In the circus tent of school operations, our acrobatic middle leaders have an awful lot of plates spinning.

They must rotate from being visionaries to drivers of excellent teaching and learning to resource managers and more.

Conflict among the maths crew? The head of department must smooth it over. Pastoral suggestions for the senior leadership? The year group coordinator will likely serve as a liaison.

The value of middle leaders

Any senior leader worth their salt knows how significant these roles are.

Former headteacher and education consultant Jill Berry writes: “[Middle leaders] can play a crucial role in schools’ success, but they require both support and challenge. Their leadership skills must be developed and effectively deployed, and they need to be listened to and their expertise valued.”

Programmes for middle leadership training abound. For example, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) offers a year-long one that requires a school improvement project, emphasising the power middle leaders have to influence whole-school outcomes.

Middle leaders’ experiences, however, can vary greatly depending on the school they’re in and the autonomy they’re given. And working in the international sector can add more reasons for the spinning plates to wobble.

Rapid career growth - but at what cost?

For some, working internationally means they might progress faster into middle leadership roles than they would have back home, if that is their career goal.

International schools tend to have higher turnover, so roles can be fluid. Moreover, according to CEO and Director Liz Free, an international teaching workforce shortage is predicted: “[ISC Research] estimates that by 2029, there will be 18,929 international schools requiring 1.03 million staff to service this demand.”

There is clearly ample opportunity for career progression. However, international schools can also be more isolationist because they are in competition with each other.

Because of this, middle leaders at different schools within the same city don’t always have the encouragement or opportunities to meet with each other and share best practice.

Some mechanisms, like the International Baccalaureate’s (IB’s) subject “job-alike” meetups exist for IB schools, but nowhere near the frequency of training programmes, #TeachMeets and conferences you’ll find in the UK.

The language barrier can be problematic for finding local professional development.

Additionally, if you have professional trouble - whether it’s discord with a colleague or your performance being called into question - it’s unlikely there will be a union or trade organisation you can turn to for support.

International schools may not be beholden to local employment law, depending on the country. A school I once worked at offered no maternity benefits, for example.

The need for clear rules

A lack of clarity for roles and responsibilities for middle leaders can also be problematic in international schools, according to the Journal of School Leadership and Management.

This could be because of micromanagement by senior leaders, vague job descriptions in staff handbooks, or a reliance on middle leaders to perform quality control but not strategic thinking or staff development.

This is in direct opposition to what is effective, says head of humanities Charlotte Ward, who just moved international schools from Prague to Budapest: “For me, the most important part of being a middle leader is leading change within my department that is beneficial for staff and students - helping staff to manage their workloads effectively and being a conduit between my team and SLT.”

Likewise, The British International School Shanghai, Puxi, a Nord Anglia school, lists “Contribute significantly to school improvement”, “Promote the wider aspirations and values of the school”, and “Inspire trust and confidence in students, colleagues and parents” as some of the core requirements for middle-leader posts.

Clearly, not all places just want paper pushers who monitor output.

Many benefits to enjoy

Of course, the benefits of teaching and leading in international schools are prolific. They include the chance to stoke your sense of adventure, smaller class sizes, exposure to new cultures, decent salary packages, high-quality healthcare and more.

Expatriate teachers tend to have tight-knit school communities, which has “a positive effect on morale”. COBIS found that 81 per cent of new international teachers are “happy or very happy” with their experience.

Being a middle leader in an international school doesn’t mean fewer plates to spin, but it does mean doing so in fascinating new environments with lovely students and colleagues.

Emily Rankin is a deputy head and English teacher at The English College in Prague, Czech Republic. She is also the regional lead for @WomenEdCzech and has taught internationally for nine years