A Quick and Dirty Guide To International Schools For Teachers Seeking Overseas Employment #4

Private Board-Run International Schools

Let’s face it, most international schools are going to be private. What reason would any country’s government have to run a special school for foreign children? I can think of a few and none of them are particularly good!

And so, you’re going to be stuck with a private school. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Private board-run international schools are generally the best of the lot. These schools are run on a not-for-profit basis where any and all profits are usually ploughed back into the school in order to fund future improvements.

The board is often made up of a mixture of local business people and officials (to ease the school’s relationship with officials), parents and teachers. The primary goal of these schools is more likely to be to provide an excellent education for students because you’ve got educators and parents on the decision making body.

The good, the bad and the ugly of Private Board-Run International Schools…

The Good is that quality education is the number one priority of the people with the decision making power.

The Bad isn't really that bad... it's just that when board members include people who are not trained educators, sometimes they have some trouble prioritising issues the way education administrators would. And if the terms of office are restricted, then they may only think in the short-term rather than the long term.

The Ugly is that sometimes cultural differences can affect the good of the school. In some countries, maintaining or enhancing the 'status' of the school can take precedence over good education for the students. Or even good hiring decisions.

Still, if possible, this is the kind of school you really want to be working for!

Teaching Overseas in Private Board-Run International Schools