January is often a busy moment for leadership recruitment in international schools. Schools (at least in the northern hemisphere) can find themselves with a leadership vacancy to fill and coming at this time of year, it may unsettle them – ‘Is it too late?’ we are often asked. Meanwhile, candidates can start feeling more pressure to find their next role.
Our experience of the market suggests a different picture. Leadership movement is constant, shaped by completed contracts, changing priorities and evolving needs. Appointments are increasingly made throughout the year rather than within a fixed cycle. For schools, a vacancy whenever it arises is not a crisis but a point to pause and think ahead with confidence. For candidates, new opportunities will continue to arise as the year unfolds.
Our key message at the turn of the year is therefore: don’t panic. The market – and time – are still on your side.
Let’s think about why vacancies arise at this time of year. It is primarily because of notice periods/contract renewal dates. Many leaders have a contract renewal date falling in December or January or they may have a notice period of six months, which will often mean the same.
This is not as clear cut as it once was. Some jurisdictions are seeking to enforce shorter notice periods, while in the other direction, more schools are asking for an earlier indication of intent. There has also been a post-pandemic trend of more leaders (Heads/Principals more than other senior leaders) opting to indicate at the beginning of the school year that they will not be renewing, regardless of when they are required to do so – leaving themselves free to search more openly for their next role.
Nevertheless, December/January remains a peak time for decisions. And a decision not to continue creates a vacancy.
For schools, the received wisdom is that earlier is better when searching for a Principal. There is merit in this: it allows time for planning, for an orderly process and for good transition arrangements. Some schools will have the luxury of recruiting more than a year ahead of time – although sometimes, early can be too early. However, we would argue that in most cases, the January-April recruitment window can be as successful as August to November. The volume of interest may be less, but we always prioritise quality over quantity anyway. And candidate interest tends to be a little more focused and less speculative.
Our advice to schools is definitely to keep calm and hold your nerve if you have a leadership vacancy as you move into January. There will be plenty of good candidates available and you should feel confident about making a good appointment. It’s better to get it right than to rush: give yourself time to take stock and think through what you want, which may or may not be more of the same.
Our second piece of advice is to talk to us. We will always be delighted to discuss your options and help you decide how to fill your leadership vacancy.
It almost stands to reason that the same advice goes to candidates. There will be more opportunities becoming available and you should not put yourself under pressure to pursue positions that don’t feel right for you. Therein lies the path to instability and unhappiness (a theme of previous newsletters). Again, talk to us, let us know what you are looking for and when something intriguing comes up, always get in touch to explore it in detail. All the recruitment companies will be delighted to have that chat to help you decide if it is – or not – the role for you.
One other tip for candidates: it may be worth keeping an eye on our website – and those of other recruiters – over the holiday period. New roles may not appear on the TES or LinkedIn until January, but we will sometimes post them on our own site before or even during the break. You may have more time then to think, to let your mind wander, to imagine yourself in a different part of the world or a different type of school. It is worth taking the time to look – and then to get in touch for that all-important chat in early January.
But take the time to have a break too. Most school leaders desperately need it. It has been wonderful for us to be in touch with so many of you in the last year – well over 1,000 international school leaders, in fact – and all at RSAcademics send you our very best wishes for a peaceful, restful holiday and a very happy festive season.