In the third interview of this series titled: Behind the Curtain of International Teacher Recruitment, we explore the reality of recruitment agencies and the challenges faced in this lucrative pathway to find international teaching opportunities.
Sheena Nabholz, the current Director of School Relations at Search Associates, graciously shared her time and experience with me to support diverse teachers who are engaging with recruitment agencies. An expert in her field, Sheena has engaged with recruitment as a head of school in Ghana and in various leadership positions in Syria and Jordan. Most recently, Sheena has been supporting Search Associates DEIJ initiatives through engagement with client schools.
DEIJ is close to Sheena’s heart as she explains,
”I’ve always believed recruiting for diversity is important. Students need to see people who look like them in order to feel a sense of belonging in the community”.
Sheena currently works with Search Associates client schools, supporting their procurement of quality teachers. For the teachers, Sheena helps to ensure that the schools provide a safe and inclusive environment for Search Associates candidates. The foundation of safety and inclusion ensures that they are fairly “giving people a chance.”.
Sheena continues,
“One of our core values is that everyone has a right to the dream of international teaching“.
For Sheena, the ethical part of recruitment is in the honesty of recruiters and their efforts to make the process safe and equitable while ensuring the candidate and school are well-matched.
“When my husband and I joined Search Associates in 1999 [as a candidate], we had three kids. We were told it was highly unlikely we would find a job and that it would be difficult for us”, Sheena recalls. “In retrospect, I realise it was ethical behaviour on the part of our senior associate to give us that warning.”.
This experience was instrumental in forming how Sheena approaches the existing challenges for diverse teachers. Approaching the challenges honestly, with awareness, and thus enabling teachers to consciously navigate the space safely while changing it.
Sheena’s Advice
“Do your homework and know what it’s like to live in the country” Sheena states before following up with, “and know that there is a difference between the school and the country”.
Preparation is key; an awareness of the challenges you may face, and the obstacles you may have to navigate, can be the difference between long-term happiness and an early exit. Research can take many forms, but Sheena strongly advises to “find and talk to people who have a similar background and interests as you at the school and ask how they have found it”.
Sharing stories is crucial for learning and greatly supports more objective research, which can occur from a distance. But stories do have their weaknesses; you may be the first person like you to enter that space, and at times recruiters and schools may not be aware of the challenges that you may face.
Sheena recalls a key experience she had while working in Ghana which inspired her advice for new international teachers from diverse backgrounds;
“I hired a young teacher from South Korea and a teacher from Taiwan without the thought of what it would be like for them in Ghana.
They said [at the end of their contracts] that it was really difficult and there was a lot of racism directed towards them and I was shocked to hear that.
I just didn’t know that would be the reality they faced.”
Learning from this as a recruiter, Sheena recognises the importance of being “clear and transparent about the potential for challenging experiences or ‘othering’ in the future” when faced with similar situations.
The knowledge that recruiters have about a location must be used to support the safety of their teachers. Yet, ”people have different levels of tolerance”, Sheena explains when speaking about interviewing candidates. “When I perceive that the candidate has a level of awareness and asks the right questions about living in the school’s location, I feel confident that this person can adapt to new situations.”.
As demonstrated in Sheena’s experience, we must acknowledge that great schools can be situated in a country which may present many challenges and challenging schools can be situated in excellent locations; thus, we must be comprehensive in our research and considerations.
Having had many conversations with candidates who have had challenging experiences internationally, Sheena shares some of the reflective questions she works through;
- Are you angry with the school about the racism [you] faced in the street?
- Do you feel the school deliberately misled you?
These considerations have the benefit of hindsight, so moving forward, Sheena encourages us to research from the perspective that, “as schools take the initial steps to recruit from a more diverse pool of talent, they may not be fully aware of the experience the person may have”. Thus, we must be confident initially in our own research while schools must take steps to become informed.
In Sum…
Both candidates and recruiters may have gaps in their knowledge regarding the experiences diverse applicants may have in a school or locality. As increasing numbers of schools and even the largest recruiters begin to address these gaps and improve approaches to recruitment, due diligence can help to protect diverse teachers.
For diverse candidates, it is critical that we do not rely solely on the knowledge and experiences of others to inform our decisions. We must research deeply while using recruitment agencies as sources of support and information.
Though the burden should never be purely on the shoulders of those at risk, we are not yet in a position where we can blindly assume based on the current information available. Through deep research and sharing our experiences with members of our community and directly with recruiters, we can encourage the changes that many recruiters are taking to improve their processes while keeping ourselves safe.
Keep learning
If the advice in this interview has resonated with you or inspired some questions, I encourage you to reach out to either Sheena or myself via LinkedIn.
For further advice and an insight into the minds of the people recruiting, please explore all of the interviews below:
Yasir Patel – Headteacher at St Constantine’s International School Tanzania
Sheena Nabholz – Director of School Relations at Search Associates
Brian Couch – C.E.O of WABE International School in Pinneberg, Germany
Their insights into the recruitment process will support your journey and help you pave a safe and successful path to becoming an international teacher.
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