The number of international schools is growing every year. The demand for more international schools in Asia and the Middle East is increasing the fastest. With all of this demand and urgency from companies and parents, international schools will need even more qualified teachers than they do now.
But how do they find these qualified teachers, and how do they communicate with them? How will the teachers new to the field of international education hear and learn about these schools in need?
There is a proven necessity for international school educators to stay in touch with each other and work together, although their schools lie thousands of miles apart. Seasoned international school teachers (with experience working at multiple international schools) can bridge schools together by transferring their knowledge from school to school, but are there enough tools for the people new to the “international school community” to get “on board” as smoothly as possible?
Year after year, the ISC (International School Community) website gets thousands of new members joining, ranging from experienced international school teachers to those who have never worked at an international school before, from heads of schools to classroom teachers, and from admissions coordinators to parents and students. The stakeholders share what they know and help each other gain precious information about every international school worldwide.
For international schools to find the qualified teachers they need, prospective teachers who need to possess certain information about the international school, which they do not necessarily get from looking at a school’s website. This vital information changes from time to time and can get quickly outdated. But even with the old information, it is also good to know about that history and how the international school got to where it is today.
Getting the correct and most recent information about international schools is complex. In turn, the “School Mayor’s” role is created on the ISC website. There are hundreds of ISC Mayors, and the number grows weekly. Their job is to keep their school page on the site updated with the latest information.
It sounds silly to move halfway across the world to a country and city you may haven’t even been to before. The more informed you are about a specific international school and life in the city and country it is in, the better decision you will be able to make when considering a job there.
The insights of international school teachers (and other stakeholders) are essential and increasingly necessary. The need to have transparency across the international school community is also vital.
Several ISC members are doing just that; they are sharing their experiences about what they know related to working at international schools by submitting articles for the ISC blog as guest authors. They submit articles in a number of our varied blog categories. The Journey to School category highlights the experience one might have getting to and from their international school. The 12 Tips for Selecting an International School category talks about what things to consider when choosing an international school at which to work. And the For the Newbies category discusses the ins and outs of getting your foot into the world of working at international schools.
Educators working at international schools are indeed varied and come from various backgrounds. We celebrate their diversity in the Member Spotlight section of the ISC blog. The blog highlights current and former international school teachers, administrators, parents, and even former international school students in that category. It is helpful for the community to share our background and experiences in the international school sector. We can get a clearer picture of how they became international educators and get tips for ourselves as we venture to new opportunities worldwide. These highlighted ISC members hope to reach out to other educators to discuss related education topics they are interested in. International school teachers often depend on each other regarding program models and curricular issues.
The people working in the international school community should be straightforward in sharing what they know. We have known directors and principals encouraging their staff to join the ISC community (and even to be a Mayor of their school). These administrators can see the importance of their teachers joining a community that supports and keeps them informed. The school benefits, too, because their staff can help future teachers at their school find a better fit for their careers and future in their lives. It is all about finding the right fit! Indeed, the more prospective teachers know, the better off the school will be when and if they accept a job offer to work there.
Schools are also interested in getting their school's name out there more to attract more teachers to work at their school. Some international schools are tweeting messages about their school, including our website’s Twitter username (@IS_Community), thus getting the attention of ISC’s website community.
Creating a sense of community and belonging is vital for the international school community. Being a member of this wonderful community of international educators can be fulfilling and exciting. Let’s increase our engagement in our community by sharing what we know. Surely everyone will appreciate it and benefit from it!
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Ron Rosenow is the owner and founder of the International School Community website. International School Community aims to be the largest online community for international school educators. The site provides a helpful, informative, and celebratory environment for networking with employees of international schools worldwide and learning about work in different international schools worldwide.
Photo credits: https://pixabay.com
