There’s nothing quite as inspiring as learning from a great role model. If you aspire to become an international educator, our guests today—Hannah and Jared Keen—will truly impress you as they share invaluable insights, backed by their careful planning and resourcefulness. Join us to hear their story and learn what it takes to thrive in the highly competitive world of international school recruiting.

Side note: Did you listen to episode 87 with Diane Jacoutout of Edvectus in which she she shared tips for first-timers to international recruiting? If you missed it, do check it out: It wil set you up for this interview with the Keens.

Jared and Hannah have been teaching in US public schools for 10 years. Jared teaches Language Arts and Social Studies while Hannah has taught in Primary English & Spanish Dual Language programs across all subjects.

The Keens thrive on exploring new places and are eager to expose their two young boys to other education opportunities while also immersing them in cultural environments that broaden their worldview.

Our guiding questions were: “What makes you so keen to go global? What steps are you taking to become international educators?”

Topics covered include:

• Exploring the experiences, skills, and character strengths that inspired Hannah and Jared to consider international teaching.
• Reflections on how our “Thought Experiment: Is International Teaching for Me?” blog post helped clarify their motivations and readiness for this career path.
• Insight into how they developed a purposeful recruiting plan, including steps taken and resources utilized.
• How working with an expert recruitment consultant is shaping their approach and easing their concerns.
• Discussing their openness to various regions of the world, and how they weigh various options, including leveraging resources like our blog post and spreadsheet, “Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries” .
• Focusing on the needs of their young children while also honoring their extended family's feelings towards their desire to teach internationally.

Jared and Hannah’s LinkedIn In Information: Jared | Hannah

Resources Mentioned:
Is International Teaching For Me? Blog Post
Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries Blog Post

Recorded on August 21, 2025.

Categories: Recruiting | School Life | Travel

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

Are you new to international education? If so, imagine sitting down with a trusted guide to get helpful tips on what to expect during recruiting and onboarding—and red flags to watch for. Someone with years of experience working with both teacher candidates and hiring schools.

Incredibly, we found such a person.

If you listened to our first interview with Diane Jacoutot of Edvectus, you are familiar with her candor and willingness to share her wisdom around recruiting. In this show, Diane led us through what can be a minefield for folks new to this process – and even, TBH, for international teaching veterans.

After a career in computer development at IBM, Diane got her start in recruitment bringing international teachers to US state schools. She has founded two international school recruitment companies including Edvectus.

Diane believes in ethical, transparent recruitment and founded Edvectus to solve the biggest problem she encountered: Teachers don’t know what they don’t know about teaching overseas.

Our 3 guiding questions were:
What can first-time international teachers expect during the recruitment process? We explored this in segments.

1. young educators with limited teaching experience
2. mid-career teachers with solid experience
3. seasoned veterans nearing retirement from their home country systems.

What common red flags should candidates watch out for during the international school recruiting process?

If a teacher lands at a school that is poorly managed or different from what was portrayed during recruitment, how do you suggest they address the situation?

Some of the topics covered include:

• What educators can expect when recruiting internationally for the first time
• Red flags to be aware of during recruiting
• The importance of timing when you apply to schools
• What to expect from onboarding and orientation at your new school
• Real-life examples of experiences teachers may face in transitioning to their new schools

Resources mentioned:

Diane’s EGG blog post on how the pandemic changed recruiting

Diane’s First EGG Interview “The Deets on All Things Recruiting”

Edvectus

Diane’s Contact Information: LinkedIn

Recorded on September 9, 2025
Category: Recruiting

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As we head into the busy recruiting season, you may be asking yourself, “What is the current state of international school hiring?” Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of international education or starting to build your foundational knowledge, this episode is for you.

We’re excited to welcome Diane Jacoutot, Managing Director and founder of Edvectus, a leading international recruiting company, to answer pressing questions that go deeper than the usual approaches to recruiting. Diane shares what has changed — a great deal — and what remains constant in the ever-shifting landscape of international recruitment.

After a career in computer development at IBM, Diane got her start in recruitment bringing international teachers to US state schools, and has founded two international school recruitment companies, including Edvectus. She believes in ethical, transparent recruitment and founded Edvectus to solve the biggest problem she encountered: that teachers don’t know what they don’t know about teaching overseas.

Our guiding questions were: “What is the state of international recruiting? How does your company, Edvectus, support both educators and schools, especially with hiring for diversity?”

