BSME Talks | Teacher Recruitment During Times of Uncertainty

On this episode of BSME Talks, Nalini Cook, COO of BSME, is joined by Lisa Passante, Principal at Star International School, Al Twar, and Ryan Jones, Co-Founder of Teacher Recruit, to explore the current state of recruitment across the Middle East education landscape.

With schools across the region continuing to recruit well into Term 3, ongoing regional tensions have created a recruitment cycle unlike anything many leaders have experienced before. As Lisa explains, one of the biggest challenges schools now face is rebuilding candidate confidence and reassuring teachers that the region remains a safe and rewarding place to live and work.

The conversation highlights the importance of honesty, reassurance, and strong leadership throughout the recruitment process. Teachers aren’t panicking, they’re doing their due diligence. Increasingly, candidates are looking beyond salary packages alone and placing greater value on transparency, culture, and leadership when deciding between schools.

Lisa and Ryan also challenge common misconceptions about the region, discuss why recruitment should feel like a two-way conversation rather than a sales pitch, and reflect on the risks of relying too heavily on one recruitment strategy.

Their advice? Don’t let assumptions make decisions for you. Stay curious, not cautious.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of BSME Talks. I'm Nalini Cook, I'm COO of BSME. Now, the Middle East has long been an exciting and rewarding destination for educators from all over the world. But as many of you will know, the landscape is ever evolving. There has been a degree of uncertainty in the region and shifting expectations from both candidates and students. Schools are having to think a little bit more strategically, perhaps now more than ever, about how they attract, recruit, and retain high-quality staff. So what does that reality look like on the ground right now? Particularly if you're out of the region, you might be wondering what real life is actually like. Are schools finding it harder to secure the right talent? And what are teachers really looking for when they consider a move to the region whilst the situation is still so fluid? Joining me today to help me tackle that topic are two brilliant members of the BSME community, and I'm delighted to introduce both Ryan Jones, who is co-founder of Teacher Recruit, and Lisa Pasante, principal of Star International School, Altois. Thank you both for joining me today on BSME Talks. Lisa, I'll start with you if I can. There has been an element of uncertainty in the region over the past couple of months. What are schools most concerned about at the moment when it comes to teacher recruitment?

SPEAKER_02 1:37

The biggest concern for schools at the moment is building the confidence back up in people in terms of wanting to come to the Middle East, obviously during periods of regional uncertainty and our shift to distance learning. You know, there's understandable anxiety that comes with that. And I think candidates, and especially those that relocate with families, are asking probably more questions than usual about safety, stability, and long-term security before they they want to make that, you know, commit to that move. Dubai obviously does, you know, does very well in terms of the whole recruitment of teachers, it attracts great teachers. But I think now we're we're more focused on reassuring people that this is still a safe place, professionally rewarding, and everyone, you know, schools are really supportive of candidates that are moving here.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Thank you. Now, Ryan, you're you're on the other side of this as such, because you're talking to the teachers directly who are perhaps considering the region for their next job. Are you seeing the same trends? What are their current concerns?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Yeah, thanks, Eleni. It absolutely is. And Lisa's absolutely correct in what she's saying. The main thing that we're getting from a teacher's side is what is the stability and the safety and what does that look like across the whole of the Middle East? That's not just the buy exclusive. So it's really actually reassuring and refreshing to see that what Lisa's hearing inside the classroom is the same as what we're sort of seeing outside of it. It's all to do with what are the school's plans if things escalate, what happens if, you know, we're in a classroom and the alerts go off, what are the security protocols that are in place? And it's just again, the teachers appreciate from the school side just an honest and reassuring answer to those questions. It's not so much of a panic from the teacher's side that we're finding. It's more just extra due diligence. But yeah, that the main thing that we're getting is to do with that safety and stability within the region.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Thank you. So it seems like the concerns are consistent with both sides hearing the same thing. Lisa, how as a school then are you addressing those kinds of concerns that might be arising amongst new recruits that are perhaps due to move here and perhaps even their first international move for the new academic year?

