11 International Schools that have Enthusiastic Teachers and Students

Schools thrive when there are enthusiastic teachers and students in them. But, do all international schools have this?

With around 10000 international schools currently, there are bound to be differences between them. However, it is certain that all international schools strive to students that are excited to come to school and do their best to learn in the lessons and engagements in their classes.

But do students just come to schools already engaged or is it the environment and staff that helps with that?

Some could argue that hiring engaged and excited teachers plays a huge factor in the enthusiasm of students. If the teachers are interested and excited in their lessons, typically the students will follow suit.

If the teachers are jaded, overworked, and caught in a low staff morale spiral, then this feeling is sure to be reflected in the students.

But even if the students and teachers are not so engaged at the moment, what can be done? International schools need to make drastic and carefully planned changes to achieve this change to more enthusiastic stake holders!

So which international schools then have enthusiastic teachers and/or students?

Luckily, ISC was designed to help international school teachers find the information they are looking for. Using the Comment Search feature (premium membership needed), we found 17 comments that had the keyword “Enthusiastic” in them. Here are 11 of them:

Denmark
“Students in primary are overwhelmingly kind, caring, and enthusiastic learners. The middle and high school will benefit from having a full-time secondary principal next year.” – Esbjerg International School (50 total comments)

Kyrgyzstan
“You need to be enthusiastic, open-minded and flexible. There is a strong community at school that is very involved in every aspect of the school’s life. School is looking for teachers who are passionate about their job and willing to differentiate for every student.” – Bishkek International School (57 total comments)

India
“The students are mostly respectful, enthusiastic, and hardworking. You might not be that impressed if you’re coming from Korea or another academically-driven Asian country, but compared to Latin America or any Western public institution it’ll be a big step up.” – Oberoi International School (36 total comments)

Spain
“The pupils are very affectionate, and the school has a very family-like feel. They are eager to please and enthusiastic about topics etc.” – The British School of Marbella (36 total comments)

Japan
“Students are very well behaved. Behavioural issues are very minimal, and most students are enthusiastic to learn and prove themselves to teachers and their classmates.” – Tokyo International School (104 total comments)

Indonesia
“The students are extremely polite and respectful. They are positive and enthusiastic though somewhat reserved.” – Global Jaya School (60 total comments)

United Arab Emirates
“While I have not myself worked elsewhere in the Emirates, I get a sense that our students are relatively well behaved. Understand that, while kids are kids, well behaved in the Emirates is not the same as say, well behaved in South Korea. That said, Liwa does not generally find itself subject to the kinds of behavior found in the government schools of the area. The kids are generally quite enthusiastic about Liwa and as capable as any children anywhere.” – Liwa International School (23 total comments)

Russia
“Very curious and enthusiastic learners. PYP and IB encourages this and students are excited to be at school every day!” – Anglo-American School of Moscow (69 total comments)

Chile
“The students are respectful, creative and enthusiastic. They love to chat and socialize!” – Santiago College (24 total comments)

Ethiopia
“Students are enthusiastic about being at school, in general. Almost 100% of our students are involved in activities or athletics after school and on weekends.” – International Community School Addis Ababa (80 total comments)

Belgium
“The students are amazing. So welcoming, so enthusiastic to learn.” – The British School of Brussels (36 total comments)

Looking After Teachers, However Far They Go

Knowing that you have extra support in staying happy and healthy can play a key role in successfully settling into life as an expat teacher, says Mitesh Patel.

Career development, a completely new culture, better work-life balance – there are lots of factors that make teaching overseas a very attractive proposition. Good health care packages also play a part in tempting new talent to international schools as well as making sure staff stay safe and well once they’re there. After all, it can be stressful enough moving home to an area you know well, let alone to a country you may never have visited before.

Recently, there has been a noticeable shift in how international schools are turning their attention to supporting teachers’ mental and physical wellbeing in new and better ways. Finding a school that prioritises this can considerably improve your ‘settling in’ process. It’s also a sign of a school that places an emphasis on a happy and healthy learning environment, as anything that negatively impacts teachers can also negatively influence student wellbeing and progress.

When you move abroad, it’s of paramount importance to know where to turn when things don’t go to plan with your health. Getting food poisoning, for example, is never much fun but if you don’t know where to get help it can become downright scary. Unfortunately, there might also be occasions when you are faced with an emergency, such as discovering that the shortness of breath you’ve been suffering from whilst teaching in Baku is actually a symptom of something much more serious. Should this happen, knowing that every effort would be made to keep you in a familiar place with the support of your friends can be tremendously reassuring at an otherwise traumatic time.

In fact, when you are a long way from home, feeling cut off from your loved ones can really take its toll on mental and emotional health. For example, one of our member schools in China told us that their expat staff were finding life very difficult. Many were at the start of their careers, didn’t speak the local language and had moved abroad for the first time. Unfortunately, feelings of stress and isolation had begun to spread.

We quickly set up a dedicated crisis line for staff, giving them direct access to expert support with whom they could chat in their native language. We also helped the school to promote the line internally, to ensure teachers felt comfortable making that all-important call. It meant a negative spiral was nipped in the bud, and the new recruits could relax and enjoy their time.

It goes to show that it’s always possible to intervene and ensure your experience abroad is a roaring success. Remember, the first port of call is to check with your new school and see what resources and support they offer to help you look after your health and wellbeing.

Mitesh Patel is medical director at Aetna International. For more information, please contact emea_marketing@aetna.com or visit www.aetnainternational.com .

New Photo Contest: Your Favorite Local Grocery Store

Some might say that going grocery shopping in your host country is so exciting!

There are so many new products to look at and try out. Sometimes you get lucky and discover your new favorite local product.

But it is not always that positive when shopping in your local grocery store. Many times products will only list their ingredients in the local language. If you are not able to read it, then for some that means you probably won’t buy it. It is a shame because it is very possible that you will really love it!

There is also the local ‘expat’ grocery store. Maybe that one is your most favorite. Who wouldn’t love a place that sells products from your home country and from around the world? Of course, you typically pay a high price tag for those products. But expats love to treat themselves every once and awhile, don’t we!?

At ISC, we are really curious to see what grocery stores our members are going to in their host countries. The next time you go grocery shopping, take a picture with your smart phone of what it looks like; maybe of the employees working there or you shopping in your favorite aisle. We’ll chose the top 3 photos that are the most interesting to win the photo contest prizes!

So, what is your favorite local grocery store?  Submit your photo to us and enter our photo contest! All participants receive free premium membership to our website!

Photo contest topic:
Your Favorite Local Grocery Store

The PRIZES:
1st prize: 2 YEARS FREE of premium membership
2nd prize: 1 YEAR FREE of premium membership
3rd prize: 6 MONTHS FREE of premium membership

(Those submissions that are not in the top three will receive 1 free week of premium membership just for participating.)

Send your photo to editor @ internationalschoolcommunity.com. Please remember to:

• Write your name and email address
• Attach your picture and write a short description about it
• Enter these words in your subject: International School Community Photo Contest Entry: Your Favorite Local Grocery Store

or

Tweet the photo and mention our profile @IS_Community to make sure we will see it. If you are on Instagram, tag us when you post the photo and/or use the official hashtag #iscommunityphoto

(Deadline to submit your photo: Friday, 10 May, 2019. Maximum one photo entry per contestant.)

Check out our previous Photo Contests here.

Photo credits: Pixabay