Securing your leadership role in an international school
Keith Clark looks at what you should be thinking through as you start applying for a leadership position in an international school.
Relief!
I remember the look of relief on the middle leader’s face. I had just told him the best thing he could do in terms of advancing to senior leadership was to stick in his current job for a while longer. His family would be so pleased, he said – they thought they would have to move yet again at the end of his current contract.
Experience counts
Depth of experience is a sadly undervalued commodity in international schools. Too many aspiring leaders seem to be in a hurry. They see colleagues spending two years as a deputy head of secondary, two as a deputy head, and then becoming a head of school/principal. Sometimes that trajectory can work; far more often, it is another factor contributing to the instability of leadership internationally. But the world of international schools continues to expand, and there are always leadership vacancies to fill.
My advice – whether you are stepping up to middle leadership, moving on to senior leadership, or taking up a first headship – is to think seriously about the experience you need for your next step.
Two comments from recent interviews resonate with me. An experienced serving Head reflected on the importance of having gradually accumulated responsibility in her earlier career. She had worked with too many under-experienced heads and did not want that to be her. Another candidate had spent 14 years in the same school working through different levels of leadership, ending up as Vice Principal. He could have become a Principal then. But no, he recognised that a deputy role with more autonomy would serve him best. And he is now an exceptionally strong prospect for a high-profile headship. Experience, experience, experience. Think about those leaders you have admired the most and there’s a good chance their experience will have been a factor in what impressed you.
I will always ask candidates about their decisions to move rapidly between different roles. There may well be good reasons – things happen – but the most common answer is “I’d achieved everything I could.” In two years? And in an environment that depends on an annual cycle? I probably over-use the term, but what I want to see is evidence of sustained impact and sustainable success achieved over several years. And, by the way, when asked on an application form about your reason for leaving, the answer is not ‘End of Contract.’ Contracts can be renewed.
Choose well
My next piece of advice may be absolutely obvious, but it is too easily overlooked. When you feel ready for your next step up, choose the position carefully. As a teacher, the type of school, its location and reputation are likely to be key factors influencing the jobs you apply for. As a leader, there will be other issues to consider: leadership structure; accountabilities and reporting structures; scope of responsibilities and the opportunity to grow into new areas; governance structure; leadership stability. Of course, you should still look really hard for the school that suits you, but also for the role that will enable you to do what you know you can do and that will allow you to build that all-important base of experience.
When you start applying for senior leadership roles, one novelty may be the role of recruitment companies and others that serve international schools. If you see that an appointment is being supported by a recruiter, and if there is the offer of a preliminary conversation – there always should be – please, please take up the offer. We are there to advise. At RSAcademics, we will be honest if we believe the role is not for you, which will save you the time, the emotional commitment involved in applying, and ultimately the later disappointment too. But that conversation may end up helping you in other ways – it could draw you to another opportunity, cause you to refocus your priorities or get you thinking about types of school or roles that you had not previously considered.
You may well get to know people in recruitment companies as well and build a lasting relationship. “You won’t remember, but I spoke to you six years ago when I was last looking.” Oh yes, we will remember you – and if we don’t we will have a (GDPR-compliant) database to help us remember. It’s often a surprise as you move into senior leadership to realise that speaking to a recruiter (and many of us are drawn from within the sector) is not a transactional matter, it can be a deeply important career development conversation.
Invest the time
One part of the applications process is totally within your control: your letter of application. We place a lot of emphasis on these letters and we are looking for authenticity. If the candidate information asks you to address your letter to ‘Mr Andrew Taylor’, do not address it to ‘the hiring committee’ or ‘to whom it may concern’. And do not send a completely generic letter telling us how brilliant you are, or try to kid us with bespoke opening and closing lines that fail to mask an otherwise generic letter. We will spot that every time – even if you remember to change Bogota to Caracas in your last line.
We know applications take considerable time and, at their best, great emotional commitment. We also know that fields are strong and you may be applying for a number of jobs and not making progress. But good candidates want to show a school (and the recruiter) they are committed and they care. The letter is the chance not only to list your credentials and show why you are so amazing. It really is your opportunity to tell us why – why this is the school and the role for you. That needs to come from the authentic you; AI will not be able to do that bit for you.
Experience, choice, time
Good experience, good choices and a good application. These are some of the too-often forgotten ways to land yourself that great leadership role. There are plenty of us out there who can help you along the way. Even if it is not about a specific role, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss your career options.
Keith Clark is Head of International Leadership Appointments at RSAcademics. He and his team are always pleased to speak to people who are considering a career move within the international schools sector.
He can be reached on keithclark@rsacademics.com.
His colleague Jean Sullivan, Head of International Candidate Search, can be reached on jeansullivan@rsacademics.com
FEATURE IMAGE: Unsplash+In collaboration with Getty Images
Support images : by Tumisu from Pixabay, Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash & Andrew Neel on Unsplash