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Transparency is key. I think being really open with new staff about what life is really like here, how we operate, the systems that we have in place to support staff and families. We don't avoid the difficult conversations or pretend things are not happening. We just address them honestly. We explain how recent events have been managed by our school, by our group, in particular, you know, the support that was given to all members of staff by all levels of, you know, whether you're a senior leader for me, I had calls every day with my regional team and my fellow principals that were just really supportive and supported, as you know, in terms of moving forward and making decisions, really important decisions. Our staff community were given opportunities to join counselling sessions. They've had calls with their phase leaders every day. And I think in many ways those experiences actually strengthened the confidence because they demonstrated how organized and responsive the schools in Dubai were to the situation. But I think, you know, regardless of the current situation, we always focus really heavily on that pastoral care of staff who are joining us, especially when they're they're new to a new country. Relocating internationally is a huge debt for people. And I always say to staff when they come, you know, we we bring you out a lot earlier than the new term starts because we want to make sure you are happy in your life and everything is settled before you even begin to contemplate teaching students. Um it's really making sure that they are comfortable and they're settled in their home life before we even begin to think about sort of education. So it's it's it's thinking about the people, putting people first.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something that international schools do incredibly well. I'm sure Ryan will agree. You know, we see that not only throughout the region, but globally, international schools, I think, know that successful recruitment and then thereafter retention happens when schools take care of their staff and make sure that their staff are well settled. It has an impact on the success of a school and the success of their students as well. I think in case it hasn't come across, all three of us, for those listening, are actually currently sat in Dubai on the ground and have been here for some considerable years. It's important, I think, to say at this point, you know, we're all aware of what's going on. Nobody's trying to paper over the fact that it has been an unsettling few months. But equally, we're all here quite happily to be here. And I can assure you that none of us is being paid by the government to say that. Well, I can say that on my behalf. I'm fairly sure I can say it on your behalf. I wish somebody was paying me to say that. But no, we are genuinely here and happy to be here. And I think it's important to listen to those voices of people on the ground as well as what you may see in the press in other places. Ryan, if a candidate is then offered perhaps multiple roles, what are the key factors that you find are influencing them to choose one school over another, particularly in this situation?

SPEAKER_00 6:49

It it's always a funny question when I get asked this, Nalini, because in any other industry, the answer is very simple. And the answer is what's the package, what's the salary? Whereas in education, it is, it couldn't be further from the truth. One thing that we find when we speak to candidates is the interview experience with the leadership is massive. What are the first impressions of the school? What are the first impressions of the SLT? I'm a firm believer that teachers join leaders rather than joining schools. You can have the best school in the world. If the leadership doesn't quite match up with what the teachers' values and goals are, and vice versa, then it's not gonna be a good fit. So we get told or we get the conversation with teachers quite frequently that say, well, school A offered me more than school B, but I'm gonna join school B because I felt like I belonged there and I had sort of more of an impact to play within that school. And that leads me quite nicely on to nicely onto the next point, which is we find that a lot of the teachers we speak to are super ambitious and they want the school to match their ambition and help them get to wherever their next stage of career is, whether that's middle leadership, senior leadership, whether it's even a teaching assistant moving through into a teaching position, you know. So schools having CPD budgets and being very clear as to what that is in the in the first instance is also a key, a key factor. And the final thing that I'll mention, I've just come away from package, but I will sort of swing back into it. Is it's how clear is the package? It's not a massive key sort of deciding factor as to how big the package is, but what's included? How clear is it? How proactive of the school been sort of letting the teacher know this is what your package is when you join our school? And going sort of uh from a lot of people who come over to the Middle East that have never sort of taught here before. Obviously, the majority of the Middle East is a tax-free region. So what does that look like? What does the you might be coming from the UK where you draw into a pension, but you don't have that here. We have gratuity and end-of-service benefit. What does all of that mean? It's answering all of those questions at the start so that the teacher can go, the candidate can come away and go, I feel like I've completely done my due diligence. The school have been super proactive in letting me know exactly what my sort of role is and how they see me fitting into their school. So that's the one I'm gonna go with.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Thank you. It's a really nice insight there into um what perhaps drives some of the the candidates, the majority of the candidates. And as you said, it's it's not typically the package, the the dollar figure that that's seen, it's that essence of feeling like you belong, that you're on the same page. So some great tips for for schools and HR departments there as well. But Lisa, you've been a school leader in the region for some time now. What would you say are some of the more common myths that you have to dispel to those who've perhaps never been to the region but are considering a move out here?

