Five Ways International Schools Can Improve Staff Onboarding

Having made nine international moves during my career — first alone, then with my wife, and later with our two young children — I know that moving to a new international school is not as simple as attending a one or two week induction program. The onboarding I needed when I had no dependents was vastly different from what I needed when moving with a wife and two children. A one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work.

Leaving friends, and often family, behind means stepping into the unknown. It can feel a little like stepping off a diving board and trusting that everything will somehow work out. Settling into a new city or country, knowing what to do if someone becomes ill, finding your way around a new language and culture, and even getting a mobile phone number all need attention before you have really begun looking at curriculum documents or building relationships with a new team.

If schools are prepared to spend so much time and money on recruitment, flights, visas, and relocation, why would we neglect the smaller details that can make such a difference once a teacher arrives?

That is why I think we need to stop thinking about an induction week and start thinking about onboarding: a process that begins during recruitment and continues well after the first day of school.

A Welcome Is Remembered

One of my moves was to Brazil, a continent my wife and I had never visited before. We were newly married and excited to make our first international move together. After accepting the position, we had numerous online discussions with human resources (HR), the Head of School, and my line manager. The visa preparations were taken care of and, by the time we left, it genuinely felt as though all we needed to do was pack our bags and get on the plane.

When we arrived, the Head and HR manager met us at the airport. At the apartment, there was milk, eggs, cheese, soft drinks, and water in the fridge, bread in the cupboard, and even a few treats from the United Kingdom (UK). Over the following days there were plenty of opportunities to meet staff (not all at the school's expense, of course!). We were even taken to the beach, which felt very Brazilian.

By the time I sat down with my new team, I already felt that I belonged. I felt that I mattered and that moving our lives to the other side of the world had been worth it. My wife felt the same, even if it did once take her almost 15 minutes to find soy sauce in a Portuguese-speaking supermarket, probably less of a problem today thanks to Google Translate.

I have experienced the opposite as well.

On another move, our family arrived with very little practical information. When our son became unwell, the contact person we had been given was not answering their phone. We did not know which hospital to go to, what insurance details to use or even how we would pay. Thankfully, we still had a UK credit card. We found the right hospital, our son was fine, and the school eventually reimbursed us.

But it left us asking an uncomfortable question: if this is how things feel at the beginning, what will the rest of the year look like? Nobody had deliberately decided to make our arrival difficult. Important knowledge existed within the school community; it simply had not been organized and shared.

What 190 International Teachers Told Me

These experiences helped lead to research staff induction for my master's degree in International Education. My study gathered responses from 190 international teachers across Europe, Asia, and South America. Almost three quarters, 72.7%, rated the influence of induction on their first impression of a school at eight or higher out of 10. Yet 71% said their formal induction lasted less than one week, and 50.6% rated its individualization at four or lower.

One participant wrote,  “The induction programme is a reflection of the values of the school.”

The findings were not a huge surprise. What worried me was how little some improvements would require. A stocked fridge, a useful contact number, clear healthcare information, or simply knowing who would answer the phone are relatively small things. Yet too often, they were not happening.

The literature I reviewed also pointed to the importance of first impressions. Skeats (1991), for example, identified a strong relationship between inadequate induction and early leavers, noting that the decision to leave can be made long before the end of a contract.

For me, the message was clear: induction should not be a short event before the children arrive at school. It should be a process of onboarding that lasts as long as it needs to. 

1. Begin Onboarding During Recruitment

Teachers do not suddenly need support after they sign a contract. From the first application, a school is already showing how it communicates and how it treats people. Once someone accepts a position, give them a named contact, a clear timeline, and honest answers. 

In our own practice, we make the recruitment process clear;  we are punctual and honest during interviews; once employed, we hold video calls; HR stays in contact during the visa process; and new staff know what will happen before and after arrival.

