discuss host nationals.
Teachers and administrators are multi-national, meaning from anywhere in the world, most frequently from the UK, US, or Canada. The parents are high-achievers with equally high expectations for their children.
What Is a Tier?
We will return to the concept of tiers several times. But for now, understand that international schools are not all equally good. The question of how to identify the top tier schools and avoid the bottom feeders will be discussed throughout this blog.
So…let’s start the hunt with a brief look at the job market. Note: COVID has upended this market and this might not be the best year to go overseas, although you have nothing to lose. Check out background information and updates in Resources.
Explosive Growth Means Plenty of Jobs
“Follow the money. ”
The growth of these schools has been explosive and not likely to slow down anytime soon (except for COVID.) International School Consultancy Group, (ISC), the premier data-gathering service for the international school market, notes that “Since the year 2000, the number of international schools around the world has more than trebled.”
There are no signs of growth slowing, although COVID put a serious bump in the road. The numbers speak for themselves. Remember that plenty of these new schools are strictly money-making operations, however.
The number of schools and teachers needed is expected to double again in the next decade. So… that means that if you want to teach overseas, there is a job for you, in fact, plenty of jobs.
Native English Speakers Needed
Lucky for you, meaning British and Irish, Indian or Pakistani, Australians and New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans, and other native speakers of English. Why? Because international school instruction is in English; that’s the whole point of these schools.
English is the language of global business; at least that’s what the Harvard Business Review says. “The fastest-spreading language in human history, English is spoken at a useful level by some 1.75 billion people worldwide—that’s one in every four of us.”
Not so long ago, cultured people spoke French and scientists read research in German. Today, increasingly, educated people speak English. So there’s your job market.
Expat vs. Host National
In the earliest international school days, the student population was almost exclusively expat, meaning children of diplomats, businessmen from elsewhere, NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) families.
In other words, there were few if any local students, and in fact laws or admissions policies often forbid host nationals to enroll.
Today about 80% of international school students are from the host country. This accounts for the extraordinary growth rate, but it has implications for the classroom, which we will discuss in detail later.
Globalization
Globalization is here to stay.
Parents, naturally, want their children to have a foot on the ladder of success, and they may not be confident in their national schools.
Populist and anti-immigrant politicians may rant about globalization, but that ship has already sailed; too much money is at stake.
So two factors drive the growth of the international school market:
Inexorably globalizing business.
Wealthy local parents who want the best for their children, which they define as an international education.
So what do you think is the biggest problem facing heads of schools and recruiters for any international school? Think about it a minute and I believe you’ll come up with the law of supply and demand i.e. there aren’t enough Western-educated teachers available. Too bad for them, but wonderful for your job prospects.
Types of Schools - Most Reputable
“The sorting process begins...”
We visited the idea of tiers before, so now let’s start at the top of the pyramid and work our way down. But please note there is a ton of argument over the concept in general and where a particular school fits in this tier scheme. Regardless, I still think it’s a useful concept.
Non-Profit Schools
Let’s start with the yin-and-yang of international school types, the separation into non-profit and for-profit (proprietary) schools. Non-profit schools are not owned by an individual, and profits are returned to the school for reinvestment into salaries, facilities, and other resources.
As a result non-profit schools are most likely to be Tier One schools at the top of the pyramid of quality. We will return to this concept many times.
Here is a roundup of the main types of non-profit schools.
Embassy Schools
These schools (193 total) are affiliated with and assisted by the US Department of State. Embassies reserve places for their diplomats’ children. Global corporations (IKEA, Coke, BP Oil) may also buy admissions slots for the children of their overseas staff.
Local parents may also pay the steep tuition and enroll their child, if local laws permit. Consequently, this category of school tends to be the most reputable, most sought-after, most well-resourced, most stable; there is a lot at stake for these parents and entities.
Department of Defense Schools
DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) educates United States military dependents serving overseas. About 8,700 educators serve more than 70,000 students in these schools.
DoDEA teachers might find themselves anywhere from Naples to Brussels to Bahrain to Seoul. The parents are military personnel, although if space is available, other government employees may enroll their children.
One major difference is that some special education support is available, which is typically not true of other types of international schools.
DoDEA Hiring Process
Two other huge differences are that hiring is not conducted through the typical international school recruiting fair process but through a completely separate process run by the government.
By all accounts this process is opaque and cumbersome. Kristen is a kindergarten teacher in Korea and her blog World Traveling Teacher lays out the complexities.
The other major difference is that DoDEA schools are American, not international, schools. The kids are American – the basketball tournaments are American – the staff and curriculum are American. The good news is that you will be overseas with great kids and lots of support.
Other Categories of Non-Profit Schools
Some other types of reputable non-profit schools might be boarding schools where students and even sometimes teachers might live on campus. OES (Oregon Episcopal Academy) in Portland, Oregon is such a boarding school.
There are Christian or other church-affiliated schools as well. This list is from ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International).
Sometimes a national host country school might have an international division with Western teachers, like SHSID (Shanghai High School International Division).
Next stop? For-profit schools OR the good, the bad, and the ugly.
For-Profit Schools
“You’re making the owner’s Ferrari payments.”
