Teaching overseas is not just for young people!
If you're an experienced teacher, a world of opportunities awaits you...
Being young, free and single isn’t the only way to work overseas. Teaching in an international school is the perfect opportunity for anyone with a teaching qualification – of any age or circumstance – who wants to travel, work and experience real life abroad.
Whether you are looking for a bit of adventure before retirement, or you’re a travelling spouse, a teaching couple, or have a family and want to introduce your children to new cultures and global experiences, the opportunities for qualified teachers of all ages and circumstances are available. International schools want skilled, enthusiastic and experienced teachers, and that could mean you!
Moving overseas with a family
Moving overseas with your children is a big commitment. You may be concerned that your kids will not want to leave home, or that applying for positions with a young family might make you less employable. However, moving overseas can be an incredible adventure to share with your children.
Living in new countries and learning alongside other children from many different cultures fosters international mindedness. Such experiences will help your children when going to university, starting their career and throughout their lives.
You may also be surprised how well they will settle in to their new environment. According to research by Dr. Anees Janee Ali from Groningen University, children settle well into expatriate life if they are listened to by their family and live near other children going through a similar experience i.e. other expatriate children. A high number of international school staff and many pupils are expatriates, so teachers’ children very quickly make friends - with both the expats and the local children.
Many international schools enthusiastically welcome teachers with families as they are often prepared to commit to more years in one place because of the stability that gives to their children. This helps to give a school more stability too; something that is liked by the families of children attending the school.
Many international schools will offer free education to teachers’ children; giving them the chance to learn in an international, and often-times, forward-thinking learning environment. International schools offer a range of curriculum and learning approaches and many follow the national curriculum of England or a US-oriented curriculum. Many others follow the increasingly popular International Baccalaureate, so it’s very possible to find a school that reflects the learning needs that you want for your child.
TIC families share their experiences of living overseas
Janice Ireland, who took her teenage daughter with her when she taught in Kuwait says: “My daughter came with me and did her A levels in the same school as I worked. She absolutely loved it! Initially she didn’t want to go because of leaving her friends so we agreed we would do a three month trial. She has become much more internationally-minded because of this. She has since travelled extensively as a result, and experienced different countries not just from the perspective of a holiday-maker but from actually living there.”
And Joe Hamkari, who took his family to Qatar when he taught science in Doha says: “Qatar is lovely for a person with family, it’s very safe. Where else in the world can you go where you can allow your children to have the freedom you had as a child? I am happy to allow my six year old to go out and visit friends. We live in a compound, it’s very safe. I can sit by the pool and watch them jump in and out of the pool all day. There are plenty of activities here, we have the beach, we have malls, all sorts of games for the kids, but most importantly kids get to mix with other kids and therefore, they get the socialisation, the friendship you used to have as a child that they no longer have today.” Joe is now the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme coordinator at the school.
Move abroad once the children move out
If your kids have now left home and you’re an ‘empty-nester’, why not take on an exciting adventure yourself? If you’ve always wanted to travel, there’s no better time to do it!
International schools highly value teachers with a wealth of experience, and a school’s staff will vary in ages. So now is the perfect opportunity for you if your children have just left home and you want to try something new.
It’s important to talk to your children about moving overseas before you make the commitment. Even though they won’t be going with you, they may feel apprehensive about you living in another country. Make them part of the decision process to put them at ease and to show you appreciate their opinion. And make sure they come and visit. A free holiday is always a great incentive for your children and wider family!
A TIC empty-nester tells her story
Dulcie Copeland decided to get a job in an international school in Hungary when her children left home: “Teaching overseas was something I have always fancied, so I thought it is now or never! I was concerned about my youngest son, who had just left home, but I was only two-and-a-half hours away by plane.”
She offers advice for others considering the experience: “You will miss family and friends at times, but, remember there is always Skype, letters, etc. If you plan in advance when you will next be home, then family and friends won’t seem so distant, and you will always have something to look forward to.”
Dulcie’s first international job was with at The British School of Budapest. She has since spread her wings even further and is currently enjoying life in Thailand while working at Harrow International School in Bangkok. Her international experiences have, says Dulcie, been incredible and the opportunities to develop her teaching skills by working alongside professionals from all over the world have been significant.
As for living and working in other countries, Dulcie is very enthusiastic: “I loved the culture and the sights and sounds of Budapest. Although it was a city, you still felt a certain freedom. It was easy and cheap to get around and very bike friendly. Financially I was much better off. Bangkok is an amazing experience. The sights, sounds, colours are just incredible.”
Don’t retire…move country instead!
International schools overseas do not have rigid retirement ages. So why not take advantage of your wealth of experience and, instead of retiring, find a new country you’ve always wanted to visit – and go and teach there!
International schools usually offer fairly short contracts of two or three years, which makes it easy to consider one more teaching job in a new and exciting location when you’re near retirement. You may have more flexibility than a younger teacher and so be able to fill very short-term, short-notice opportunities quickly and easily too.
Older, wiser…and more adventure! A TIC teacher tells all
Rudi Powell from Wales decided to look at international teaching options towards the end of his career: “I was about to retire after 35 years of teaching in the UK,” he says. “I heard about a job opportunity in Vienna International School in Austria, and six weeks later I was teaching students from over 80 nationalities! It was a great experience: the new challenge, the school and the city.”
Rudi went from Austria to a short-term post teaching science at the Rotterdam International School in The Netherlands. His advice to other more mature teachers: “Go for it. There are so many opportunities.”
International school teaching offers fantastic opportunities for qualified teachers of all ages and circumstances. If you would like to find out more about the international teaching jobs that are relevant for you, have a chat with one of the TIC recruitment specialists now.
You can also take a look at the TIC teacher Vacancies section to see what international school jobs are currently available that would be relevant for you. Don’t forget, new jobs are posted all the time, so make sure you register with TIC - it’s completely free if you’re a qualified teacher and this will help you stay in touch with new job opportunities as soon as they are announced.
And you can download the TIC App (available from iPhone and Android) to stay up-to-date with all the latest vacancies and news from TIC wherever you are.
You may also be interested in these other helpful blogs:
• Teaching overseas – where in the world could you be next year?
• The differences between international and national schools
• My first time overseas in an international school
Like this post? Share it!
Anne Keeling
Anne handles the media relations for TIC. She researches and writes the articles that appear in the press and on websites about how TIC is supporting teachers and the international schools, and how teachers who have been placed by TIC are getting on with their international teaching experience. She has spent over 25 years in media relations.
IBDP Psychology Teacher
Design Technology Teacher