SPEAKER_02 9:40

They can be quite vast, actually. I think one of the biggest myths is uh perhaps how restrictive or difficult Dubai is to adapt to, but it's actually not. It's you know it's one of the most international, welcoming, professionally ambitious cities in the world. And I think people are often surprised when they do get here out of how easy it is to get around. Saying that at the same time, one of the things I always do when we attend our recruitment fairs back in the UK is I speak to the staff about how they probably shouldn't expect to live on the palm straight away. That uh a little bit like Robert was saying in terms of salaries and packages, we're not all earning mega dollars out here. And you know, we still have to think about a little bit like the UK in terms of how to manage your salary and your and your budget on a monthly basis. The other thing we do get across is uh how beneficial it is to be out here and how uh you know you can get your salary to stretch that you know that little bit more as long as you're sort of careful with it. I think another misconception and not just uh here in in Dubai, but I think sometimes in general at international schools, people's perception is that um it's easier to work in an international school than it might have been, particularly if if we've come from the UK, for example. And I think the reality is is opposite. I think you know we've got high expectations, um, strong accountability, it is fast-paced, you work hard. But as Ryan was saying, you also have incredible opportunities for professional growth and leadership development, probably more than you would do if you if you were back in the UK, it tends to happen that that little bit you know quicker when you are international. People might assume you were talking earlier about you know that that in the Middle East there's this constant instability, but I would say that you know the reality is that Dubai is still one of the safest cities in the world. It's got such a strong infrastructure, clear governance, excellent support systems, you know, and I think that's been proven as you imagine that we've been living and breathing this for a while now. And I think you know, we've all adapted really well because of you know the directives that we've had and the support we've had from our governance here.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah, that's a it's it's a really good point. And I think it can be challenging to understand, obviously, if you've not been through it, but um I think most of us would say daily life is is really impacted very little, if at all, in some cases. So we've we've been very lucky. I think it's worth mentioning here that a lot of the comments, obviously, we're talking a lot about Dubai because that's where the three of us are based, but do hold true for throughout the region. Lisa, I know that ISP, which is the the school group that STAR belongs to, has schools throughout the region. And I know you've got recruitment drives going on for a number of schools at the moment. In fact, you're going to the UK um in the very near future. So if anybody's listening in and uh is is encouraged to apply, please do get in touch with uh with Lisa and the ISP team. But yeah, it's a very different situation, I think, on the ground to what is perhaps being portrayed elsewhere. Brian, are there any mistakes that you think schools are commonly making at the moment that are perhaps preventing them from finding the best teachers for their schools? Now, this is a slightly loaded question, I do reignise. So without pointing fingers at anybody, just some, you know, tips, I guess, for schools and uh in their recruitment process.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yeah, absolutely. So it's actually funny that one of the points that I was gonna allude to is starting too late, and you mentioned Lisa's going to the UK in in a couple of weeks or this week. But obviously, I think that sort of has a little bit uh it doesn't really ring very true in the Middle East at the moment because of obviously the regional conflicts that have gone on. So we're finding with a lot of the schools that we worked with across the Middle East, they are still hiring right now, which sort of leads me to a point later about you know, if you're a teacher looking to make that move abroad and you're not really too sure whether it's the right or wrong time, now's a perfect opportunity to get that foot in the door because there is a whole heap of vacancies now that probably wouldn't have been there should the regional conflict have not kicked off. But the the main thing again in sort of making it topical towards the regional context is vague and evasive answers when it comes to what's actually going on here. And I know Lisa's alluded to this before, and she's absolutely right, where teachers will be able to who have never been to the Middle East before or may have worked internationally but not in the Middle East, will be able to see straight through answers of it's perfectly fine here, you know, even though we live here and it seems fine and we're living our day-to-day life. And I said I feel quite bad for saying this, but it's been brilliant the last few weeks because there's been a ceasefire, there's been nothing really going on, but there's less traffic, everywhere's open, it's business as usual. You know, it's it's great in inverted commas. But honesty and reassurance of again, like Lisa mentioned, this is what happened before, this is what we did in X scenario, Y scenario, and this is what will happen if this is what we do if it if it happens again, is completely reassuring, and honesty wins that trust, and that's exactly what teachers are looking for. The other thing, and this is a little bit more generic, is about overly selling the school rather than looking at how that candidate fits within your school. So, again, this is a couple of bits of feedback we've had, and this is global, not just you know, to the Middle East, is when you're a candidate and you're interviewing for, let's say, five to ten different schools, every single school is going to tell you, you know, the key strengths of that school, how amazing the school is, and every school is amazing in their own way. But what we find that candidates really like is when the the whoever's conducting, whether it's the HR manager, whether it's the SLT, say, Well, tell me a bit about yourself. Why are you looking at working for our school? Do you have children? How many children do you have? What are your hobbies? What are your key interests? What are your career ambitions? Okay, fantastic. Well, we think you could fit here, and then within two years' time, you could move to a head-of-year role and uh whatever it may be. And they come away, and candidates are more likely to accept it if it's more of a two-way conversation rather than a slight sales pitch. I feel like, in fairness, the majority of schools I speak to seem to have this tied down well. But again, if if it seems like it's just an oversell on the school and not really too much the other way, it can turn candidates off quite quickly. And the final thing before I move on, and this is super current now, is the over-reliance on one way of doing recruitment. So whether that be an over-reliance on one platform, one agency, you know, one event or what have you. At the minute, I was listening to the the BSME talks podcast last week with with Rachel, uh, and she mentioned about how we need an extra 40 million teachers to meet UN sustainability goals by 2030. So schools now can't just rely on one stream of teachers because there is just that that global shortage. So I think diversifying the way in which schools recruit now is also something that we see that can benefit the school a lot more than sticking to one channel.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Thank you. And I know you're far too humble to say this, but I'm going to do it on your behalf. So if you haven't seen the teacher recruit platform, um, if you're a teacher, it's a really easy-to-use app. If you're a school, it's a really easy and very affordable way to uh get your vacancies out there to the right people. So um I've had a little explore of the app myself and was really impressed. So take a look at that if you're looking for a job at the moment or you're trying to advertise vacancies. We're coming towards the end of our time. So I'm gonna pose one question to both of you, actually. So I'd like both of your thoughts if I could. What is one last thought or message, uh Lisa and Ryan, that you'd each like to leave those listening with, particularly if they're considering a move to the Middle East for a teaching role at the moment for next academic year?

