5 incentives to recruit international educators
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for international schools across Latin America to recruit and retain good quality educators – especially when it comes to specialist subject areas like further mathematics. With the COVID-19 pandemic in the mix, including other issues facing the region, these recruitment challenges are likely here to stay. If your school would like to compete for the best teachers, counselors, special education professionals, and other staff that make up a school, this Pacific Prime Latin America article breaks down what incentives you need to provide.
1. An outstanding school culture
To get a better idea of where your school stands in terms of culture, consider the quality of teachers you currently have and evaluate your school’s administrative operations and management team. Nobody wants to work for a school that doesn’t plan ahead, doesn’t communicate properly, and is just badly run as this can break the overall experience of working there. Neither do they want to work for a school that isn’t empathetic towards them or doesn’t value their contribution.
2. A desirable and convenient location
Is your school located in the heart of a bustling city? Or is it located somewhere rural, peaceful, and idyllic? Either way, what’s considered a good location can differ based on a person’s lifestyle and personality. Make sure you understand the advantages your school offers in terms of location and communicate that to attract the right type of educators. Young, single, and extroverted staff might not last long in the middle of nowhere, so hiring couples (both spouses) might be a better strategy to recruit and retain staff.
Note: Remember to be honest about the pros and cons of where your school is located. You don’t want to oversell your school only to have your newly recruited staff disappointed. You can also do things to mitigate the cons. Is your school located in a high-crime area? Make sure you invest in the appropriate security measures. Or maybe you can provide weekend transport to the city if your school is located somewhere that’s not very well connected. The options are endless.
3. Career development opportunities
If your staff feel like they’re stagnating, they’ll look for opportunities elsewhere. Everyone (including international educators) wants to move up the career ladder, so make sure you offer plenty of professional development opportunities (i.e. teacher qualification certification programs like QTS) and career mentorship and guidance, as well as promote the right candidate internally to allow them to move into higher-paying roles. If you’re in doubt, ask your staff directly: “What career development opportunities would you like to have”?
4. Subsidized cost of living
Living in certain areas in Latin America can also be very heavy on the pocket, so why not subsidize the cost of living? Doing so can help your staff free up their income and give them more financial security. Consider assisting your staff with the costs of relocation, accommodation and transportation budget, and free schooling for their kids at your school. The amount you provide will depend on your budget, of course. But make sure it’s in line with the amount of money your school makes.
5. Employee wellness programs
It’s not easy being an educator – especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While things are gradually starting to normalize the world over, the mental health impact from the pandemic is going to be here for a while and schools need to provide the required support. Whether it’s through employee wellness programs or other mental health benefits, making sure that your staff are in the right state of mind can greatly enhance the quality of education your students receive.
Pacific Prime Latin America can help your school with all things employee benefits
If your international school would like to offer employee benefits, including employee wellness programs and other mental health benefits, you’ve come to the right place. As a global health insurance brokerage and employee benefits specialist, Pacific Prime Latin America has particular expertise in the international school sector and can help your school design and implement the right employee benefits program.
Contact our corporate team to find out more about what we can do for you!
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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