Some topics covered include:

• What has changed in recruiting and what hasn't
• General recruiting strategies that Diane shares with her educator and school-leader clients
• Specialized recruiting pathways tailored to British and Irish, US and Canadian, New Zealand and Australian educators, as well as by subject and level
• How both schools and candidates can best align with the recruitment calendar to maximize success
• The growing trend: Increasing diversity and inclusivity in recruitment efforts
• Climbing the "ladder" of international schools

Resources mentioned: Diane’s guest blog post on how the pandemic changed recruiting

Edvectus - Bespoke International Recruitment

Expatistan - Cost of Living Comparisons

Numbeo - Cost of Living Comparisons

Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries Blog Post

Diane’s Contact Information:

Edvectus

LinkedIn

Categories: Recruiting | School Life

Episode recorded on September 2, 2025.

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

What is your plan for the next time you recruit? What stage are you at in your life and career? What experiences are you hoping for in your next school, city, and country?

To assist you in making this big, life-changing decision, we once again reached out to our trusted veteran panel of Amy Hunt, Rob Howe, and David Ross — this time to discuss how to make such an important life pivot.

Amy is currently teaching Psychology and Science of Mind at Nueva School in San Francisco. She left the US at age 25 to teach IB English in Ethiopia, where she met her husband, Lee. They taught together in Rio, Minnesota, Barcelona, São Paulo, and Brussels before returning to the US in 2020. Amy is also a yoga therapist who reads, loves murder shows and pickleball, takes hikes and cold plunges, and tries to coax her three 20-something children to fly the nest.

David is retired He began teaching in Los Angeles, then moved to Malaysia with his family for 6 years. He then took a one-year sabbatical with his family to bike across Europe, then taught in Vietnam for nine years. He enjoys SCUBA diving, free diving, playing in a band, pickleball, staying fit, and cooking. He is also a proactive investor and proponent of financial literacy.

Rob Howe is a businessman and international educator. He began his career in the technology industry. After a 1.5-year sabbatical, he met his wife, an international teacher, and decided to become one. He first taught for 2 years in Jakarta, Indonesia. He then returned to the USA, started a new career in sustainability consulting, and adopted two children from India. In 2014, he returned to overseas teaching in Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and finally Vietnam.

Our Guiding Question was “When putting your recruiting plan together, what are some key criteria to guide you when looking at potential schools, cities and countries?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Assessing your current stage in life/career, along with clarifying your values
• Creating a recruiting plan: Listing the criteria you desire in your next school/ city/country and doing your research
• Defining the non-negotiables for your search
• Unpacking numerous criteria from our blog post, “Profiling Schools, Cities, and Countries”
• Final thoughts and recommendations from our panelists

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries blog post at the Educators Going Global Info Hub

Recorded June 19, 2025.

Categories: Recruiting | School Life | Finances | Parenting | Transitions | Travel

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We have wanted to do this show for ages. We so admire women leaders, and some major players joined us for this interview! Kim Cofino is a well-known voice in the areas of women in leadership and instructional coaching. Madeleine Maceda Heide was a head of school on three continents and is a co-founder of the AMISA Women in Leadership organisation. Rhonda Norris is Superintendent of International Schools Group in Saudi Arabia and was a head of school in the Caribbean and in Asia, and Heather Naro is Head of Schutz School in Alexandria, Egypt. Their wisdom runs deep and their compassion is overflowing. This was a heartfelt, intimate conversation where the ladies shared their best tips for aspiring women leaders, with a big one being: “Go for it!”

Check out our website for the full bios of these incredible women.

Our Guiding Question was “What have been some of your most useful lessons learned as a woman leader in International Education?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Reasons for becoming leaders
• Pathways to leadership
• Barriers to women becoming leaders
• Steps to take to become a leader
• Advice not to take along the way
• The importance of mentoring, modeling, perspective taking, service, adaptability and more!

Resources mentioned:

The Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools - AAICIS

AMISA Women in Leadership website

Carney Sandoe

Kim’s Website, Eduro Learning, book co-authored with Christina Botbyl - Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership

Kim’s Coach Better Podcast

Episode 82 with Claire Gaul On Followership and the Complexities of International Teaching

International Schools Group

Contact Info: Kim Cofino Heather Naro Madeleine Maceda Heide Rhonda Norris

The show was recorded on June 16, 2025

Categories: Leadership | School Life

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The data is quite conclusive: young people around the world are struggling. Research and books such as The Anxious Generation highlight the negative effects of technology and social networks on our students.

We also know that two common themes in international schools are academic pressure and high expectations for students applying to university.

On a more positive note, we are seeing a growing trend of schools placing greater emphasis on a holistic approach to supporting students.

