The Journey Begins

I feel a good place to start talking about this journey is from the very beginning. So many people are asking how and why I became interested in international schools. It all started after my attendance at workshop during the National Association of Elementary School Principals annual conference in Long Beach last summer. I was invited to attend the conference by myON after our district was selected to be spotlighted in a series called The Principal’s Perspective. Just as your typical conference is structured, this conference had a series of keynote speakers followed by mini workshops throughout the day. During the last day, there was very little on the agenda that I found applicable to what I do, however, there was a session on international schools. I figured I’d check it out, not having a clue what an international school was. The session was co-facilitated by a senior associate from Search Associates and a Regional Education Officer with the Office of Overseas Schools and the US Department of State. At this session, I learned that there are opportunities for teachers and administrators in international schools all over the world. These schools, many of which are partially funded by the US Department of State, cater to expats who have had to, or have chosen to move their family to another part of the world and want to ensure a top-notch education for their children. I learned about this amazing lifestyle of educators who have made it their career to travel the world by working in international schools. The presenter from Search Associates, Ralph Jahr, shared his experience working in schools in places such as Japan, Belgium, Libera, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Dominican Republic. I was hooked! Could you even imagine?

After the conference, I met up with my partner and began telling him all about international schools and immediately he and I were drawn to the idea of raising our son in schools like this – where he could experience new cultures and languages, learning from peers from every corner of the earth – all while receiving a world-class education. We knew that there wasn’t a chance of us ever being able to provide an experience like this for him unless we jumped on an opportunity like this. We don’t always agree on much, but this is one thing that he and I agreed wholeheartedly that we wanted to explore.

So, I immediately set up a follow-up call with Ralph to learn more about how I could get started. He walked me through the timeline and how I could create a portfolio that would make me marketable. I learned that most schools began hiring principals in the fall for the following year and if I stood a chance, I’d need to get started ASAP. So, I spent a few weeks gathering letters of recommendation, drafting a new resume, and creating my online portfolio through Search Associates. As jobs started to pop up, I spent hours researching the schools and decided to throw my hat in the ring for opportunities in South Africa, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico and Spain. I knew it would be an uphill battle as almost every job posting stated that the ideal candidate would have had teaching or administrative experience in international schools. I didn’t always match their profile of an ideal candidate, but I figured there was no harm in trying. My partner and I fully expected this year to be a wash and agreed that I’d become a bit more aggressive in the search next fall. However, in January 2016, I received my first call…


For those of you who are working in international schools, I'm curious as to what peaked your interest and how you began your journey.