The new year often serves as a spur to action - whether that is taking up a new hobby, getting fit (again) or taking on a new project. It’s also a time of year when workers start wondering if the grass really is greener, and asking, “should I stay or should I go?”

This is certainly true for teachers. Yet for the career-minded, it is often difficult to decide how long to stay in a particular role before applying for the next challenge.

Move too soon and you risk being seen as in a rush or uncommitted; stay too long and you can be branded unambitious or stuck in a rut. Where is the sweet spot that strikes the balance between these two extremes?

Here are four things to consider when weighing up whether or not it’s time to make the next move.

1. One more year’s experience?

As the adage goes, “there is a huge difference between 10 years’ experience; and one year’s experience ten times over”.  

From a career perspective, the value of the time spent in a school is more about quality than quantity.

If you are weighing up whether to leave, first ask yourself, “what will another year at this school add?” “What more will I learn by staying?” If next year in prospect looks like a repeat of the past couple of years, then perhaps you should be considering a move.

However, if there are new challenges that will develop your professional skills and experience, then there may be some very good reasons to stay.

For teachers in primary schools, this might be moving year groups so that you have classroom experience at key stage 1 or it might mean taking on a different role, such as leading a year group, phase or subject.

For those in senior schools, it might be by heading up a curriculum area in a key stage, or by taking on additional responsibility as a head of year, running a major activity or a residential trip.

The key to progressing your career whilst staying in one school for an extended number of years is to not allow yourself to grow too comfortable. Rather, it is important to challenge yourself and to build up a portfolio of experiences.

2. Don’t be a career butterfly

There is nothing inherently wrong with staying for one or two years in a school and then moving on. Certainly, this is quite common in the international community where two-year contracts are the norm.

However, to move schools every couple of years over a ten-year period is a red flag for recruiting schools.

Given the costs of recruiting, both financially and in terms of management time, leaders are generally looking for a commitment of three years or more. This recognises that it takes time to settle into a new school and for a teacher to get into full stride.

Consider also the wider context of your potential move. If you have done a long stint in a school, there is more scope to move on more quickly.

Conversely, if you have spent relatively short periods of time in two previous roles, then committing to a longer stay in your next position may be essential to “stabilise” your career.

It is also important to make a longer-term commitment to students and a school, and to demonstrate seeing projects through - this requires spending part of your career in one school for a period of time.

How an appointments panel views regular moves very much depends on the accompanying narrative.

Quite often rapid changes of school are not driven by career ambition, rather they are forced by a change of circumstances: a spouse’s job may mean relocating or a family member falls ill.

In these cases, it is often best to address the issue in the personal statement on application.

One caveat here: these principles do not apply to specialist teachers in shortage subjects, such as secondary physics.

Applicants for these roles generally have much greater freedom to call the shots. In these cases, most school principals will just be pleased to have filled a key role for the next academic year. Those in this position should use that power wisely - and that includes not overplaying their hand.

3. Should I move sideways?

Remember that when you move, you are committing to the new school for a couple of years and you don’t want that commitment to snooker you for a move that would really move your career forward.

As a general rule, moving sideways makes more sense at the start of your career, when you are still developing your practice. It gives an opportunity to see how different schools approach things and can help you find the sort of school that best suits you.

Once established, for the career-minded, it is sensible to move on to take up new leadership opportunities when they are not available in your current school.

Moving sideways as a senior leader makes sense and will be perceived positively if it is moving into a bigger or more prestigious school. Whereas moving sideways to a peer school can be a sign that someone has reached the ceiling and is trying to kick start their career.

4. Consider the ‘why?’

One final thought to remember is that, while gaining experience of different schools is important for career building, you should not just move for the sake of it.

Moving means leaving behind established relationships and signs you up to a period of time when you are building trust with a new group of colleagues and students. This involves risk and takes a lot of energy. That is why it is often easier to stay.

On the other hand, moving can provide reinvigorating opportunities and experiences, as well as opening up new career avenues. These often make the effort of moving worthwhile.

Ultimately, the decision of “should I stay or should I go?” comes down to answering the “why?” question: “why should I move?” If there are good reasons, go for it - and don’t look back!

Mark S Steed is the principal and CEO of Kellett School, the British International School in Hong Kong; and previously ran schools in Devon, Hertfordshire and Dubai. He tweets @independenthead