Tag: New Job

Researching the International School Sector

The hardest part of seeking your first international school leadership job is knowing where to start.

If you’re new to the international education scene, the search can be overwhelming. Different regions from Asia to the Middle East to the Americas offer different recruitment pathways. Without a clear direction, it’s easy to get lost. As the Cheshire Cat famously said in Alice in Wonderland, “If you don’t know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

Without clarity, hours of online searching may leave you right back where you began.

Step One: Know What You’re Looking For

Before clicking through job boards, ask yourself:

  • What do I want to get from this experience?
  • What type of school will support my values, style, and goals?
  • What cultural environment suits my family or personal circumstances?

Each international school is unique shaped by its leadership, ethos, student body, and parent community. Matching yourself to the right school matters just as much as landing the job itself.

Step Two: Use the Right Recruitment Platforms

Once I knew the type of school I was after, I narrowed my search. Below is a list of the most helpful platforms I used. Some require full applications, others just a CV. Some charge a fee, many don’t. In my experience, the free ones were often the most helpful.

Recommended Job Boards and Recruitment Agencies

Top tip: The agency that ultimately secured my role in Dubai was International Teachers Plus. Their support throughout the application and transition process was excellent.

Step Three: Research Before You Apply

When you find a potential role, go beyond the job ad. Learn about:

  • The school’s vision, culture, and leadership
  • Its student population and parent involvement
  • Staff structure and professional development opportunities
  • Current and future initiatives
  • The quality of communication and support

International job transitions are significant—for you and your family. Don’t just apply for a job. Choose a school that fits your values and aspirations.

Final Thought

Finding the right international role takes time, clarity, and a lot of research. But once you define what you want and use the right platforms, the path becomes clearer.

Happy hunting and may your next move be the right one.

Why I’m Leaving My Principalship for an International Role

After more than two decades as a school principal across three educational jurisdictions and two states in Australia, I’ve reached a personal and professional crossroads.

For the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege of leading a thriving school on the beautiful Mid North Coast of New South Wales. It’s a place I’ve poured my energy into, a place that has shaped me as much as I’ve shaped it.

The Plateau of Leadership

There’s a moment many leaders encounter: the plateau. When you’ve led long enough to know every corner of the school and every nuance of the community, routine can settle in. For some, it’s a signal to step aside and leave on a high before comfort replaces challenge.

For others, it’s a prompt to grow again.

The Personal Side of the Decision

As a lifelong learner, I’ve come to recognise a deeper need for challenge. That realisation hasn’t been easy. Like many who wrestle with major career decisions, my choice isn’t just about me. There’s a family to consider including children, mortgages, a spouse’s career, ageing parents, extended family, and friendships that anchor daily life.

When a school principal announces they’re leaving, people see only the surface. They ask, “What does this mean for us?” Fair question. But what often goes unseen are the long conversations, the weighing of costs and benefits, the hopes, fears, and practicalities that sit just below the surface like the iceberg beneath the waterline.

The Purpose of This Blog

With the full support of my family, I’ve decided to resign from my current principalship to take up an international leadership role in Dubai.

This blog will chronicle that transition, initially for my family, who will remain in Australia until our youngest completes the HSC in 2015. But it will also serve as a reflective outlet, a space to document the challenges, discoveries, and growth that come with stepping into the unknown.

Looking Ahead

I hope this space becomes more than a personal journal. Like other expat blogs I’ve followed, I hope it offers useful insight for educators, leaders, and anyone considering a leap into the next chapter.

Change is never simple. But growth rarely is.

What would it take for you to leave something successful in pursuit of something unknown? And if not now, when?

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