When they arrive, we meet them at the airport and take them to their apartment. The fridge and pantry are stocked, and they have emergency and hospital information, useful numbers and local suggestions. One thing I particularly value is leaving a handwritten note explaining what it was about that person that excited us when we appointed them. Nothing fancy. Just a little time, effort, and a clear message that their arrival matters.

2. Remember That Schools Recruit Families

An international appointment may employ one person, but it often relocates an entire family. I once saw an excellent teacher settle professionally while her husband, who had moved with her and was not working, struggled to find his place in the community. By Christmas, they had decided to leave. The school did not lose the teacher because she disliked her job; it lost her because the family transition had not worked.

That experience taught me to think about the whole family. An accompanying partner may need help meeting people or understanding local opportunities. A staff child still deserves a proper admissions conversation rather than an assumption that they will be fine because their parent works at the school. Schools often talk about being a family. If we use that language, it has to be demonstrated in practice.

3. Make the First 48 Hours Manageable

Accommodation should be genuinely ready. New staff should know who to contact, where the nearest hospital and pharmacy are, how local transport works, and what to do if something goes wrong. Then give them time. The journey was not simply a six-hour flight. It was remembering every piece of paperwork, checking documents, packing up a home, and saying goodbye to friends and family. It is exhausting.

In our practice, new staff have their first five days (or longer if they need it) to find their feet, unpack, discover the local shop, and recover.  We sometimes underestimate the value of giving people space before asking them to absorb more information.

4. Do Not Treat Onboarding as a Tick-Box Exercise

A very poor way to approach onboarding is, “We have taught them some key phrases in the local language, so that is done.” Just as with the students in our schools, new staff do not all arrive at the same starting point. They are learning new names, systems, expectations, routines, policies, curriculum approaches, and perhaps an entirely new culture. It is unrealistic to expect them to retain everything after hearing it once.

The first week should concentrate on what is essential: safeguarding, role clarity, immediate expectations, and key relationships. Deep dives into curriculum, assessment, and planning can wait. Behavior is a good example. Explaining a policy before the children arrive is useful, but the best questions often come once teachers have real situations to discuss. Good onboarding is not about how much information we can deliver. It is about whether the important information is understood.

5. Continue for at Least Six Months

Some teachers appear to settle immediately. Others take longer. Someone may look confident at school while their partner is lonely, their child is struggling, or their home life remains unsettled.

A simple structure might be:

• Before arrival: regular communication, honest information, and a named contact.
• First 48 hours: a prepared home, essential guidance, time to settle and find their feet.
• First week: safeguarding, role clarity, immediate expectations, and key relationships.
• Weeks three to four: a formal settling-in conversation, alongside informal check-ins.
• Months three to six: continue mentoring, then gradually shift towards professional development.
• End of the first term: review workload, relationships, expectations, and how the wider family is settling.

I would also include observing the teacher teach. That may sound like additional pressure, but observation should not only be about judgment. It shows that somebody is interested in their work and development.

Finally, ask new staff how the onboarding process could be improved. They will notice gaps that established colleagues no longer see.

What a Welcome Reveals

The onboarding process is one of the first opportunities a school has to show how supportive, organized, and honest it is going to be.

Teachers remember the little things. We would probably all enjoy a three-day, all-expenses-paid safari (something one respondent in my research experienced), but it is often the smaller things that stay with people: the handwritten note, the email before arrival, somebody checking in, or simply remembering to ask how the family is settling. Sadly, people also remember when none of those things happen.

After many years working internationally, experiencing numerous onboarding processes myself and speaking with colleagues around the world through my research, I have come to believe that getting this right does not have to be complicated.

We recruit excellent teachers because we want them to give their best in the classroom, build strong relationships, and share their experience with colleagues. Giving people our time, listening when they need support, and making sure they are not navigating the transition alone can make an enormous difference.

For me, strong onboarding comes down to something quite simple: helping people feel heard, feel valued, and be recognized as part of the team from the beginning. When we get that right, we give the teachers we worked so hard to recruit the best possible chance to give their best to the children in their care.