This is a busy time for senior leadership appointments. It’s timely, therefore, to offer some observations about what we are seeing this year. Some of these repeat messages from previous articles – they are points that bear repetition – some are issues on our minds now.

One piece of advice first: don’t panic if you are seeking an international appointment for August-September 2027 and have not yet found what you are looking for. The pattern of the year has evolved and new opportunities will be advertised all the time, including well into 2027.

And the same ‘don’t panic’ advice goes to those making appointments internationally. The candidate market is now strong across the year, with plenty of good candidates available in the new year as well as in this more traditionally busy period.

Early conversations

We have written about this before, but do take advantage of the preliminary, confidential conversations that we offer – as do our colleagues in other recruitment companies. They are your chance to find out more, decide whether or not a role is for you and, if it is, to make sure you tailor your application accordingly. You can save a lot of time and emotional energy if it’s not likely to be right, but you can strengthen your understanding if it is.

The application letter (and AI, obviously…)

There is a lot of chatter about whether an application letter remains a valid part of an appointment process. We have written at length about the importance of the application letter, and we hold to the view that it is very valid. There may be variations on a theme – a video, for example – but for the positions at senior leadership level that we work on, the letter does a lot. We do not want your CV in narrative form – that generic approach will count against you. The letter gives us a chance to understand why you are interested in a role and your alignment, your perception of it, and how your experience equips you for it. Do take it seriously.

We know that many candidates will use AI to help – even more now than just a few months ago. But poor use of AI can damage your application. Unless you get it right and own the letter, it can become formulaic, with the same phrases cropping up across letters, and too much even-handedness leading to the wrong emphases. Most important is what’s missing: the genuine excitement, the occasional personal aside, the careful aligning of experience, the nuanced understanding of the role that comes from reading between the lines of the candidate brief. The letter will tell us a lot but it won’t be compelling. You will want to use AI, but take the time to give the letter your own stamp of authenticity and to make sure it says exactly what you want it to say. We spend a long time reading application letters: it is often your personal response to the requirements or the deep insights into your motivation that make you stand out.

Safer recruitment

We are constantly surprised at how leaders who will be on top of safer recruitment good practice in their schools don’t think about it in relation to their own applications. They may have a gap in their career that is easily explained, yet they don’t explain it. They would not dream of not taking a reference from current and previous employers when they are appointing, but they don’t apply that when listing their own referees. These are important indicators for us, and it would be negligent if we did not do what you would do – question what it means in terms of understanding of safer recruitment practice.

Visa requirements

One reason for that initial, informal conversation is to explore whether there are any particular visa or related requirements that may rule you out for a role. It is also worth doing your own research. Remember that immigration issues are not something in the school’s control. Age is a common criterion, but it still takes candidates by surprise. Too often, sadly, relationship status or identity are factors internationally – often very much at odds with the values of the school. Sometimes health conditions are covered by a visa requirement – that is something you may be better off researching yourself. It’s one of the frustrations of what we do: we may have a perfect candidate for a role, but there’s no point getting too far into a conversation if they won’t be able to work in the country or will be at risk once they are there.