The Key to Preventing Burnout in International Education

International data shows that those in the teaching profession experience double the amount of stress, anxiety, overwhelm and fatigue than other professions. The fact that the teaching profession is internationally characterized by a high degree of teacher shortage, high attrition rates and difficulties in recruiting new candidates (Smith and Watson-Vandiver, 2021), makes one think that there might be a connection between teachers’ wellbeing and teacher retention. 

In my counseling practice I have seen an increase in the number of international school teachers seeking help. Originally, I assumed it was due to the residual impact challenges of Covid, but the number of teachers wanting support for their mental health shows no signs of abating. Partly due to my background in international schools and its high degree of connectedness, many of my clients are themselves teachers in international schools. Of those teachers who I see, a significant proportion show signs of professional burn-out.

This article offers several possible reasons for the trend I see in my practice. It  will then explore ways to maintain mental and physical health while coping with the unique demands of international teaching. 

The Causes of Poor Mental Health Amongst International Educators

• Parents

High expectations by parents, administrators, and Boards for student achievement increases the responsibility put upon teachers. Often influenced by hearsay and active Whatsapp groups, some parents are latching onto anecdotes and consuming them as truths, telling schools what they and their children want, without knowing really what they need. 

Parents are pushing for increasing evidence of “rigor” in the curriculum. Often when asked for a definition of rigor and where they see it lacking, the responses lean on concepts such as more testing, more homework, and a 19th century model of education. Many educators find themselves working late into the night and on weekends to keep up with lesson planning and grading so that they can deliver the curriculum with the results a demanding clientele is expecting. 

As paying customers, parents in international schools often demand more from their child’s school experience than in a state or public system. Extra- curricular activities can be a selling point when choosing a school, and too often teachers are expected to run these extra-curricular programs after their teaching day. Physical and mental exhaustion are all too often the results for school faculty. 

Parents have become accustomed to regular and frequent communication with their child’s teachers, emailing and setting in person appointments to ask questions, share concerns, and complaints (and sometimes praise). Teachers are often expected to respond within 24 hours of receiving an email, and schedule appointments either before or after school hours. Carefully crafted email responses to critical parents, and time spent meeting one-to-one adds extra hours to teacher’s workdays, not to mention a growing sense of stress and anxiety. 

• School Leadership

Many of my clients refer to the changing personnel in leadership roles, and frequent reprioritization and/or addition of initiatives. Good work that they and their teams have accomplished might be cast aside as a new leader changes course. Recalibrating professional behaviors to suit the needs of a new Head of School or Principal can be taxing. This is particularly germane to teacher evaluation systems where processes and goal posts change. Teachers need clarity, and the systems in place seem to rarely provide that. Ambiguity can itself cause exhaustion. In my experience, teachers are often perfectionists, and a culture of more, better, quicker without the kindness of clarity can overwhelm even the most committed individual.

• Scheduling of Professional Development

Professional development is a benefit of working in a well-resourced international school, and a stressor at the same time. Attending regular professional development outside of the teaching day takes away from free time and adds to fatigue. Sometimes professional development takes place on weekends, giving no time for rejuvenation before the work week begins again. Often in the interest of finances, teachers are called upon to provide free professional development to their colleagues by sharing their expertise on a topic. Preparing presentations takes away from a teacher’s life outside of work and compounds stress, anxiety, fatigue, and overwhelm. 

• Loneliness

Those living far from family and friends; especially those who are single, are susceptible to loneliness when teaching in an international setting. Over-working can all too easily become an escape from uncomfortable feelings. When friends and family are absent, teachers tend to rely on their work and their relationship with students to find their sense of connection, purpose and meaning. While working over-time might fill a gap, it usually results in physical and mental exhaustion. 

Strategies for Maintaining Mental and Physical Health in a Demanding Profession

• Work-Life Balance

Maintaining a work-life balance is the key to managing the challenges that many international educators face. Without this balance, burn-out is likely to take place. According to Psychology Today, “Burn-out is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.” Avoiding burn-out is not only important to one’s mental and physical health, but it also impacts the effectiveness of one’s teaching. Teachers who achieve a work-life balance are more energized, passionate and creative, leading to better student learning outcomes. Those who maintain work-life balance have greater job satisfaction. Moreover, they find greater fulfillment in their daily lives.

• Boundary Setting 

Boundary setting is important in every aspect of life, but it is essential to achieving work-life balance. Learn to pause and consider your needs before responding to someone’s request to add more to your plate. Doing away with our automatic tendency to say, “yes” will reduce feelings of stress and overwhelm. You might be surprised at the acceptance from others, around making intentional choices about how you commit your time. Try to remember that there is no perfect teacher, no perfect principal and that “better beats perfect.” Give yourself permission, periodically, to do less. 

• Interests and Hobbies

Identify your interests and hobbies outside of work. This can seem difficult if work has been your only focus, but try new things and chances are you will find passions that you didn’t know you had. Plan for ways you will invest in your interests and hobbies each week. This might mean leaving work at a certain time to ensure you arrive at your Pickleball tournament or painting class on time. Leaving work behind is also a good boundary setting exercise. 

• Self-Care

Practice self-care in the form of exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep in order to improve your physical and emotional resilience. Incorporating meditation and self-compassion into your daily routine will help with managing stress, anxiety and feelings of overwhelm. Those most prone to burnout are the dedicated and the committed. It becomes a badge of honor, “If I have a weakness, it’s that I care too much” (Schaufeli and Greenglass, 2001, p.144). Practice regular self-compassion by telling yourself and believing it, that you are enough and that what you are able to accomplish is sufficient.

• Self-Check-In

Regular self-check-ins on what you are experiencing in your inner world will alert you to the physical and emotional signs of burn-out. YouTube has guided body scans available for this purpose. Research shows that even three minutes of time to sit quietly can have a positive impact on our mental wellbeing. Observe what emotions are arising within you, along with the thoughts and physical sensations that accompany them. Take time to breathe into the part of your body where you feel the tension. 

• Stay Connected

Stay connected to others. Having a support network both in and out of your workplace helps one to feel less isolated in the challenges they are experiencing. “The person who lacks close relationships with friends or family will be far more dependent on students, parents and colleagues for signs of appreciation” (Maslach, 1982, p. 242). Talking with others is an effective way of reducing stress and anxiety. Seek help from a professional when your emotions are overly influencing your everyday life and your ability to enjoy the life you want to live. Therapists and counselors are trained to guide you toward achieving a balanced life, something that can be difficult to do on our own. 

Finding and maintaining a work-life balance is not only possible, but also critical to our physical and mental wellbeing. It is not a selfish endeavor. Not only will you benefit, but your students will, too. Working as an international educator can be rewarding and fulfilling if you balance all the domains of your life. 

References

Maslach, C. (1982). Burnout: The Cost of Caring. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1999). Teacher burnout: A research agenda. In R. Vandenberghe & A. M. Huberman (Eds.), Understanding and preventing teacher burnout: A sourcebook of international research and practice (pp. 295–303). 

Schaufeli, W.B. and Greenglass, E.R. (2001) Introduction to Special Issue on Burnout and Health. Psychology and Health, 16, 501-510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08870440108405523

Wiggan, G., Smith, D. & Watson-Vandiver, M.J. The National Teacher Shortage, Urban Education and the Cognitive Sociology of Labor. Urban Rev 53, 43–75 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-020-00565-z