Every year, thousands of teachers globally relocate to another country, another continent, for a different life. In the UK alone, it is estimated 15,000 teachers work abroad every year
As an educational recruiter, I’ve seen first-hand how the teacher shortage crisis across the UK has impacted schools and colleges. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) recently published their report indicating that teacher vacancies across England have almost doubled since our pre-Covid days. Their report showed that there was a 93% increase in vacancies during the academic year up to February 2023, in comparison to the same time in 2019.
So, with an increase of vacancies across England, what is motivating teachers to go abroad? It’s no doubt the UK being in a cost of living crisis since late 2021 has impacted people’s decisions to move abroad. According to the 2022 report by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) however, the main motivators still include in descending order; travel and cultural exploration, enjoyment and challenge, career growth, and then salary.
The COBIS report also found that international teaching experiences continued to play a vital role in the retention of professionals, with 43% of incoming teachers “thinking about leaving the profession before taking up an international job”.
With international schools having an estimated 6.5million students enrolled globally, according to ISC Research, it’s no doubt the market is flourishing. Over the past decade, the number of international schools has increased over 49% globally, meaning an increase of teachers needed.
Some of the benefits of relocating abroad include the packages from international schools, which can include accommodation with bills, along with the pay, and additional benefits such as the cost of living being cheaper in many countries than in the UK.
With 83% of teachers overall reporting that they are happy or very happy with their international experiences according to COBIS, no matter your reasoning, why not give international schools a try?
Sources:
- ISC Research https://iscresearch.com/data/
- The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) https://www.nfer.ac.uk
- The Council of British International Schools https://www.cobis.org.uk/about-us/research/teacher-supply-in-british-international-schools
