Working in an international school is more fun than working in the UK, a new survey suggests.
More than half (54 per cent) of international teachers responding to the TES Staff Wellbeing Survey 2022 said they find their job fun, compared to only a fifth of UK respondents.
Teachers working internationally are also much less likely to complain that their workload is unmanageable than those in the UK.
A total of 49 per cent of staff said their workload was manageable, in contrast to their UK colleagues where only 18 per cent said this was the case.
The survey, which included 1,054 international responses from a total of 4,300 teachers, found that 70 per cent of international teachers feel confident performing their roles, compared to just 38 per cent of UK staff.
The findings revealed some dissatisfaction among international teachers with the amount of say they have in the running of their schools, and 37 per cent said they don’t have a voice. Despite overall wellbeing appearing better in international schools, only 49 per cent of teachers said they would recommend their school to a friend as a place to work.
Lord Jim Knight, chair of the Tes Global Advisory Board said:
“Schools across the world have faced some of their toughest times in recent years and our 2022 Wellbeing Report shows the resilience and tenacity of the profession. But if schools don’t address some of the concerns that teachers have about their wellbeing, they risk falling behind.
“School leaders should think about how they support their staff, from flexible timetabling to CPD opportunities, as fostering strong wellbeing in school can only help pupils to thrive.”
Matt Payne, head of lower school at Nord Anglia International School in New York, who was featured in the Tes Staff Wellbeing Report. He said:
“Wellbeing in the international community has never been as important as over the past two years. The whole world has struggled to push through the tribulations brought on by lockdowns, policy changes and border closures but the worries, fears and anxieties regarding loved ones are exacerbated when you live thousands of miles away, as the distance is suddenly much more apparent.
“Those feelings can transfer into all areas of our lives and affect the way we conduct ourselves in the workplace. Wellbeing matters as it can help us cultivate nurturing and positive environments so that we can all grow together.”
The full 2022 Tes International Staff Wellbeing Report can be read here.