Safeguarding international education, one candidate at a time
Why use Teacher Horizons Recruit Safer?
International education recruitment poses particular challenges to child protection and safeguarding, as norms and standards of practice vary greatly. Safer recruitment is the key to wider and improved safeguarding within the international school community. We are also a recognised company by https://childsafeguarding.com
This crucial process is time consuming and can be stressful.
Using Teacher Horizons Recruit Safer not only saves you valuable time, but also brings the following benefits:
- All checks are undertaken by our specially trained Safeguarding Coordinator (see below for more information).
- Saves your school time and valuable resources.
- Ensures compliance with international safeguarding best practices (COBIS, CIS, UNCRC).
- Enhances your school’s reputation for safe recruitment.
- Reduces liability by confirming due diligence was completed by an independent body.
- Provides peace of mind when hiring remotely or cross-border.
The service
Teacher Horizons Recruit Safer is part of our wider commitment to Safer Recruitment. We have designed this service to ensure that educators placed through our platform meet the highest global standards for safeguarding and professional conduct.
This rigorous check will take place after an offer has been accepted and before a teacher is officially employed, giving schools the final reassurance they need in high-risk, high-trust environments.
Your school will receive a concise Verification Summary Report, including:
- ID confirmation
- Safeguarding reference outcomes
Global service
Explorer service
What you will receive
For a one-time fee of £300/$400 per teacher, we will deliver a comprehensive verification process that includes:
1. Identity Check
- Review of official passport (valid for 6+ months).
- Cross-verification of personal details and declarations made in application and CV.
2. Enhanced Reference Validation
- Two high-level confidential references required:
- One from the candidate’s current or most recent Head of School.
- One from a previous direct line manager within the past six years.
- Live safeguarding-specific video interviews with referees, using a question set aligned with CIS and COBIS frameworks (based on ITFCP standards).
- We will also cross-reference the process with your schools’ accreditation safeguarding guidelines, to ensure compliance.
3. Risk and Misconduct Flagging
- Cross-checking of employment history for gaps, inconsistencies, or safeguarding red flags.
- Documentation of all findings and a clear recommendation report to the hiring school.
Our Safeguarding Coordinator
Sophie Peters – Safeguarding Coordinator at Teacher Horizons
Our specialist Safeguarding Coordinator, Sophie Peters, was a teacher in the UK and internationally for several years before joining Teacher Horizons. In addition to her teaching credentials and classroom experience in safeguarding and inclusion, she has completed Child Safeguarding Levels 1 & 2 for Senior Leaders and Governors.
Sophie has authored Teacher Horizons’ policies on Safeguarding, Safer Recruitment, Disclosure of Criminal Convictions, and Misconduct, and has overseen and coordinated both the safeguarding training of TH advisers and the onboarding of new advisers. She also conducts reviews of candidates flagged as concerns, investigating disclosures and references, and collaborates closely with senior leaders across international schools, as well as with organisations such as CIS and COBIS.
Her expertise has been shared globally through conference presentations in Seoul, South Korea, Bangkok, Thailand, and via online platforms. In addition to her work with Teacher Horizons, Sophie serves on the WISE Committee Board (Women’s International School Empowerment) and has collaborated with international author and Third Culture Kid expert, Ngoc Nguyen.
You can reach out to Sophie by emailing her at: safeguarding@teacherhorizons.com