Global demand for British education and the resulting boom in British international schools will create 230,000 new teacher roles over the next decade, a new report predicts.
British international schools currently account for more than 45% of the entire sector. There are around 4,300 British schools overseas at present, with the market worth over £1 billion and representing one of the UK’s top exports.
Data from the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), cited in a Relocate magazine article, revealed that the sector has grown by 6% per annum over the last six years. This means that staffing is likely to pose a key challenge in the coming years.
It’s a similar picture here in the UK, with the Department for Education recently revealing an overall shortfall of almost 10% in recruitment targets to initial teacher training.
Teaching Abroad Direct said that 230,000 more teachers will be required to sustain the expected growth of British international schools.
The company analysed results from a COBIS report. It found that the top reason inspiring teachers to join a school overseas was the desire for ‘travel and cultural exploration’ cited by 71%. This was followed by the prospect of enjoyment and challenge, cited by 63%.
Sadly, 47% of teachers said they feel inspired to teach abroad due to dissatisfaction with the home education system. Potential for career growth (45%) and salary (44%) completed the top five.
On the other hand, the main reasons why teachers have left the international schools sector were family commitments (45%) and a desire to return home (41%). Just over a quarter (27%) of teachers said they have quit because of career prospects elsewhere.
Over one in ten (13%) teachers said they returned home to improve their quality of life, with 9% citing high living expenses as their reason to leave an international school.
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