The answers are rarely about beaches, travel, or tax-free salaries. More often, they are about professional alignment. About wanting smaller class sizes that allow for meaningful feedback. About leadership that trusts teachers. About working in a system where learning drives decisions instead of compliance.
In my doctoral research on first-contract expatriate educators, many described leaving their home systems not because they had stopped loving teaching, but because they felt constrained by them. A significant number were even considering leaving the profession altogether before accepting an international role. What they were searching for was not escape, it was fit.
That reality should matter deeply to us both as teachers and as school leaders navigating international recruitment.
Recruitment is not simply about filling vacancies. It is about stewarding professional identity and building culture.
For Schools: Hire for Alignment, Not Just Ability
Research consistently links turnover to poor hiring practices. In international schools, where mobility is common and contracts are finite, the stakes are even higher. Retention begins the moment recruitment begins.
“Right fit” is often misunderstood. It is not about hiring someone who looks or thinks like everyone else. It is about alignment between:
When recruitment becomes purely transactional–CV screening, rapid interviews, quick offers–we miss the deeper conversation. The strongest interviews I’ve experienced are relational and values-driven. They explore belief systems. They allow candidates to ask hard questions. They signal that we see you as a professional and as a future contributor to our learning community.
International educators are not just changing jobs; they are changing countries, communities, and professional ecosystems. That level of commitment deserves a recruitment process that reflects care and intentionality.
Teachers who feel respected during recruitment are more likely to engage, commit, and contribute meaningfully once hired. If we want strong culture, we must recruit in a way that models it.
For Teachers: Choose Alignment Over Escape
Teachers must approach recruitment with equal intentionality. If you are considering an international move, ask yourself: Am I running from something, or moving toward something?
Burnout or just a need for a change is real, and maybe another international school can offer renewal. But a change of geography does not automatically solve a mismatch of values. The international sector is diverse. Schools differ widely in mission, governance, leadership style, and expectations.
When evaluating schools, look beyond compensation and location. Consider:
In an increasingly global profession, you are not just being interviewed, you are interviewing. Recruitment is mutual discernment.
Recruitment as the First Chapter of Retention
International education continues to expand rapidly, even as teacher shortages and attrition challenge systems worldwide. Within that tension lies opportunity. When recruitment is reflective and values-driven, it becomes a retention strategy. International schools, at their best, do not simply recruit teachers, they retain educators in the profession by offering autonomy, professional respect, and cultural growth.
Recruitment is not a transaction. It is the first chapter in a shared story of culture, commitment, and student impact. If we approach it with that mindset, we strengthen not only our schools but our profession. And in every interview, let’s remember that the future of a school is shaped not by a position being filled, but by the people who intentionally choose to join its community.
Dr. Ben Voborsky is the Head of School at Canggu Community School (CCS) in Bali, Indonesia, where he leads a thriving international community of over 650 students representing more than 40 nationalities. Ben is passionate about cultivating strong community culture and creating engaging, student-centered learning experiences grounded in wellbeing, inclusion, and responsible innovation. Prior to Bali, he served in senior leadership roles in international schools across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Across more than 25 years in international education, Ben has taught and led in International Baccalaureate and American overseas schools, and he remains actively involved in global accreditation, leadership mentoring, and professional learning networks.
