The recruiting consultant’s expression wasn’t filling me with confidence: “You fit their requirements, but assuming you pass the long-list stage, they’ll want you to travel back to the UK for the final interview. Could you do that?”
I say: “I’m a 14-hour flight away and the international borders are closed. Would the school consider an online process for the final interviews?”
“Sorry, they’ve been clear that it’s face-to-face only,” comes the reply.
It is 10pm in Malaysia. Another late-night video call with the UK. For much of 2022, this was a situation “on repeat”, with the main thrust being that if I wanted to get a job in the UK, I would have to be physically present at interview; remote interviews were not possible. Each time the call ended, I felt frustrated. Malaysia was still under Covid restrictions. International borders were closed to non-essential travel until 1st April, and there was still a period of mandatory quarantine following return.
“The seeming intransigence of UK schools was making repatriation more frustrating than necessary.”
With over two decades of teaching experience, including ten years as a deputy head, I was aiming for the right fit in terms of role and responsibility. It was therefore frustrating to be told I was unlikely to be considered because I would be unable to attend interviews. The seeming intransigence of UK schools was making repatriation more frustrating than necessary.
Despite advances in technology during the pandemic, there remains reticence to embed it widely for use in recruitment for remote interviews. Those working in fields such as medicine, law and IT use video technology to interview and appoint candidates from overseas. This being the case, why not education?
For potential repatriates, your situation makes your decision. Imagine that to attend an interview, you need to take a long-haul flight; hire a car to drive to your destination; book two to three days in a hotel; then do this in reverse…all for a job that is not guaranteed. Few UK schools would reimburse you for such expenses – and international schools rarely pay you for time off. Those based overseas who are seeking to return to the UK would lose out on both counts with an unsuccessful application.
“There is increasingly positive commentary about the skills developed by those teaching overseas.”
A rethink of this process would be a first step in encouraging highly qualified professionals to bring their experience back to the UK. There is increasingly positive commentary surrounding the skills developed by those teaching overseas – yet when it comes to aiding repatriation, there is little to support teachers and their families. This is due to a lack of understanding of the complexities surrounding repatriation and how it affects the individuals and organisations concerned.
As part of schools’ commitment to equal access and inclusion, a positive start would be changing recruitment processes to enable those teaching overseas to attend remote interviews. This could be at a time that would be mutually convenient to the prospective school and interviewee. A video of candidates teaching their current class could be used. ID checks can be carried out over a video call. Most countries issue a Certificate of Good Conduct, which is required to complete a DBS check.
“No teacher should be expected to repatriate first and then get a job at the same or a similar level.”
As 2023 begins, may there be fewer frustrated teachers and leaders sitting in distant apartments being given similar messages about interviews. Covid restrictions are now gone: the mindset that teaching and leadership candidates should only be interviewed in person should also be shown the door. No teacher should be expected to repatriate first and then get a job at the same or a similar level. As a profession, we must look after our own better than this.