The explosive growth in the international school market in the past twenty years is almost entirely due to the number of new for-profit schools, largely in the Middle East and China.
Money and business chase profit, and it has dawned on local business owners, mostly in the developing world, that plenty of customers want an English-language education for their children and they’ll pay plenty.
That’s why the tiny UAE (United Arab Emirates) has over 500 international schools. This means plenty of jobs for teachers, meaning you.
Students and Parents
Who’s the clientele? Let’s start with the important concept of host national. The student body of many of these newer international schools often consists almost entirely of children who are citizens of the country, for instance, Emirati students in the UAE and Chinese students in Shanghai.
Compare this to the old-school international school model full of expat children from dozens of foreign countries. The dynamic will be completely different, with implications we will discuss in detail later.
St. Andrews International School in Bangkok. A Nord Anglia Education School.
But just think about how a school is named and the ethnicity of students featured on the website, even though the promotional photos on the web site are liberally sprinkled with Western students.
School Owner
Ask yourself who owns the school. GEMS (Global Education Management Systems) is an example of a reputable for-profit school system in the Middle East; you might even call it a chain or brand.
Sunny Varkey, the owner, is worth $2.4B according to Forbes magazine and is the world’s 62nd richest person. I do not begrudge him the money, but he and his organization can set their own rules.
There are also plenty of stand-alone for-profit schools owned by a single individual. These schools are certainly not all bad, but they are businesses and profit comes first, with implications for teachers.
Consider carefully. Like I said before, “Somebody is making the owner’s Ferrari payments” and you would be putting yourself under this person’s control.
Like most international school educators, I’ve experienced all three iterations. The Anglo-American School of Moscow was the Embassy School, demonstrated by the facilities and ambitious students. Dubai American Academy was owned by a conglomerate and was fairly multinational, professionally run, and well resourced. American Pacific International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand was wholly owned by the Chinese-Thai couple whose hotel adjoined the school and let’s just say their students (largely Thai and Korean) had the least chance of English language mastery.
Aspects Unique To For-Profit Schools i.e. The Dark Side
Is it always a bad thing to work at a for profit school? Of course not, it just depends. We will return many times to the issue of how to judge the quality of a school. But for now let me list a few features more likely at for-profit schools:
If almost all the students are host nationals for whom English is not their native language, who are they going to immerse themselves with to learn English?
Some host national groups and/or schools are notoriously badly behaved and entitled.
Since profit is the primary motive, sometimes profoundly unqualified students will be admitted (“if they have a pulse…”)
Wealthy and influential parents may feel they can pressure the school to overlook cheating and give an undeserved good grade.
Since profit comes first, the school may be squeezed for resources and teacher salaries and benefits may be skimpy.
The owner and administration may actually be corrupt.
Read through this thread on ISR (International Schools Reviews) on making the choice to work at a for-profit school. The bottom line is - “it depends.” Also skim this view from a Board member who reminds teachers that they are commodities in a for-profit school. Food for thought.
Uncertified Teachers
Let us get the non-certified teacher TESOL/language school issue out of the way first. Yes, you can teach overseas without any certification or training whatsoever.
In some kinds of schools, teachers do not need certification to teach.
Acronyms
But first of all, what do TESL and TEFL and TESOL actually mean? Sometimes, you’ll just find these jobs advertised as ELL (English-language learners).
· TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) – teach language skills in an English-speaking country to students whose first language is something else – Khmer or Spanish speakers in an American school, for instance.
· TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) - teach English-language skills in a country where English is not the native tongue or commonly used. This would be your market, known as “language schools.”
· TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) - umbrella term which covers both of the above.
Certification
Do you need training or any kind of certification? Yes and no, but mostly yes. If you want to roll the dice on an overseas adventure and are willing to put yourself at the mercy of a possibly dodgy, unscrupulous language school owner, there are possibilities. However, first ask yourself:
· How will I obtain a work visa?
· Can the school guarantee it will actually honor a contract and pay me?
· What kind of housing support, if any, will be provided?
· What’s the turnover for teachers?
· Who are the students? Adult businesspeople? School-age kids?
· And so forth…
The more prepared and trained you are, the better the language school you can aim for. Start with these solid links.
TESOL Resources
This University of Toronto site does an excellent job listing factors you should consider before you invest time and money into TESOL Certification
Also check out this roundup from Transitions Abroad, a highly reputable online magazine aimed at prospective expats.
Take a look at GoOverseas.com which provides a solid job search listing feature and a thorough overview.
Nomadic Matt, the travel guru, sells a $10 ebook on teaching English abroad which covers the field from his firsthand experience.
In addition, many true international schools have a solid TEFL program. With professional-level training, you may eventually be hired at an international school, which means much better pay and support. This route is worth a look.
Language Schools
So there you go. If you are not a certified teacher or otherwise cannot break into the international schools, language schools might be the back door you need to teach overseas.
But I personally don’t know a thing about this subset of international school. I hope I pointed you in the right direction and provided enough good information sources so you can make up your own mind.
To Summarize
The most important points?
There are plenty of jobs out there for native English speakers
School quality is on a continuum
Schools sort themselves into two main categories: non-profit and for-profit, with implications.
The next step is to work out how to evaluate quality. Easier said than done, of course.