The trend for UK trained teachers to move abroad to teach is one that isn’t going away. According to 2014 research from the Independent Schools Council, there are 100,000 teachers working in English-medium schools abroad. The majority of these are based in international schools, teaching in English, but not necessarily the same curriculum.
Different exam courses, different syllabuses, different school structures: all these lead some to question their employability if they return to the UK.
“I have been teaching abroad now for three years,” says Luke Payne, a PE teacher in Dubai. “I worry that I’ve missed too many of the big changes in the UK. Everyone else has been teaching the new specification, and I am behind on the current agendas and initiatives.”
Are such fears warranted? Judging by the number of teachers returning from abroad, 71 per cent within 10 years, the answer is no.
Sheffield Hallam University researchers have produced a report, commissioned by the Department for Education, on the use of international teachers in recruitment. Speaking to school leaders and 3,357 international teachers, they surveyed the current opinion about recruiting international teachers.
The majority of the schools surveyed had employed teachers who had come from international schools. The report included many positive comments from leaders, such as “If I didn't have international recruitment, I wouldn’t have a school running”.
Any teachers who are feeling apprehensive about their time out of the UK system should be reassured that they are likely to have benefited from the extensive CPD opportunities they have had during their time abroad.
Peggy Pelonis-Peneros, of the University of Bath, recently published a research paper where she surveyed more than a 100 international schools, and found an average spend of 2 per cent on CPD, compared with 0.7 per cent in the UK, as reported by the Teacher Development Trust.
A recent Cobis survey has found that when teachers go to work abroad, 70 per cent leave as classroom teachers, and 17 per cent as heads of department. Yet, of the teachers returning to teach in the UK, 43 per cent are heads of department and only 32 per cent are classroom teachers. This seems to suggest that there is career development occurring during the time abroad.
Julia Knight, of The British School Bahrain, says “The CPD I have had while working in international schools has been of a consistently high quality. Not only that, I have more PPA time to actually put the things I have learnt in my CPD to good use, instead of spending all my time on admin duties.”
What about conferences?
In the UK, there is an abundance of choice when it comes to educational conferences. From large corporate multi-day events, such as Ucas or BETT Show to grass-roots, teacher-led weekend conferences, such as New Voices, and ResearchEd. Moving overseas might reduce the amount of choice you have, but it doesn’t mean conference-going has to stop altogether.
If you are in Europe, you have the option of the British Council, which organises conferences and seminars in Spain. The British Council also holds an international conference, called Going Global, which took place last year in Malaysia and will next year be in Germany.
Next year, Turkey will be hosting the International Teacher Education Conference, and there are organisations supported by the British Council, such as Bahrain English Language Teaching Professionals, which organise CPD and conferences for teachers in Bahrain.
How else can I develop?
It isn’t only formal CPD that you can benefit from while abroad. Natalie, a teacher in the United Arab Emirates, has found that being in an international school has afforded her a wealth of new experiences.
“I have developed as a teacher since moving abroad because I’m now teaching ESL (English as a second language), iGCSE, and A level,” she says. “Back home, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do any of this. I’m benefiting from the experience of different awarding bodies and learning new texts to teach.”
Natalie feels confident that, when she comes to return to the UK in a few years, these experiences will mean that she will have more choice when she applies for jobs. “I’m more employable now than when I left,” she says.
Celebrate the differences
When returning international teachers consider their applications for their first jobs back in the UK, they should not be focusing on what has been missed – instead, they should focus on what has been gained. Teaching EAL students, adaptability and experience of teaching a variety of exam boards are all worthy additional skills that deserve to be celebrated in your application forms. It is these things that will make you stand out, and that is no bad thing.
For more details on what life is like while teaching abroad, check out our careers advice for teaching overseas.
To explore what international jobs are on offer visit our international job pages.