“In its relationship with clients and educators, True Teaching embodies ethical and honest practices in its effort to ensure dedicated Educators are placed in front of classrooms everywhere. True Teaching aims to improve the quality of education in schools around the world by putting the best Educators in schools that match their aspirations, values and pedagogical beliefs. This is achieved by establishing relationships, between, True Teaching, its clients and candidates, based on integrity, and the expectation that those relationships will endure and deepen.” (https://www.trueteaching.com/about/)
What is a teacher recruitment agency?
When I explored teaching agencies in my book and researched opinions on the use of small/medium and large agencies, over larger websites such as TES, international teachers shared:
“…using an agency does give you a better chance of being placed in a reputable school, rather a school which has simply placed an advert on a job search page. The reason for this is that agencies often visit schools and therefore they connect with the management team and gain an understanding of how the school operates. Further, some agencies visit schools to ensure that the teachers and schools are a good ‘fit’” (Gosling, 2021, p.22)
True Teaching is a small agency, operating as a ‘free for teachers’ agency, not requiring either teacher or school to pay a registration fee. The school pays a fee only when a candidate is employed. Due to her wealth of experience in international schools, Nadine Tyro, the director, has built up trust within the schools she recruits for. Furthermore, she endeavours to find them the quality candidates they seek, as she understands their needs due to her background. She encourages a personal relationship with the hiring team, explaining that when she visits schools she will often share a cup of tea and take time to pinpoint their needs. Nadine shared that she is known to ‘go the extra mile’ for schools to find them just the right candidate.
I first came across the ‘Flying Squad’ initiative when writing my guide in 2021. The ‘Flying Squad’ temporarily places teachers in schools, typically covering long-term sickness or maternity leave. True Teaching also offers permanent international teaching and administrator contracts.
I spoke with Nadine as I was curious about what sets True Teaching apart from larger agencies such as Schrole and ISS. In some ways, True Teaching operates similarly to Schole, as she holds a large database of quality teachers in which schools can access and hire. Teachers also have access to her database of available positions.
However, Nadine’s business philosophy differs a great deal from the larger agency. In this blog I will detail these differences and why you may wish to consider an agency such as True Teaching.
Ethics and Trust
True Teaching prides itself on being honest and ethical recruiters. They work only with ethical schools and organizations that provide and uphold appropriate working conditions, salary, and benefits packages.
Nadine made it clear that she knows the realities of working in international schools, as her career over many years has been in education, both in teaching and leadership, across several continents. Therefore she can present the realities of working in certain schools and countries, to fully prepare the candidate for the role. She offers advice, guidance, and training to candidates and clients to improve their chances of a successful outcome.
By connecting both a teacher with a matching school, Nadine builds loyalty with both. She explained that if she does receive a report from a teacher that shows a school does not match what they offer, True Teaching will no longer use the school.
Personal Touch
When applying through True Teaching your CV will be personally looked over by Nadine, who will begin to think about where you could be best matched. She prides herself in getting to know people, and in our short conversation, I could feel how she would be an excellent person to approach when considering a role in a new school.
Myth-busting
When I researched my book in 2021, I gathered data which showed that teachers were concerned that schools would provide a slightly adjusted salary to take into account an agent’s fee. Nadine assured me this is not the case, and in fact, most of the top-tier schools have a salary scale to which they must adhere.
What do candidates need to consider?
She shared that in particular for the short-term, ‘Flying Squad’ posts a more experienced international teacher is desired, as they are more likely to cope with teaching rather than being distracted/overwhelmed by differing cultural aspects. Being self-reliant for these contracts is vital as there may be very little time to induct you into the role.
For the longer-term placements, Nadine stresses a minimum of two years experience of in teaching is ideal. There can be issues with certain visas so Nadine keeps abreast of certain country requirements and can advise teachers on this. She also stresses that it is good to be aware of which countries require specific qualifications, again, this is something she can confidently advise on. She gave the example of the UAE and science-related degrees for teaching Science. In addition, for some countries university transcripts must match the requirements of the job role.
What key qualities do the best candidates have?
Nadine stressed that resilience is key. Being able to adapt to a new environment, at times very quickly such as the short-term ‘Flying Squad’, will certainly be a powerful characteristic to cope in a different environment. She also explained that for more experienced international teachers, showing commitment to staying at schools longer term, rather than moving every two years, allows you access to the higher tier schools. She emphasised that the cost for schools to invest in a new teacher is high, therefore schools often look for teachers who will stay beyond their first contract.
Next Steps
If you are beginning your international teaching journey or a few moves in, I recommend you contact Nadine to see how she can support your next move. She has many great schools, worldwide, on her books and seeking high-quality candidates to fulfil roles in this season.
How to connect with Nadine Tyro- True Teaching
If you have full teaching credentials, several years of experience in a home/international school, and are seeking a new adventure you can get in touch:
New to International Teaching with Jess Gosling 