Embracing New Directions: Nurturing International Teachers’ Growth and Transition

It’s hard to keep up to date with the comings and goings in education at the moment. In today’s ever-evolving educational landscape, many teachers find themselves seeking new directions and exploring alternative career paths. The desire for personal growth, fresh challenges, and purposeful opportunities is prompting educators to go on a journey of self-discovery and re-evaluation. With a whole world to discover, the possibilities are almost limitless in international education. You may be reading this as an international educator. You’re settled into life in a new country, a new school, and thinking about career advancement. Maybe you’ve never worked in another country, and you are wondering if working in an international school is just the challenge you need. In this article, we will delve into the importance of discovering and nurturing your innate talents, growing them into strengths, and leveraging them to support a transition into new ventures.

The Desire for New Directions

Teachers, like professionals in any field, yearn for personal and professional fulfillment. The need for growth and the pursuit of passion are universal drivers that can lead educators to seek new directions. Left unexamined, continuing to work in any environment that is not fulfilling or stimulating can lead to stress and burnout. With more than 50% growth in the international schools market (based on the numbers of schools, students and staff) in the last 10 years, international movement within the teaching profession is a growing trend.  Seeking opportunities in a new part of the world means that many professionals are immersing themselves in diverse experiences and cultural exchanges while still working in the field they are familiar with. There are opportunities globally, with every international school having its own unique characteristics.  The question is, which one fits you?

Unleashing Talents

At the heart of every successful transition lies self-discovery and understanding one’s innate talents. Teachers should engage in self-reflection, assessments, or coaching to discover unique abilities and passions. Identifying these talents serves as a compass, guiding educators toward these new avenues, schools that may be aligned with their core strengths, values and interests. It is this self-awareness that forms the foundation for exploring new directions and finding purpose in your professional life.  Having a clear idea of what makes you stand out from the crowd – your unique talent DNA – grows confidence when thinking about changing roles, schools, country or a complete career pivot.

Growing Strengths and Skillsets

Once teachers have identified their innate talents, the next step is to cultivate them into strengths. A talent becomes a strength when we invest time in nurturing it. Professional development opportunities, networking with like-minded educators, and taking on additional responsibilities within current roles are just a few ways in which teachers can nurture their talents. Feedback from others helps hone this development. Embracing a growth mindset and adopting a continuous learning approach empowers educators to adapt to new directions and seize emerging opportunities with more confidence and resilience.

Leveraging Strengths in New Ventures

As teachers venture into new career paths or even consider roles beyond the traditional classroom, leveraging their strengths becomes paramount. Their expertise, honed through years of dedication and experience, serves as a solid foundation upon which to build their new ventures. By effectively communicating their transferable skills, updating their resumes or CVs, and showcasing their strengths, educators can confidently navigate the transition and unlock doors to diverse opportunities in and outside the education sector.

In a rapidly changing world, teachers must embrace evolution, take risks, and forge new paths to fulfil their personal and professional aspirations. By embarking on a journey of self-discovery, nurturing their innate talents, and growing them into strengths, educators can unlock their untapped potential and find new purpose in their careers. Whilst we may believe the ‘grass is greener’ somewhere else, it is important to remember that true fulfilment lies not only in exploring these new directions but also in deeply understanding ourselves. There’s a world to discover, and fantastic tools, resources and support are available to support the discovery to make the change both a personal and professional highlight.

This article was submitted by guest author, Alison Mitchell, Founder and lead coach at A Coaching Culture.

I’m Alison Mitchell, a certified coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation. With over 30 years of experience in teaching and leadership roles in UK and international schools, my leadership and transformational coaching is centred around schools and all the people who make up any amazing school community. My signature PRIME Strengths Programme is a researched-based coaching programme, helping educators to discover their unique talents, cultivate strengths, and unlock their full potential.

