The International Schools Review Forum

Veteran ITs, what is the longest time you stayed at one school? Just curious.

Time at school varies between 2 (standard contract) and (pick a number - YMMV). For us, it's been 5 years, but we have friends who have been at schools 10 years or longer. Basically, when you find a school you like, that hits all your buttons, you stay. unless some overriding personal reason comes up. When you go to a school and it doesn't, you move on - unless it is going to continue a pattern of two years and out. Once you establish that pattern, decent schools are not as willing to take a flyer on you because they are looking for staff who will come, contribute, and stay.

The other things that drive teachers onwards are changes in children's status - say they are coming up to MS and the MS isn't that great - they leave to seek better opportunity for their child. Or a new director or principal comes in. That can sometimes set off a whole chain reaction of new hires coming in as they seek to follow the new admin, or a bunch coming in with the new hire who form his or her posse, or the new hire showing how fiscally sound they are and all of a sudden benefits and budgets are being cut.

Bottom line - if you are happy at a school, like or are OK with the location, and if you have kids, they are thriving, I would imagine you stay. If not, you go. That can be anywhere in a 2 to 20 year time span :-)

Nine years so far when we thought it would be five. Good school, pays well but maybe its time to move on.

3+ years

There are ISs that provide only one year contracts, though most are 2 years. I dont disagree with @SJ, I would add that even if your happy where you are, when ITs decide to make IE a career, having a retirement or being closer to their adult children as they go to University is a strong motivator. There are a number of ITs that are in the field for the opportunity for their children to attend better schools, I know ITs that left upper tier ISs for lower tier ISs in a better region with higher quality of life, etc. Even if your happy with your IS your priorities change.

It's an interesting question. The very nature of our jobs is the transiency, and I think that needs to be a big part of deciding when it is time to go. It's not like the States, where a teacher can stay thirty years and teach two generations of kids. In a job where students come and go, it seems to make professional sense that we as teachers would do the same. It keeps you on your pedagogical toes, as opposed to getting bogged down in practice that might work, but slowly becomes mechanical. I have friends who have been at one good IS for almost twenty years, and each year they put feelers out for other jobs, it becomes more and more difficult.

I also agree about the dependents being a driving factor- young children entering school for the first time, or moving into middle school or high school, seems to be a cue as when to leave as well.

We are in our sixth year of teaching at the same school, and it is our last. We could easily stay here twenty years, LOL (current admin notwithstanding), but it's time to move on.

7 years at two different posts.

3 years (and that wasn't until I got into my DoDDS). I would have tried to stay longer in two previous places but they were small, niche schools and had the nerve to close on me.

I am now exactly where I want to be and don't foresee going anywhere anytime soon.