r/Internationalteachers

I’ve been diving down the rabbit hole with the recent AI 2027 by Daniel Kokotajlo, Scott Alexander, Thomas Larsen, Eli Lifland, Romeo Dean and AGI research papers (like Leopold Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness series if anyone’s read it), and I’ve been trying to map out what this actually means for our sector over the next 5 to 10 years.
A lot of people in international ed seem to think we’re totally safe because "parents pay for real humans." I agree we won't disappear right away, but I think the economics of our job are about to get smashed.
Here’s my take on how this plays out for us:

1. We have a delay, but not immunity
International schools will lag behind domestic public systems because host countries need physical expats for visa quotas, and wealthy parents aren't dropping $35k/year to leave their kid at home with an AI tutor. They’re paying for childcare, prestige, and a safe physical space. So yeah, the physical school stays open. But what happens inside is going to change fast.

2. Math and Science teachers are going to take the biggest hit
This sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out: AI is insanely good at deterministic, hard-data subjects. Once an AI agent can deliver a personalized, 1-on-1 Socratic lesson in AP Physics or Calculus better than any human alive and grade it instantly the need for a high paid subject matter expert vanishes.
The job changes from teaching content to proctoring the AI platform. School boards will quickly realize they don't need to throw top-tier expat packages (housing, flights, $60k+ tax-free) at science and math specialists when they can just hire a facilitator or proctor to keep order in the room while the AI does the heavy lifting.

3. Prepare for massive wage compression

As AI wrecks white-collar tech/corporate jobs back home, the market is going to be flooded with people looking for a career pivot. Also education budgets will probably won’t diminish but go towards less human specific salaries but more towards AI tech. Combine that with schools needing "facilitators" instead of high-level content presenters, and our bargaining power tanks. Packages will shrink, perks will get cut, and the baseline salary for standard classroom roles is going to drop.

4. Art, Drama, and "Human Element" teachers will actually hold value

The teachers who will actually stay in demand are the ones teaching things that require raw human interaction and physical space. Drama, Art, Music, PE, and pastoral/counseling roles. You can’t outsource human presence, stage presence, emotional regulation, or physical coaching to a screen. The humanities and creative arts ironically might end up being the safest fields in teaching, while pure STEM content delivery gets automated.

5. Schools will basically become networking & social hubs

At the end of the day, international schools will shift from being academic powerhouses to physical social hubs. Parents will pay for the peer network, the campus facilities, and the social/emotional environment. The academic side will just run in the background on software.

Are any of your admin teams even tracking this yet? Or are we all just pretending the status quo is going to hold forever? Curious to hear thoughts from people who've been in the international circuit for a while.

The timeline is a bit debatable but 2030-35 onwards give or take 5 years it’s all very jumpy. So why is everyone still training to be in this career. Arrival of super intelligence should be on everyone’s mind.

Do international schools in Brazil hire non native English speakers ? I.e., anyone from any country out of the Big 7 ..

Just taken a look on the new school socials, particularly Linked In. What I have taken, having been teaching here for 5 years and knowing somewhat the names associated and the market.

Dulwich: Very positive and 'kind' facing. HT seems somewhat informal in a really positive nature.

St Paul's: Somewhat understated. It comes across from socials that it may take itself quite seriously?

Highgate: Definitely takes itself seriously. Very formal marketing tone, which makes sense for a 'selective OTT school'

Wycombe Abbey: Watched an interview with the HT who seemed like a good person. I liked the picture of staff in traditional dress too.

Anyone have any further insights? I could well be miles away in my own thoughts from what I've seen and heard.

As in, they don't really want to socialize with you after work, and they mostly stick to their own groups. Experienced the same thing with international students especially chinese and korean when I was back in the states. Here local teachers they don't seem to want to meet people of different ethnicities and they never seem to approach or invite us foreigners to hang out.

It basically feels like they see us expat teachers as "the help" (while simultaneously complaining that we get paid too much) and not actually colleagues or equals.

