Jo Lee, Teacher, Researcher and Founder of Jo Lee Creativity, provides advice on how to manage your time and energy when preparing to transfer international teaching posts.
My brother compared the international teacher recruitment process to the transfer window in football. The window opens in November and closes around April. When international teachers decide to move, more jobs are advertised. As TES job alerts ping through, Senior Leaders, Marketing and HR departments shift gear and the merry go round picks up pace.
My first international job application, 17 years ago, was a win-win situation. If I was successful, international adventures awaited, if not I’d happily stay put. It was all to play for.
The merry go round
That 2 year adventure turned into a 16 year career, enjoying different cultures, travel and professional growth.
Friends in other industries were incredulous when I described the international recruitment process. “What do you mean you have to give 7 months notice? In my role, it’s only … insert significantly shorter time frame”.
Schools set internal deadlines, with the end of November as standard. Some schools offer cash incentives to staff who return in August and give a year’s notice. That’s for HR and Senior Leaders to consider … Does early advertising recruit the best candidate?
The push-pull factor
Psychologically, choosing to leave versus being asked to leave is significant.
Are you choosing to move on, being pulled by the desire for promotion / adventure / time with family? OR are you being pushed, because your values don’t align with the school, you’ve not settled, systems and routines feel at odds.
Reasons vary with the individual. A colleague arrived in Malaysia and sorely missed his weekends watching football. Other factors may have influenced his early return to England but the 8 hour time difference was undoubtedly one of them!
The rollercoaster of emotions
In the best case scenario, you’ve chosen to leave and new possibilities await. However, your job will be advertised and potentially filled before you have secured a new position and you’re keen to finish the sentence, “I’m leaving here and moving to …”.
The uncertainty is tough and doesn’t get easier when you might now be applying with a partner / kids who need school places. I was on the interview panel during the pandemic when a candidate needed a moment. He had been in lockdown in one country and his wife and child were stuck in another. We all welled up. We all knew.
And of course amidst all this, the pace and energy of school life continues. There are still two terms to go. A school year doesn’t slow down or alter, you have to keep up.
As the merry go round picks up speed, how do you enjoy the ride and not be flung off?
Be kind to yourself
- In a busy school year, when applying for jobs and gearing up to make a big life change, the rollercoaster of emotions can be exhausting.
Be honest with yourself
- What emotions are you feeling? Uncertainty? Fear? Excitement?
- I’ve used EFT or ‘emotional freedom technique’ to help.
Reach out to former colleagues
- I spoke to friends who had gone through an international move. They’ll remember what you’re going through. Message them.
Give yourself time to mentally digest and prepare
- One teaching couple had “Bahexit” dinners. They were planning to leave Bahrain, Brexit was happening … you get the idea! They specifically discussed their ‘exit’ from the country that had been their home for a decade. It was a huge decision and not one to be taken lightly. Once the decision was made, these nights became dinner with friends they wanted to have time with before leaving.
Get organised
- Make sure your CV / covering letter / educational philosophy statement is drafted, ready to be adapted for different applications. You’ll feel better once this is done.
- Look for articles and advice e.g. https://www.tes.com/magazine/leadership/staff-management/how-write-educational-philosophy-statement
- Look for the positives
- Try to reframe: “I’m here for ANOTHER 6 months” to “I’m ONLY here for another 6 months”.
- What is on your ‘bucket list’ of things to enjoy before you move?
- What events in the school calendar are you looking forward to?
- Which colleagues and students are you going to miss the most?
Wishing international teachers all the best for the recruitment process.
If you would like professional mentoring and EFT, please reach out. I’ve been there!
For more information about EFT, see https://www.joleecreativity.com/mentoring