Most international schools need to recruit between 10 and 25 per cent of their staff each year. They rely on being able to attract talented individuals to a new country or to move abroad for the first time.
Given that the prospect of relocating can be very daunting, a school that develops a reputation for having effective structures in place to support these teachers will have an advantage in what is an increasingly competitive international recruitment market.
Here are seven ways that international schools can build an effective induction programme to support staff moving abroad.
1. Guide new staff through the red tape
The induction process for teachers moving to work abroad usually starts months before the adventure begins. Certain paperwork is much easier to do while still in the UK, such as getting local police clearance or producing attested copies of degree and teaching qualification certificates and, where relevant, marriage certificates.
Given that most teachers haven’t even heard of attestation and have no idea how to complete this complex process, it is important that schools have a strong (and patient) HR team who will put new joiners at ease by guiding them through what they need to do in a timely manner.
2. Connect new staff through social media
Teachers who are moving abroad can feel quite distant and isolated from the school community they are joining. One way to overcome this is to connect them via social media.
At JESS Dubai, the HR department runs a new-starters Facebook group that allows the new cohort to get to know each other and ask questions. Over time, it has become a repository for frequently asked questions. The group builds a sense of camaraderie so that when its members finally meet at the new staff social, they already “know” each other.
3. Offer relocation advice
One of the most difficult elements for someone moving abroad can be working out what they need to bring with them. The temptation is to ship too much out of a fear that it won’t be available or will be too expensive abroad. Rather than reinventing the wheel, school human resources teams can help by pointing new staff to local online forums and networks (such as ExpatWoman.com).
4. Meet and greet
Arriving in a new country knowing that it is now home is a totally different experience to going on holiday. It can be an emotional time and a familiar face can be most welcome.
It is common practice for members of the school’s senior management team to meet new staff at the airport and ensure that they are settled into their accommodation, which is usually provided or arranged by the school in the first instance.
5. Assign teacher buddies
Schools often allocate new staff with teacher buddies in the summer term prior to the big move. This gives an important point of contact, who can help the new staff member before their arrival and when it comes to settling in to the school and the expat community.
6. Lend a hand during the limbo period
It usually takes a number of weeks for visa and residency paperwork to be in place. During this time, it can be difficult for new staff to buy a car, lease an apartment, get insurance and set up a mobile phone account.
A good HR team will provide support by advising new teachers on what they need to put in place for this transitional time. (In practice, new teachers usually need to take the same steps that they would were they to be visiting the country as a tourist.) One of the most practical things that a school can do is to help new staff with wi-fi in these early days, for example by lending 4G dongles to new staff.
7. Introduce local laws and customs
One of the most important parts of new staff induction in an international context is to provide some guidance on local laws and customs. It is vital that expat staff understand the expected norms of behaviour when in public, especially at times of key religious and national festivals.
There are a variety of attitudes in the Middle East around dress code, for example, which not only vary from country to country but also depend on context (the street, the shopping mall, the government building, the beach). Schools should take the time to run sessions on local expectations rather than leaving new staff to learn what is and is not acceptable the hard way. Some schools take the process of induction to the next level by providing classes in the local language to facilitate this process.
First impressions count, and that applies as much to schools as it does to teachers. That means that HR departments are the front line when it comes to recruitment and on-boarding of staff.
In the highly competitive world of teacher recruitment, a good HR team that communicates well and puts candidates at ease is an enormous asset – one that can make the difference between securing and losing top applicants. The HR team’s work is not over once the preferred candidate has accepted the post: HR’s role in the induction process is crucial in ensuring that new staff settle and quickly get into their stride in the school.
This is true of all schools, but the challenges facing HR teams in international schools are greater as they play a crucial, guiding role in helping staff and their families through the process of moving abroad and finding their feet in what is often a strange, new country.
Mark S Steed is currently director of JESS, Dubai and has been appointed principal and chief executive of Kellett School, Hong Kong, from September 2019. He tweets @independenthead and @JESS_Director
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