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Email for more information hello@acoachingculture.com

New School, New Wallet: Prepare for Surprising Purchases

Are you moving to a new international school? You may be excited to start your new adventure, but don’t forget about the essentials. It can be overwhelming to arrive in a new city and not know where to buy things. You don’t want to end up paying more than you should have because you don’t know where to go to get the best prices.

Ideally, you would arrive at the airport, and someone from the school would pick you up and take you straight to your new fully-furnished home with groceries waiting for you. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. There will be things that you need to buy, and some are more important than others. If they are small things, it’s not a big deal to walk down the street to pick them up. It’s a great way to explore your new neighborhood.

However, if you need to buy many small items or a few big ones, it can be stressful. Depending on your living situation, you may need to make emergency purchases. You may need to go to a store like IKEA, which some schools may take you to in their van. Don’t forget that your new school may also require you to bring or buy some items for the classroom.

Living abroad is different from living in your home country. You need to be adaptable and open-minded. Don’t expect everything to be perfect when you arrive. Be prepared for a few surprises, such as surprise purchases, in your first few months.

Luckily, International School Community has a comment topic on our school profile pages related to figuring out which things you might need to buy once you arrive in your new host country, so you can stay the most informed as possible. It is called: “What are some things that you need to buy/pay for when you first arrive at the school that you didn’t know about beforehand?“

Our veteran international school teachers have submitted a total of 403 comments in this comment topic (May 2023).  Here are a few that have been submitted:

“You WILL need a car, although some teachers rent one. If you get a nanny (not on the school’s nanny visa) you will need to pay for their visa which is usually about 850 OMR for two years but must be paid up front. You will also need to pay for their healthcare (about 150 OMR for a year)…” – American British Academy (Muscat, Oman) – 65 Total Comments

“You need to come with a lot of money! This was a shock for us. We needed money for a car rental and eventual purchase (hard to finance a car as a foreigner) and first and last months rent plus damage deposit for housing…” – St. Andrews I.S Green Valley (Pattaya, Thailand) – 31 Total Comments

“The school provides a limited amount of textbooks or resources. As a new teacher, this is often a challenge as you develop or buy the resources needed for your daily lessons. The school has expectations on what will be taught but the teacher is responsible for providing the materials used in class. The school pays for one Twinkle subscription that teachers can use in school. The school also provides a color copier, lamination tools, some manipulatives, Google /SeeSaw classroom, and a class supplies list (glue, storage containers, notebooks, etc) from the teacher list given the prior year…” – International School of Brno (Brno, Czech Republic) – 99 Total Comments

“The school offers the help of a real state agent. He can help you to find your places and manage internet and utilities, at a cost. Other than that, you will have to buy everything else. Furnished apartments can be a good way to go if you do not want to spend much just landing…” – Benjamin Franklin International School (Barcelona, Spain) – 125 Comments

The Summer Vacation Dilemma: To Go Home or Not to Go Home

Summer vacation is the time of year all teachers are waiting for (and I suppose all students as well!).  The 1.5 to 2 months of summer break is especially important though for teachers who work at international schools because it is typically when they take their annual trip back home to their native country.  When you live in a foreign country, halfway across the world, it does indeed feel good to go home.  Even though you do create a new ‘family’ when you live abroad with the other international school teachers that you are working with, your home is where your real family lives.  Going home too can simply mean just going back to your home country, not necessarily going back to where you grew up.

There are some good reasons to go back home and maybe some things to consider first before making the decision to travel back to your home country during the summer:

• Some international school teachers make their annual trip home during their winter break. Those that do typically say that they already went home during the winter holiday and don’t plan on going back six months later during the summer months; that would be too soon to go back!

• You get to see your old friends from when you went to University maybe or people that you went to high school with.  It is important to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances; Facebook still can’t compete with real face-to-face meetings with these people from your life. Also, you can tell them all about the adventures you have been on while they have been staying-put, most likely in the same city where they went to high school in.

