International Schools

The Wonderful World of International Teaching

A battery of options

Your choices are: American, British, Canadian and other independent international schools; US Dept. of Defense Schools; UK MoD SchoolsChristian schools; corporate and company schools; foreign (national) private and public schools.
Australian teacher, female
Dubai American Academy, United Arab Emirates
John F Kennedy School Berlin, Germany - Europe
Japan International Schools, Salary Scale
British School of Paris Rugby Team
Canadian International School Hong Kong

 

Most International Schools are PreK-12/ K-12 private entities. They serve the needs of the expatriate and local communities in their countries.

International schools are located in virtually every country, most big cities have several international schools of various flavors and caliber (American, British, Swiss, French, etc.)

In addition there are US Department of Defense School (DoDEA) in 14 foreign countries. The DoDEA also recruits many support personnel ― secretaries, office workers, technicians. The British Ministry of Defense (MOD) also operates a network of overseas schools. Since no Canadian overseas bases exist any more, all Canadian international schools are private.

Work is not travel. Rather than comparing countries, research the schools. Pay attention to the following:

Owenership. Is it a for-proft or a non profit? The proliferation of commercial for profit international school is a major change in the recent years. Most new startups are for-profit proprietary schools that are operated as commercial ventures. They may pay better but your experience is probably going to be more satisfying at the traditional not-for-profit schools subsidized by US embassies and parents. Whatever money they make they spend it on teacher salaries and school development.

Curriculum Type: For example, if your qualifications and experience are related to the US school system, a school that employs a British National Curriculum (NC) will not be your best option. Fortunately, a lot of international schools employ the IB curriculum (International Baccalaureate). Once you are hired the IB training is usually provided by the school.

Student population: the proportion of expatriate and national students makes a large impact on the school culture. Ideally, you want a mix of various nationalities with a meaingful presence of native speakers of English in the classroom.

Student Composition, International School Germany

Accreditation: you will want your prospective school to be accredited by one of the major international organization. Why is it important? Because an accreditation involves a rigorous review of the school over a year or longer. Consequently, the chances that your recruiter operates illegally are diminished greatly. Those who neglect to do their homework are more likely to end up working for a questionable employer under an illegal contract.

Facilities: campus information, accommodation options, etc.

Size and location: urban or rural. While the majority of international schools are urban, there are also remote programs such as in the Namibian desert, Caribbean and Pacific islands. Certain parts of the world are so problematic that you should probably avoid them altogether, e.g. Mautitania. For more information, download our Insider Guide.

Most in demand:

Elementary Classroom PositionsElementary (Primary) Classroom Teachers
Secondary Subject TeachersSecondary Subject Teachers for IB DP, MYP, AP
Learning SupportLearning Support / Special Education

Specialisms Sought

English

Drama

Library/Media

ESL (ELL, EAL, EFL)

Mathematics

General Science

Social Studies

Geography

Chemistry

Business

Economics

Arts

Music

Physics

Computer

History

Biology

PE / Health

Theory of Knowledge

Individuals and Societies

French, Spanish, German

Principals, Administrators

Most international schools hire teachers from various countries and national backgrounds.

Teachers' Nationalities*

USA (53)

UK (27)

Germany (19)

Australia (5)

Canada (8)

New Zealand (4)

Russia (3)

The Netherlands (3)

France (3)

Hungary (2)

Spain (2)

Austria (2)

Indonesia (1)

Namibia (1)

Portugal (1)

Latvia (1)

Ukraine (1)

Switzerland (1)

Japan (1)

Italy (1)

*Berlin Brandenburg International School, Germany

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Compensation. More than a salary!

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