On the other hand I have a foreign friend group at the school that is pretty diverse.

For example they have separate group chats where they plan activities like drinks/snacks or events after work. I've even tried making an effort to join in, but sometimes even when I ask it feels like I am being rejected because "i'm not one of them". Then they will turn around and complain that foreigners don't integrate or learn the language.

It feels like there's this invisible wall and sometimes it's just one of those psychological things that wears you down.

It

Hi all, I'm an aspiring teacher looking to teach a subject in social science. In one of my first interviews, I was asked about differentiation. As teachers, we of course need to tailor our lessons according to the needs and levels of our students. However, in high-stakes university preparation courses like the ones I mentioned, it's actually quite difficult to implement differentiation methodologies such as tiered class activities. There is usually a lot of content to cover in those classes. Also, reflecting on my own experience as a student, I don't recall any of my A-Level teachers doing differentiation. They were by no means bad teachers though. In fact, some of the best teachers I have ever had didn't do any differentiation. What made them great was being able to explain novel concepts very clearly and being exam-focused.

So, during my interview, I just said being supportive, particularly after class. I also said I would look at the general performance of the class and tailor my teaching materials accordingly. The principal seemed to expect more from me. Another thing I can think of after the interview is that perhaps we can engage weaker students a bit more during class. For example, spending more time with them during a class exercise or asking them more questions.

Most of the differentiation methodologies I have come across seem to be geared towards younger students. So, it would be nice to hear what some of the IB/A-Level/AP teachers here think and do. What is more suitable for this particular age group (16-18)? How do you balance differentiation and heavy workload (on you and students!)? Thanks in advance.

As the title states, please let us know how was your experience working at this school. I am particularly tempted by the location but I am not sure if 60K is a good salary.

Is anyone here working abroad and over 60? Where?

Im gonna start working in a school in Romania that will pay me approx 2000 euros for 12hrs per week of classes. Along with additional responsibilities. Im in my 4th year teaching and want to know if this is a fair payout.

Trying to do it from outside of canada and want to know if any of you have tried thefingerprintroom or worldwide forensics company for your background check. If it's legit or not. Trying to find some cheap options. Please advise if yall know! Thanks!

Teacher Horizons — does anyone else find the extra filtering frustrating?
One frustration I have with Teacher Horizons is that it adds another layer between the teacher and the school.
I recently applied for a position and received a message explaining that, despite a lot of interest, Teacher Horizons would typically shortlist only 2–3 candidates to send to the school’s recruitment team.
That means you can potentially be filtered out before the school even sees your application.
I’ve decided that if I see a job on Teacher Horizons that I’m genuinely interested in, I’m not going to rely on that application alone. I’ll apply through TH, but I’ll also look for the vacancy on the school’s own website, contact the school directly when appropriate, and check other recruitment platforms.
I understand why recruiters shortlist candidates—that’s part of their job—but as an applicant, I want the school to have the opportunity to decide whether my experience is a good fit.
My takeaway: don’t put all your eggs in one recruitment platform. If you really want a position, use every legitimate route available to make sure your CV actually reaches the school.
Has anyone else found that applying directly to schools gets better results than going through Teacher Horizons or other recruitment platforms?

I have been applying to jobs in schrole, tes jobs like a madman and all I hear back is crickets. How do you apply?

Let’s be honest here.
How many of you have accepted an early offer as insurance, but kept applying/interviewing in case something significantly better came along?
And what’s the most offers you’ve technically accepted during a single recruiting season before finally settling on one?
Schools obviously hate candidates backing out after accepting, but international schools don’t exactly have a spotless record either when it comes to honoring contracts—offers get withdrawn, positions disappear, packages change, visas fall through, and sometimes the actual job isn’t what was advertised.
And do some schools bring this on themselves? If you’re recruiting internationally but offering an uncompetitive salary, weak benefits, partial tuition, poor housing, or a package well below comparable schools, can you really be shocked when a teacher accepts as a safety net and jumps when a substantially better offer appears?
So where do you draw the line?
At what point is it unethical—and at what point is it simply candidates protecting themselves in a market where schools are protecting themselves too?

