International education is an industry where recruiting has become increasingly challenging and competitive, while turnover is often viewed as simply part of the international school experience of working and traveling around the world. At Ruamrudee International School, we have worked intentionally to create a culture where people want to stay. Our average teacher longevity is approximately eight years, and while no single initiative can explain that number, I believe our approach to relationships, recruitment, and onboarding plays an important role.
I conduct a first interview with every prospective teacher. I begin in a way that often catches people off guard. I tell them that we work hard to find the right people for our school, but that it is equally important that we are the right school for them. I explain that I already know quite a bit about them. I have read their résumé and professional profile, perused their references, and learned about their experience and accomplishments.
“But you probably don't know very much about us,” I tell them. “So for the next hour, I'm not going to ask you many questions. This is your opportunity to ask me anything you want to know about Ruamrudee, our leadership, living in Bangkok, our community, or what it is really like to work here.”
The conversation usually takes a very different turn. Candidates are often surprised that the Head of School is their first interviewer and that I give them an hour to ask questions rather than spend that time evaluating them. But I believe something important happens in that conversation. Before we ask someone to join our school, we need to demonstrate that we are interested in them as a person, not simply as a résumé or a potential employee. That belief continues long after the interview.
One of the most meaningful parts of our onboarding happens before a new teacher ever sets foot on campus. I make it a priority to be at the airport to personally welcome our new faculty members. This year, our teachers arrived over a 26-hour period. I was there, along with members of our administrative team, to be the first face they saw upon their arrival in Bangkok. There are certainly more efficient ways to do it. But efficiency isn't always the point.
After a long journey, arriving in a new country can be overwhelming. Seeing the Head of School waiting at the airport communicates something more powerful than any orientation presentation can: We were expecting you. We are glad you are here. You matter to us.
Our onboarding continues throughout the first week. Members of our administrative team spend significant time with new faculty, not explaining policies and procedures (that happens during the second week), but helping them begin to build a life. We take them to stores, introduce them to realtors, help them find pet supplies, explore Bangkok together, and share meals and cultural experiences. Our days can run from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. These aren't things that appear on an onboarding checklist. They show that belonging is important from the start.
My doctoral research examined the importance of principal-teacher relationships in international schools in West Africa, including schools operating in environments marked by significant instability. One lesson from that work has stayed with me throughout my career: when circumstances become difficult, relationships matter. People need to know that their leaders see them, know them, and genuinely care about their experience.
We often talk about retention in terms of salaries, benefits, contracts, housing, and recruitment packages. All of those things matter. But I have come to believe that retention begins much earlier and runs much deeper. It begins with the first conversation. It continues with the first face a teacher sees at the airport. And it is reinforced every day by the relationships we build afterward.
As a Head of School, I don't always have the luxury of time. There are budgets, crises, meetings, evaluations, and a thousand competing demands. Sometimes spending another evening at the airport or taking a new teacher shopping feels like one more thing on an already impossible list. But leadership is ultimately about deciding what deserves our time. For me, people do.
And when a teacher tells us that the way we welcomed them made RIS feel like home, I am reminded that some of the most important work a Head of School does never appears on the calendar. Perhaps that is why the first conversation and the first face matter so much. They are the beginning of a relationship that, if we do our job well, can last far beyond the first contract. I truly believe that investing this time in building relationships from the start has an invaluable impact on our school.
Read more from The Complexities of Head of School Leadership series: Odysseus Needed a Mentor. I Did Too.
Dr. James (Jim) O’Malley is the Head of School at Ruamrudee International School in Bangkok, Thailand, where he has served since 2018. With more than 27 years of leadership experience in international education across four continents, Jim has led schools in the United States, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Thailand. His leadership interests include teacher recruitment and retention, organizational culture, student well-being, inclusion, and building strong, sustainable school communities. He is passionate about creating environments where educators feel valued, connected, and empowered to do their best work.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-james-o-malley-184812ba/
