Employee onboarding process for International schools: settling teachers who are new to the school and the city
A teacher arriving from another country has to find a home, learn the school and meet colleagues all at once. A planned first term, with a buddy and regular check-ins, helps them settle and renew.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee onboarding process matters in international schools
Onboarding in many international schools stops at a welcome email and an orientation day. The new teacher is then left to sort out housing, a bank account, local transport and the school routine. Those with partners and children have even more to manage. Some quietly decide in the first month that two years will be enough.
A better plan starts before arrival, with a clear checklist of what the school will help with and what the teacher must do. It names a buddy, includes a gentle first week with few teaching duties, and checks in at set points through the first term. Local faculty joining the school also receive a plan, since they too need to learn the culture and the curriculum.
How to set it up
1. Contact the teacher before arrival
Send a welcome note, a school handbook, a contact for housing questions and a checklist of what happens in the first week. Name the buddy teacher.
2. Plan the first week
Orientation to the building, systems and curriculum, time with the department, and a light timetable. Avoid heavy duties until the teacher feels at home.
3. Support the family
Offer introductions for partners, guidance on local schooling and a list of trusted services. Small help makes a visible difference. See employee onboarding.
4. Check in at set points
Meet at one week, one month and at the end of the first term. Ask what is going well, what is hard and what the school can do.
5. Pair local and overseas faculty
Give every new teacher a buddy from the other group where you can, so the staffroom mixes and learns from each other.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask your latest overseas hire what was hardest in the first month.
- Check if a buddy was named for the last three new teachers.
- Look at whether partners and children received any guidance.
- Find out how many new teachers left within the first year.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee onboarding process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
That depends on your policy. Even where the school does not provide housing, guidance on areas, agents and what to expect saves a new teacher a great deal of stress.
Yes. The curriculum, culture and expectations may be new to them too. A buddy and a first-term plan help them as much as anyone, and show the school treats everyone alike.
Ask new teachers at the end of the first term and read what they say. Also track how many renew. A pattern of early exits points to problems in the first months.