In this interview, we learn how the Dean of Students at one school helps lead and coordinate efforts to stay ahead of these trends.

We speak with Andy Vaughan, a Dean of Students at an international school, about his role in providing leadership to help students develop the life skills needed to overcome struggles and chart their pathway toward full and healthy lives.

Andy is a Kiwi who has been living overseas with his family for the past 20 years teaching and leading in South East Asia. Currently working at the High School Dean of Students at International School Bangkok, Andy was previously the Athletics Director at ISB and in the past has taught Physical Education, Science, Health and Outdoor Education. He is passionate about establishing systems in schools that proactively ensure we support student well being to ensure all students feel like they belong and are cared for.

Our guiding questions were: “What does a Dean of Students do? How has the role of Dean of Students evolved over time? What trends are you observing around this role in international schools going forward?”

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The impetus for and evolution of the Dean of Students role at Andy’s school
• A breakdown of the job description
• The importance of using data to support students
• Lessons learned from the role
• Observations about digital wellness
• Advice on how to move into leadership positions
• Trends in the role of Dean of Students and in international schools in general

Resources shared in this episode:

Mario Education
Google Looker Studio
Parenting in the Digital Age & Family Wellness Workshop (Slideshow)

The show was recorded on June 22, 2025.

Categories: School Life | Parenting | Wellness

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

What does the term "followership" mean to you? Our guest, Claire Gaul, joined us to delve into what it means to be a follower in international schools. She wrote a blog post for our learning hub that really got us thinking about how being a follower connects to leadership in international schools—a theme that runs through many of our shows.

Claire describes the interaction of followership and leadership as a type of dance. I think this description makes a lot of sense. Claire provides a 360-degree view of it in our discussion.

Claire Gaul teaches MYP Individuals and Societies at an international school in China. She is an avid runner and reader. Her favorite authors include Joan Didion and Elif Shafak. She has lived all over the world as both a student and a teacher. Claire has 11 year old twins (Luke and Leia), a husband, and a hamster who needs to be rehomed before Claire moves to India in July with her family.

Our guiding question for this show was, "What is followership in our schools, and how does it go hand in hand with leadership?"

Claire shares her thoughts and wisdom, with the following being a few of her main points:

• Her impetus for writing the blog post
• A definition of followership that includes constructive followership
• How to lean into being constructive
• The possible personal and professional costs of not having healthy boundaries regarding followership
• Suggestions to help our listeners gain perspective on themselves and their interactions with others
• Her recent recruiting experience

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries blog post

Claire’s blog post on our website.

Claire's Contact Information: LinkedIn

This episode was recorded on March 15th, 2025.

Categories: Wellness | Leadership | School Life | Recruiting

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

Change. It can be exciting. It can also be tough. And it happens a lot in international schools. At first, new ideas and the buzz around implementing them can feel electrifying. But here’s the catch: often, the people involved, the processes, and the long-term sustainability of these ideas—whether they’re initiatives or programs—don’t quite make it past the starting line.

So, why does this happen? And how do we successfully navigate the twists and turns of the change process?

Audrey and David have been through countless new initiatives in schools over the years, and we have often wondered what makes some changes "stick" while others fall flat. That curiosity led us to Dr. Jim Reese. Many of you may know Jim, either as the previous facilitator of the Harvard Project Zero Summer Institutes or as a trusted consultant in your own school.

Jim lives in Washington, DC. After a long career teaching in international and U.S. schools, he now works as a consultant with schools, museums, and educational organizations. Jim has a long-term affiliation with Project Zero, a research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

In 2004, along with Dr. David Perkins from Harvard, Jim co-authored an article about managing change in a school to help it last. The article was called "When Change Has Legs: Four key factors help determine whether change efforts will be sustained over time." Each "leg" refers to one aspect of the change; all 4 are required for the change to last.

Our guiding question for the episode was, “What are proven ways to bring about sustainable change in international schools?”

The Four Legs of Sustainable Change are:

• Frameworks — Structures that guide and support learning
• Leaders — People who champion and drive the process
• Community — Collective buy-in and engagement from everyone involved
• Institutionalization — Embedding change so it becomes part of the school’s DNA

Resources cited in the episode:

When Change Has Legs

Harvard Project Zero

Edtech Co-Op Podcast interview with Jim (2015)

Professional Development Collaborative at Washington International School

Jim's Contact Information: LinkedIn

Categories: PD | Leadership | School Change

This episode was recorded on April 14th, 2025.

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.