• Speaking of talking about your adventures.  Many family and friends from your home country actually don’t care very much about your adventures and traveling.  Very few of my friends and family even bring up the topic, and when I do, they don’t seem to be showing much interest in hearing the details.  Maybe it is not so interesting to them because traveling around the world and seeing more than 6-8 countries a year is just something they can’t relate to.  They also want to share what they have been up to, just like you, so I suppose there should be a bit of give and take to try and understand each other’s very different lives.

• If you go to your home country during the summer, you get to stock up on all your favorite products from your old life.  Many international school teachers love to go to their favorite grocery stores to stock up on all the products not available in their host country supermarkets.  Be careful though, food products weigh a lot and can easily make your suitcase go over the allowed weight on your flight back!

• You get to see your nieces and nephews in person, noticing how they are getting so much older now and all grown up.  You can do things with them like taking them to the movies or for a few games of bowling. The years past by so fast and soon they will be adults and possibly off to university!

• The price of flights and plane tickets to your home country are just unbelievably high now.  Many of us without a flight benefit just literally can’t afford to buy plane tickets home.  Sure, at some schools, the school pays for your flight home each summer.  But, not all international school teachers are as lucky.  In many international schools in Western Europe, teachers are left to pay for their annual flight home themselves.  And if you have two children in your family, your total cost has just gone from $2500 for two people to $5000 for four people.  That amount is just not a feasible amount to pay for a trip for some international school teaching couples. Even with the annual flight allowance, you might have already used that allowance for your winter break trip home.

• Some international school teachers just want to stay put in their host country during the summer.  Some feel you don’t have the time to really explore the city, the nearby cities, and the other cities in the country during the school year. And in the northern hemisphere, summer is the best time typically to explore these countries. 

• Some teachers also just simply stay put to save money!! We all need to carefully plan for our future (hopefully early) retirements!

• A month-long trip to Africa or a month-long trip to the Chicago area? A question you might be asking yourself in April. Some are faced with this international school educator’s dilemma each summer.  For many international school teachers, the price of the flight to go home is actually the same price it would take to go to more exotic places like Kenya or Costa Rica, or even Bali.  Who would want to go home (a place you have seen many times already) in place of going on an exciting adventure?  Many choose the adventure option each summer!

When some of the International School Community’s members were asked the question: “To go home or not to go home?”  Here are a few responses we got:

“Choosing to go ‘home’ over the summer is always a tough decision. I usually head back to see friends and family. It feels really good to reconnect with the people you don’t see every day and your own culture. After about 10 days though, I am ready to head back to my other ‘home’ or my next adventure.”

“Absolutely go home! First of all, many schools will pay for your ticket home during the holidays, but more importantly, is the idea that one needs a “home base” when doing these international teaching assignments. There is a real feeling of refreshment when one goes home, it regenerates your sense of self, everything is familiar to you, and you regain the energy needed to face another year of the ‘unknown’.  On a side note, this year, I will not be able to ‘go home’ as I am too pregnant to travel back and forth before my second baby is born…and I’m already feeling the stress of it. Although, I know it is well worth it to stay in Brazil this time around….I feel a slight sense of panic every time I think of it.”

At Brent International School Manila, one ISC member said, “Many teachers leave on major holidays, most to other locations in South East Asia. During summer almost all teachers travel home.”

At theUnited World College South East Asia, another ISC member said, “Most teachers travel during school holidays. Singapore is an amazing hub from which to travel to all other Asian cities/countries. Many staff travel home during summer and for Christmas.”

At the American School of Torreon, a different ISC member said, “It is expensive to travel home for the holidays. The airport is small and prices are high. Traveling by bus is also time-consuming and long.”

So, are you planning on going home this summer? Are you the international school teacher that makes their annual trip home each summer, the one that stays in the host country, or the one that is traveling to another country on some adventure?  Share your stories and reasons for your summer plans on ISC!

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