What makes a school really great? At Teacherhorizons we have been discussing some of the key factors that make schools outstanding. One thing that rings true for us all is that stand-out schools are those that blow you away with the difference they are making to future generations. Luckily these schools are looking for new teachers each year, too!
Here is our pick of the top attributes and the schools we feel exemplify this attribute. Our Top 5 factors that make a school great in 2019 are as follows:
- A forward thinking Education Model
- Breaking the traditional western economic model
- The location
- Global and inclusive
- Innovative and sustainably driven
A Forward thinking Educational Model. United World Colleges.
Our Advisor, Joana, has voted for United World Colleges as being a prime example of an outstanding education model. Not bound by a particular location, United World Colleges, are located all around the world. A fabulous and forward-thinking educational model that values equality, diversity, compassion, environment etc. Read more here: https://www.uwc.org/
Breaking the traditional western economic model. The Green School, Bali.
As well as UWC, any school that is breaking the traditional western economic model of what education should look and feel like is key to us. The world recognises that the current model needs to change. Few schools are brave enough to do something about it! We are so lucky to be graced with working with some of these. As Joana states, “The Green School, Bali, is an example of a school trying to be innovative, creative; they are quite literally taking the walls of education down!” Emily, who has visited the school a couple of times says: “Not only is the school set in a stunning location, it also offers a forward-thinking, holistic approach to education that enables students to grow and develop into environmentally responsible and community minded individuals.”
Location. St Julian’s School Lisbon
school. Our CEO, Alex recommends St Julian’s in Lisbon – “it’s a well established school with strong leadership and Lisbon’s the best city to live in the world and sunniest capital in Europe. It’s also by Carcavelos beach so some students can learn to surf in PE.” What’s not to like about that?
Global & Inclusive. UWCSEA
This might seem like no-brainer for an attribute of a great international school. Isn’t it by default? However, having students from allover and enabling this to be so through great scholarships is a key attribute in our eyes. Our CEO Alex says that “a great school is UWCSEA because it has students from all over the world and offers an incredible scholarship program.”Innovative and sustainably driven. Fairgreen School in Dubai
1) It is a very small school at present only 380 kids but the campus has a capacity for 1000 so there are growth opportunities.
2) Brand new campus which will focus on innovation and sustainability. The building is also a pioneering architectural design concept. Located in Dubai Sustainable City – a very unique location. It also is a Plastic free campus
3) Facilities are top quality – wood throughout, no plastic – all the usual state of the art classrooms etc but also research and food production labs, a library and learning hub, and arts and music labs, sports facilities
4) Students have access to an Innovation Centre, Junior Innovation Centre, Equestrian Centre, and biking and jogging tracks. One of The Sustainable City’s spacious bio-domes is dedicated to the school and will serve as its Health, Wellness, and Learning Centre.
5) Head is lovely, he was at IS Hague for 7 years and IS Bangkok, very personable and takes a strong interest in personal and professional development of staff.
Seeing successful people that have truly worked hard to be in the position that they are in. The children that I used to teach, also inspire me a great deal. The fact that I was able to see how much they progressed from the start of the year to the end and knowing that I have been the one to help them make that progress is wonderful to witness. My partner also inspires me massively! She is always positive, even in difficult situations.
After living in Cambodia for a few years, I started to feel like I was getting bored of it and wanted a fresh start so I moved to Vietnam which seemed like the right idea at the time. As it turned out, Vietnam was not as well suited to me as I originally thought so I ended up seeing out my 3-month visa but towards the end, I was thinking more and more about life in Cambodia and how much I missed it. I decided to move back to Cambodia, I haven’t looked back. I see this as a lesson because if I had never moved to away from Cambodia, I would never have known how much I appreciate it. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone!
If a teacher is teaching foreign students their own language, or if a teacher isn’t fully lingual with the students’ local language, then technology can help with this in a number of ways.
Using Virtual Reality, teachers can design and use collaborative activities to introduce students from different countries to one another. Students can then experience a new language and culture first-hand, just as the teachers working abroad did. This can create a closer bond and understanding between the international teacher and students, as the students can relate to, and respect, the changes the teacher has been willing to make to teach them.
Moving abroad to teach is an exciting and eyeopening experience. Teachers get to encounter interesting new people and cultures. However, it can also be a very daunting experience. No matter where they go or how much they’ll enjoy their experience of teaching abroad, it is inevitable that sometimes they will get homesick.
Include all the necessary parts 
There are many services and tools on the internet like 
After education, it’s time to list your work history. Of course, relevancy is also incredibly important here, too. Make sure that you list the month and year that you started each job. Don’t contain too many, and don’t list promotions as single entries. Make sure you include all the information – dates, school name, position, responsibilities. How you list your work history is essential. The first on your list should be the most relevant and recent. As a teacher, you should list all the main subjects that you taught, the age ranges, and the levels taught. Don’t list more than 3 topics for each job as it gets too complicated.
you’re newly qualified, list your teaching practices and any work experience you’ve had in classrooms.
publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she works as a freelance writer at 
Gentle Exercise.
Establishing a Routine.
Take a trip.
Yew Chung Education Foundation
The curriculum
What is it like to work there?
Where are the schools?
Click on the links below to have a look at each of the Yew Chung and Yew Wah schools recruiting through Teacherhorizons. If you find a vacancy you are interested in, make sure you get in touch immediately with the International Adviser detailed in the advert! You can also interview via Skype if you cannot get to London, but priority will be given to face to face candidates.
My experience with Teacherhorizons was one of practical professionalism. The staff I worked with were insightful and showed a clear understanding of not just the international teaching circuit, but local aspects specific to cities or countries. I was really encouraged by their promptness to respond to enquiries, the consistent offers of help, and the thoroughness in vetting myself whilst also maintaining a familiar friendliness. In other words, I felt they walked the line between professional-human-resources and approachable-diligent-support very well.
. It was a fairly standard ‘would you be interested in working here’, ‘when could we do a Skype interview’ and ‘please fill in the following small forms to aid our process’. Surprisingly, from that point on Teacherhorizons did not step back. As I moved further along the appointment process, Tiffany offered advice and support when possible. I consider myself quite adapt at interviewing and have had a high success rate, but still found it pleasant to go through the process with more of a ‘team’ mentality. Again, that local knowledge of the country and the school helped our decision process a lot, and my wife and I eventually accepted a job to work in the Cayman Islands.
