The rate of staff turnover
The sign of a good school abroad is often a low rate of staff turnover. This shows that teachers are so satisfied with the school, its leadership and/or the overall package that they plan to stay at the school for the long term. A school abroad that has a very high rate of staff turnover each year (or every two years, when contracts tend to finish) should start ringing alarm bells. It may signal an issue with the school’s senior leadership team, poor student behaviour, low staff morale, and/or an unsatisfactory teaching package.
The salary
Schools overseas do not often disclose the job’s salary at interview. Many schools have a salary scale but some do not, so pay may differ from one teacher to another in the same school, depending on their qualifications, nationality and negotiation. I do not recommend asking for the salary until you get offered the job.
Where the staff come from
As stated above, pay may differ from one teacher to another in the same school, depending on their qualifications, nationality and negotiation. Sadly, your passport determines how much you earn in schools abroad. If the majority of the teachers at the school are from developing or low-income countries, it may mean that the salary is on the lower end of the scale, so make sure you find out the majority nationality of your potential colleagues at the interview.
Where the students come from
If the majority of students at your school abroad are British, Irish, American, Australian and/or other speakers of English as a first language, you can continue teaching as you normally would in your home country. However, if most of your learners are local and/ or speakers of English as an additional language, you will definitely have to adapt your teaching to cater for their language needs. Most likely, you will be a language teacher first and a subject teacher second. Would this suit your teaching style, strengths and priorities?
The accommodation situation
A good international teaching package should include furnished accommodation or a housing allowance, which varies depending on your status (ie, single, married or with dependent children). Many schools abroad insist that you live in staff accommodation for the first year and then will provide a housing allowance in the second year, so you can then live wherever you like. Unfortunately, a number of schools that do this may offer a rent allowance that is not enough to cover a one-bed apartment, so you are obliged to use their staff accommodation. A small number of schools overseas require staff to share an apartment or a villa but, as a fully qualified teacher, this is not the norm and you should not accept it.
Free school places for your children
Schools abroad used to always provide free school places for up to two dependents (sometimes three) or a tuition allowance if your dependents could not attend the school where you worked (eg, in the case of government/public schools that are attended only by local pupils). However, as some schools are now run as businesses, this cannot be taken for granted anymore, so always check with the school before accepting the job. School fees are sky high, so you really need this help from your school employer. Otherwise, it really wouldn’t be worth your while going out there in terms of financial gain.
The exact location of the school
Quite a few international schools claim to be located in a central part of a city when they are actually in the suburbs or even in a different emirate or state. Always double check the exact location of the school by Google mapping it. If the school provides accommodation, I advise you to ask for its exact location, too, so you can use Google Maps to gauge your daily commute each day.
Sorcha Coyle has taught at schools in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for the past six years. She also runs the Empowering Expat Teachers community, which can be found on her blog.