Are we qualified?, Hedley Willsea

November is my favourite time of year. Aside from the smell of bonfires in the air and the expectation of Christmas just around the corner, it’s that time when many schools begin to recruit for the following academic year. Even if I don’t intend to move from my current position, I can’t help looking to see ‘what’s out there’ and it always reminds me of the freedom we enjoy as international educators. There is no doubt about it; the horizons of teaching overseas are endless because, to put it bluntly, international education is big business. International schools are not disappearing. But why should an international school want to recruit me? Because, in a nutshell, I have a degree, a teaching certificate and actual teaching experience. I was trained in an Englishspeaking first-world country whose education system is, rightly or wrongly, held in esteem by others. But will this basic foundation always be enough?

In many countries, international schools exist outside their national education systems as private entities – but together they form a common landscape which we as teachers often refer to as ‘the international circuit’. They prepare their students for external assessments determined by internationally recognised awarding bodies such as EdExcel, CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The very term ‘international education’ or ‘international educator’ conjures up in my mind something grand and all-encompassing that defies international boundaries by fostering a growth mindset, challenging cultural prejudices and developing 21st century skills. But while our students will gain international certification recognised by universities, colleges and employers all over the world, do we have a teacher’s equivalent?

Not quite yet. I was educated and trained in the UK and my PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) course focused exclusively on the requirements of the National Curriculum in England; there was no reference to a wider international context, even though in the UK we have students entering British schools from other national systems. While my qualification and educational background are looked upon favourably beyond the boundaries of a British educational context, they are not entirely transferable in both directions. For example, if I return to the UK I will be confronted by a national education system that does not automatically view a teacher’s international experience as relevant. As Kieran Earley, Principal of The British School in the Netherlands, states (2017): ‘The (British) government needs to make it easier for teachers and leaders to make their way back into the UK system by removing some of the existing barriers that are there. So for example, it should be a lot easier for quality international schools to deliver training for teachers so that teachers in international settings can get QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and go back into schools in the UK and teach. Equally, we need to make sure that UK schools are aware that there are fantastic international schools with great practitioners. There shouldn’t be a prejudice about the fact that you’ve worked abroad.’

However, within the context of teacher training there is a growing awareness and recognition of international education. For example, a number of UK universities offer partially online PGCEs of which the actual teaching practice component can be completed in international schools. Given that many international schools are private entities and therefore free to employ staff without any actual teaching qualification, such courses are undoubtedly a useful way of gaining a qualification that is formally recognized on ‘the international circuit’ – though it should be noted that they do not always lead to Qualified Teacher Status in the UK.

While such courses may result in a postgraduate professional qualification awarded by institutes of higher and further education, organizations such as Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) offer teacher training courses specific to their own syllabi. However, while these provide invaluable additional professional development opportunities, they are not a prerequisite for the teaching of a particular syllabus. Furthermore, such organizations do not have the authority to determine the qualification requirements of teachers in a way that would directly impact the recruitment policies of individual schools as private entities.

Could this situation change and one day force those of us who qualified in our respective countries of origin to either re-train or gain an additional teaching certificate? One consideration is the formation and growth of schools-based associations such as CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association), COBIS (Council of British International Schools), CIS (Council of International Schools), ECIS (European Council of International Schools), ISA (International Schools Association), and MAIS (Mediterranean Association of International Schools). Theoretically there is the potential for such organizations, if aligned, to enable participating schools to collectively reshape and dictate a codified charter of international teacher qualification requirements.

One interesting development has been the establishment of international teacher certificates. The IB authorises university-offered courses resulting in one of its International Baccalaureate Educator Certificates. It promotes its certificates, one of which is the International Baccalaureate Educator Certificate in Teaching and Learning, on the basis of the following: ‘IB World Schools often recruit teachers who have prior teaching experience, leaving those without IB teaching experience fewer employment opportunities in schools. To address this problem, the IB partners with universities and institutions … These IB Educator Certificates are a professional