Home and away: An inquiry into home-based and overseas teacher perceptions regarding international schools

Abstract

The world of international schools is expanding, fuelled in part by globalisation and the ease with which employees can relocate across the globe as they seek new employment opportunities. As these mobile families relocate overseas, international schools provide an education for their children which may offer a curriculum based on a common and transferable syllabus, similar to one they experienced at home. The research on which this article is based presents a picture not only of teaching in the United Kingdom and overseas, but also of teachers' perceptions, views and expectations regarding international teaching. It offers comparisons between what teachers at home believe is happening, and the reality as perceived by those with overseas experience. The study explores this internationally nomadic workforce, and observes the growth in international schools which, in turn, has further increased the demand for the international teacher. The findings show that the majority of home teachers in the study are aware of the international opportunities available to teachers. The results also show similarities in responses from home and overseas teachers. This research furthermore reveals that there exists a continually growing market, which provides teachers with increased choice about where to teach, live and progress their career.

The practice of choice-making: applying Bourdieu to the field of international schooling

“…This finding confirms media reports and other research findings that suggest that UK teachers are leaving the UK due to their frustrations with practice there (Hrycak, 2015; Richardson, 2016). Similarly, teachers on local contracts emphasized the higher level of professionalism and collegiality in international schools that was lacking in local schools in Kuwait.…”

“…Our findings suggest that for teachers on both overseas and local contracts, the reason for working in an international school is largely financial, confirming findings from previous research by Hrycak (2015); in particular, those leaving the UK spoke about “the bottom line” and “worsening work conditions due to poor student behaviour” as noted by one teacher. Other UK leavers spoke of being “directly impacted by the 2008 economic crisis” and commented that international schools seemed attractive then because they offered beneficial packages including, for instance, higher salaries, accommodation, health insurance, ease of traveling back to their country of origin, and free or discounted education for their children.…”

“…The international school labour market is segmented, tending to favour UK and US citizens, and as such exacerbates recruitment issues such as increased competition due to the expansion of the international school sector, the diminishing supply of staff (COBIS, 2018; Masudi, 2016), and teacher turnover that can be as high as 60 per cent (Mancuso et al, 2010). Research suggests that the migration of teachers to international schools from English-speaking countries such as the UK, the US and Canada can be attributed to work-intensification and a diminishing professional identity at home (Coulter and Abney, 2009; Hrycak, 2015), but other studies have shown that teaching in international schools can lead many migrating teachers into a time and place of uncertainty (Bunnell, 2016; Poole, 2019), culture shock (Joslin, 2002; Roskell, 2013) and an unsettling world of workplace micropolitics (Caffyn, 2011). The issue of teacher retention in international schools follows from these challenges, whether perceived or real.…”

Characteristics that Define an Exceptional International School According to Stakeholder Perspectives. A Thai Case Study

“…Savva argues that the main reasons teachers seek out international schools over others are related to travel, financial incentives, and a better life (Savva, 2015), to which Hrycak (2015) added focused students, supportive school parents, lighter workloads and smaller classes. Once teachers decide to teach internationally, Halicioglu (2015) has suggested that interculturally competent teachers have an advantage because they are more capable of acclimatising to international schools, while Hirsch (2016) has noted that teachers who are not interculturally competent or have not experienced diversity training are less likely to be effective in the classroom.…”

Precarious privilege: personal debt, lifestyle aspirations and mobility among international school teachers

“…1 This stance makes international education 2 ideologically attractive to some teachers, who see it as a progressive and timely educational field that is imbued with open-mindedness and a spirit of pluralism adapted to a globalised world. At the same time, professional autonomy and the opportunity to travel and to deepen intercultural understanding reinforce the choice of international teaching as an attractive pathway for people eager to embark on fresh challenges both in their professional and personal lives (Savva 2013;Hrycak 2015). In this respect, international teaching may not only have an intrinsic value for the ideals that are associated with the profession, 3 but can also give the impression of a type of 'lifestyle migration', a privileged form of mobility driven by globalisation, individualisation, increased ease of movement, work-related flexibility, and increases in relative global wealth.…”