According to recent ISC Research, the number of teachers working in English-medium K-12 international schools has increased by 500 per cent over the past 20 years (from 90,000 in 2000, to 540,000 in 2019).
During this time, there has been a well-documented UK teacher recruitment crisis. It is easy to draw a causal relationship between these two and demonise international schools as contributing to the brain drain of Britain’s teaching talent.
A change is as good as a rest
But in fact, there is significant evidence that international schools are actually keeping teachers in the profession.
According to a 2018 Council of British International Schools (COBIS) report on teacher supply in international schools, 47 per cent of international teachers surveyed said “dissatisfaction with home education system” was one of the reasons why they moved abroad.
Furthermore, nearly a third of teachers (32 per cent) reported that they were thinking about leaving the profession before taking an international job.
This suggests that many teachers who are struggling with aspects of the UK system look to working abroad as an escape to stave off a career change.
And the COBIS survey found that most international teachers look to return to work in the UK after working internationally (typically for three or four years), with the main reasons cited as family commitments (44 per cent) and a desire to return home (45 per cent).
Some 53 per cent of returning teachers surveyed said that they were going back to the UK with renewed enthusiasm for teaching.
Reticence to appoint from abroad
But moving back to the UK is not always easy as it should be. Many domestic principals still view candidates who have taught abroad with suspicion. There can be a false perception that overseas candidates are out of touch or have irrelevant experience.
This, combined with the practical complexities of teacher appointment processes when appointing from abroad, and most schools’ unfamiliarity with conducting interviews by Skype, means that it is easier and “safer” to take a local (often less experienced) applicant. This is a short-sighted.
Working abroad is not a haven for those who don’t cut it in the UK. Competition for jobs in international schools is intense – after all, these are well-paid jobs and schools are recruiting from across the world.
Many international schools are at the cutting edge of educational developments, in fact. Because many of the schools are new, they are well resourced and, in many cases, the implementation of new technologies in education is way ahead of what is possible within the budget constraints of the UK.
International teachers also bring a wealth of other important experience and skills, including cultural awareness, international mindedness, a global outlook, adaptability, resilience and extensive English as an additional language experience.
Given that some jurisdictions (such as Dubai) have annual Ofsted-style inspections and frequent changes to the curriculum, not to mention intense competition between schools and accountability to fee-paying parents, it is arguable that, in these cases, two years’ international experience can be worth five or more in the UK.
The international talent pool is part of the solution
Rather than seeing international schools as the enemy, it makes sense for school leaders in the UK to see them as a significant talent pool for teacher recruitment. However, much could be done to make the transition between international schools smoother and more attractive.
The UK could learn lessons from the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has recognised the potential of its diaspora working in international schools as a solution to local teacher shortages and has started to do the groundwork to lure expats home.
Ireland has also had a structure in place for more than a decade that recognises international experience. This means that teachers can return to a point on the pay scale with incremental increases of a maximum of seven years’ experience for their time abroad (Irish DfES Circular 10/01 Paragraph 4.2b).
It would be good to see the UK’s Department for Education putting in place more transparent and recognisable pathways to support the mobility of teachers back to the UK, including developing methods of formal recognition of overseas service in pay scales and routes to leadership.
It should also look to promote the professional opportunities of teaching both domestically and internationally as part of a structured career trajectory; increase international training opportunities; and do more to encourage UK principals to recognise and value UK qualifications gained overseas (for example, initial teacher training, qualified teacher status and newly qualified teacher status).
ISC Research estimates that international schools will require 181,000 additional English-speaking teachers in the next five years and 429,000 in the next decade. There is no need for this to be a one-way street – UK schools would be well advised to have an international dimension as part of their teacher recruitment strategy.
Mark S. Steed is the principal and chief executive of Kellett School, the British School in Hong Kong. He previously ran schools in Devon, Hertfordshire and Dubai. He tweets at @independenthead
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