Written by Chris Edwards, Senior Advisor
This is the first in a series of articles considering the challenges of taking on a new international headship. Subsequent articles will explore in more detail aspects of leadership that both experienced and first-time international Heads and Principals may want to consider when moving into a new role. We hope that much of what we discuss will also be of use to other senior leaders – and, indeed, to those responsible for making leadership appointments.
“Just because the Chair’s sister or grandmother suddenly comes in to replace her at a Board meeting doesn’t necessarily mean the place is crazy.”
Of all the input gathered from the eighty or so Heads and Principals interviewed for Upwards and Onwards (RSAcademics, 2023), this quotation gets to the heart of the matter. The international school landscape is characterised by profound diversity, and Heads must unlearn, recalibrate and go again if they are to navigate the uncertain but often thrilling world of international headship.
A Unique Blend
From tweed blazers and A levels in 35-degree heat, to temperate forest-based schools eschewing traditional examinations, each international school is unique. It is a blend of its host nation’s culture and educational and regulatory environment, the educational philosophy and expectations of its owners/governors, and its community demographics. And the landscape is changing: the continued growth of international schools is driven not by more schools for expatriates, but by the demand for international schools to serve national markets.
Templates won’t cut it: success for an incoming Head will always be context-dependent.
‘International experience desirable’ is a common line in job advertisements. Our experience of international leadership appointments tells us more: a Principal who demonstrates exemplary leadership and outstanding outcomes in Dubai, say, cannot assume that success will automatically transfer to São Paulo. Substitute almost any jurisdiction, and the statement still holds.
A successful Head, even one who has enjoyed international success, cannot simply transplant their existing frame of reference; they must first engage in a process of deliberate unlearning.
Monocultural to multicultural
An obvious example to start: the Head moving from a national system to an international one. Often, the most fundamental shift will be from a monocultural to a multicultural mindset. Let’s take the instance of a UK Head – or it could be a Head in a very British international school – looking to move to South East Asia.
Regardless of how multicultural her previous school had been on many measures, she may well come from a position of unconscious cultural centrality, where the curriculum, traditions, and behavioural expectations are rooted in a specific national context. But in her new school, the British way is not the only way, nor is it necessarily the best way.
It may come as a shock to our new Head that many more students globally take Advanced Placement (AP) than A level, or that other frameworks such as Mastery Transcript Consortium are on the rise, equally valid and often more appropriate. The ‘gold standard’ is suddenly a moveable feast. The Head may need to champion a curriculum that reflects the school’s diverse student body and prepares them for global citizenship, not just for entry into UK or US universities.
It can also become personal. This was certainly my experience of moving to Southeast Asia. Direct, ironic, self-deprecating British humour and communication had served me well in the UK – indeed, it had also carried me through a spell of middle leadership in a British school in Brazil. Colleagues from that time would probably say it was what I was known for. But I quickly realised that in Southeast Asia, I risked being misunderstood in a culture that values indirectness and formality, and I may even have been perceived as rude. I was forced to unlearn elements of my default style, to become a student of cross-cultural communication, to practise clarity and empathy, and to build my awareness of non-verbal cues.
We would argue that what holds true for a leader moving from national to international contexts can be equally true for those moving between different international environments. Success always requires a degree of reinvention.
A Leader Among Experts
Few if any Heads will characterise their leadership style as authoritative and top-down, but they may inadvertently present as such if they don’t read the international room carefully.
International school faculties are often highly diverse, comprising experienced educators from around the world who expect to be heard and valued as professionals. Many will be very much more experienced in the local context than the incoming Head. A successful Head must therefore adopt collaborative, distributive, and inclusive leadership models. They are likely to be a leader among experts, not an expert above subordinates.
And the parents, some of whom may view the school as a key element of their social world, often have sophisticated global experiences and perspectives. They can make the Head’s world view seem positively parochial. Or they may be part of the host culture in which the Head will only ever be a guest. Many international school parents have very high expectations of their children’s education and well-being, and deference to the new Head does not come as standard. The Head should see parents as collaborative partners, leveraging their diverse experiences as a resource for the school community.
Leaving Experience Behind
Whether an international school serves an international community, a national population or both, it will be very different from a traditional conception of a school with deep, multi-generational roots and a relatively stable student body. Most international schools, even the greatest of them, will be much newer and, in cases where there is a significant international population, they may be defined by their transience.
There is also the obvious fact that the international school is a guest in its host nation – one prominent school we worked with could not even have legal status in its country. In an internationally-diverse school, the temptation arising from this is to create an insular bubble. But this will not benefit the school or its students, least of all the many who are TCKs – Third Culture Kids navigating a complex path between their passport country, their host country and the International school culture as they seek to understand their identity.
Any monolithic understanding of identity and well-being will ill-serve these students or those for whom there is a disconnect between school and local culture. For example, in some countries, it is not unusual for parents to punish (including physically) children who perform poorly in tests. And what to do when a young person wishes to express an LGBTQ identity in one of the many countries where that is criminalised? What needs to be unlearnt to deal with such scenarios? Pastoral care certainly cannot be one-size-fits-all; it must respond to the unique challenges of transition, grief, belonging, and rootlessness that students in international schools – TCKs and others – often face.
Such challenges can be compounded in a school with a significant host nation community. The new Head will experience even greater cultural immersion and there may be significant regulatory, curricular and legal issues to navigate. In China, most notably, the challenge is to create something international while working with a tightly-regulated national curriculum. In other countries, the challenge can seem more manageable – integrating language, local history and religion, for example – but to do this seriously and authentically requires skill, understanding and creativity.
Linking these diverse scenarios – every leadership experience different from most others – is the need for unlearning. The most successful international school Heads keenly appreciate what from their experience is not relevant as much as what is.
Unlearning Inertia
How often do leaders join an organisation with ambitions to effect change, only to hear, “But we’ve always done it this way”? This can be common in established schools in national systems. International schools are not immune to it, but they will often operate differently. They are likely to have shorter histories, exist in highly competitive markets and be accustomed to having change imposed from outside. A Head used to a slower pace of change must unlearn bureaucratic inertia.
Successful international schools require Heads who are agile, responsive, innovative. In very few cases will reputation alone ensure recruitment. Even within well-known groups, there can be huge differences: schools may share a famous name, but that guarantees little. The Head may need to deploy a new set of skills. They may have to become the chief marketing officer with a firm grasp of branding, demographics, and customer service. Similarly, they might have to become adept at managing a complex business model in a legal jurisdiction that will be wholly unfamiliar to them
Humility, Courage and Wisdom
This is only a snapshot. Yet it suggests a journey of humility and transformation. It requires courage to question one’s assumptions, and wisdom to understand that past success is merely the foundation, not the guarantor, for future growth.
In RSAcademics’ experience, the most successful international school leaders are those who, to a considerable extent, unlearn their cultural and operational defaults. By doing so, they stand a far better chance of becoming a true architect of a dynamic, successful, inclusive learning community.