Schools across Hong Kong are increasingly using Toddle, a newer LMS and replacement for Google Classroom, seemingly a shift away from Google. It's been a frustrating start to say the least. As I ponder future opportunities elsewhere, I am curious if more international schools are adopting Toddle. The platform is dense and overly complex.

I see so many posts on here about how teachers enjoy their work with the kids, but incompetent SLT and admin are ruining their lives, making them miserable, and making them hate their job.

My question is, really, on a day-to-day basis, how much are you actually having to interact with SLT?  Like you spend 4 hours a day with the kids that you claim to love working with, how many minutes per normal day are you spending in the company of your incompetent principal? How many daily exchanges are you having with that person that outweighs the four hours a day with kids that you say you love being around?

I’ve worked with incompetent bosses, and I’ve worked with competent bosses, and neither of them affected me on a day-to-day basis. I just don’t understand. Are people sharing a desk with this person(s) who they hate so much? Are they having to eat lunch with this person? Is this person following them around their classroom all day every day?  Are you having long daily meeting with this person?

Both schools I worked at had PD/meetings after school on Wednesdays. That was a drag, that was the worst time of the week. That was when I hated my principal and didn’t want to be there… but that was 1 hour out of my entire working week. 

I just don’t understand people who claim SLT are ruining their lives, because actually SLT interactions are 'minutes per day,' compared to the 'hours per day' you spend in your classroom with your kids. 

Have you ever moved to a new country and immediately thought this isn’t for me?

For context it’s our first week, we have a young family, 4th year abroad and we’re already considering jumping ship and going home for a year or so. It just feels exhausting and overwhelming and school hasn’t even started yet.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been following this subreddit for a few years, and now that I’m getting ready to put myself out there for the 2026/27 recruitment season, I have a few questions.

We are a teaching couple with two children, and we are hoping to eventually move to Africa as a family. I have a particular school/country in mind because of family connections, but I know the international school world requires casting a wide net.

For those who have experience recruiting or working in Africa:

• What are the best recruitment sites for international schools in Africa?
• Which ones have you personally had the most success with?
• If my husband and I don’t end up at the same school, which countries tend to have good opportunities for teachers?
• What is the best way to make a CV? I heard using templates on CANVA isn't good when speaking to people who help with recruitment.

I’ve also been reading a lot about dependents, visas, and family packages, and I’m starting to get a little nervous about leaving the country we currently live in, which is very family- and dependent-friendly. We’ve been here for quite a while and are ready for a change, but we also want to make sure wherever we go will work well for our family.

For those with children, what countries or schools have you found to be particularly family-friendly? Are there schools that are known for good packages for teaching couples with children? We are also a mixed-race, mixed-nationality couple, so I’m hoping to find a school community that genuinely welcomes, supports, and values diverse families and backgrounds.

For some background, I have 10+ years of experience teaching K–9 ELA and ELL, as well as a Master’s in Special Education.

I know the advice is always to cast a wide net, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar process, particularly with a family.

Thanks in advance!

We’re a U.S.-based family considering spending one semester in Egypt with our two kids, who would be in 4th and 2nd grade. We’re primarily looking at Cairo/New Cairo but are open to other areas.
Our main goal is to give the kids a chance to experience Egypt, spend time with family, and experience the culture, then return to the U.S. afterward.
For anyone who has done something similar:
Was it a good experience for your kids?
Would you recommend fall or spring?

What type of school did you use, and was it difficult to find one accepting students for only one semester?
How was the transition back to U.S. school?

Would love to hear your experiences and anything you wish you had known beforehand!

What line of questions would you ask the panel during your interview in an international school context? There’s a part where you’re given a chance to know about the school.

Must you be supervised every single day? That means it cant be that you are in school or doing after school activities unsupervised for a few days?