ISC Research hosted an online panel discussion addressing some of the key challenges currently impacting recruitment and staff development in international schools. Our panel of experts from international schools and expert partners discussed how international schools have been affected by market shifts and how they are responding, highlighting good practice and expert advice to support schools through change.
You can view a recording of this session on our YouTube channel here:
Here are just a few of the key messages and advice to take away from our expert panel…
Dr Vincent Chain, Principal of Fairview International School, gave one main piece of advice to international schools when it comes to planning your CPD strategy. “Map your talent before you start on any CPD strategy,” he recommended. “You need to know what’s on the ground. What do you need and ‘who has what?’ before you begin the process”. Vincent also shared his own personal experience and how his school approached a new CPD strategy, “We built a matrix, we built a talent map, and we told ourselves we knew where our dark spots were as a result of talent mapping. And from the talent mapping, we made CPD decisions about where to apply ourselves.”
Pauline O’Brien, Director of Global Recruitment at International School Services, discussed one of the key shifts in recruitment. “We’ve seen teachers and leaders become more comfortable with online hiring, using multiple platforms to do so,” she said, “Everybody has adapted and innovated in terms of making the best of online opportunities”. Pauline also discussed some of the main skills that international schools are now looking for when hiring. “In the current climate, resilience, flexibility and ability to deal with ambiguity is rising to the top of the list,” she added.
Dr Siobhan Mellor, Director of Real Group, offered her top tips for international schools when it comes to choosing the right online CPD for staff., “My top tips for anyone looking at online learning would be to look at sustained learning which is actually motivating for teachers, takes place over time, and uses experience through enquiry-based learning by teachers looking at their own practice and the practice of others; trying things out and coming back,” she advised.
Dr Marianne Yong-Macdonald, Group Head, Teacher Professional Learning and Development at International Schools Partnership Limited, shared how important she believes CPD is in retaining staff. “I do feel that CPD plays a big role in keeping our talent,” she said “This is an important motivational factor. When the teacher or employee is learning and growing, they’re likely to stay.”
This webinar linked directly to the new exclusive specialist report from ISC Research that focuses on international school recruitment and CPD. The report presented some significant findings such as the skills international schools are actively looking for in teachers and leaders, and the new recruitment channels that international schools are adopting. More details of this report are available here.
The webinar showcased how there is no one simple solution for international school recruitment and CPD. One common message from all the panellists was that schools need to make their hiring and development strategy authentic to the needs of the school and its staff.
To find out more, why not attend our International School Positioning webinar: Attract and retain the staff your school needs, on the 25th January, 8:00-8:30am GMT.
Discover the market data that can inform your recruitment strategy and how that can be achieved in this short webinar which includes an open Q&A session. Find out more and click here to register for free.