SPEAKER_02 17:31

I would say be curious rather than cautious. So ask questions, you know, speak to people who are here already. I think you mentioned this, Dolina Lee. No, beyond the headlines. I think us here in Dubai were horrified when we saw some of the headlines that were out and about, you know, in the media and thinking that's not actually what's what's happening here. So definitely be curious rather than cautious. Don't let assumptions make the decision for you. Find find out for yourself what is it's actually like here by speaking to people here and coming along to recruitment events where you know the principals are actually there and seeing people and telling you what you know things are like for anyone not just going to the Middle East but internationally. You know, I know for myself, you know, often you go out thinking, are you going to go out for you know a two-year contract or something? And you know, I'm here 20 years later and never wanting to go back. You know, it's and I know I've been to different countries, but the experience of being international, you know, nothing can even describe what what experiences you can have and the opportunities there are there are out here for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Fantastic. I'll echo that. I also came out for a year 23 years ago. I'm still here. It definitely gets under your skin, I think, uh Dubai. Well, the region is a really easy place to fall in love with. I love that that concept of being curious rather than cautious. And I think particularly if you're earlier on in your career as a class teacher, a subject teacher, don't be afraid in interviews of asking questions. You know, harness that curiosity, ask questions because it's just as important that the school is a right fit for you as you are for them. Ryan, over to you.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Yeah, I was gonna say the curious, not cautious is probably the best way to put it. And I'll probably pinch that, Lisa, for when I'm speaking to people moving forward. But I I think echoing absolutely everything that you guys have just just said, don't apologize for hesitating. I think the hesitation is reasonable, but ask the questions and ask the questions to people on the ground. I mean, I'm a little bit fresher than you guys, I've only been here four years, but in those four years that I've worked in education across the Middle East, I must say it's probably the most supportive teacher community that that I've seen. Like everyone is here to help each other. There's very little gatekeeping that happens here. So reach out to people, whether it's LinkedIn, whether it's I again, I sort of echoing I'm a keen BSME talks listener, clearly. I uh listening to last week where Rachel and uh Sean mentioned about the buddy system that they have within their schools. If you have a buddy, use them, ask questions, get advice about what it's like over here, not only during this sort of regional tension, but this is gonna pass at some point. So, what was it like beforehand? How has it changed? Has it changed a lot, or is it relatively business as normal with just a few different security protocols? That's that's sort of what we're seeing. So, yeah, I think that the main thing that I would absolutely echo is just make sure you're doing the homework and you're speaking to people that are here. Because, like I say, there were some over-dramatic headlines that were just not sort of spelling what was going out here correctly. So, um, yeah, that would that would be how I would how I would say speak to people that are actually here and on the ground.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Absolutely. Thank you. Now, just before we close, we always finish every episode of BSME Talks with the same question to whoever is guesting. So I'd like to ask you, Lisa, first, who was the most influential teacher during your schooling and why?

SPEAKER_02 21:09

It was a lady called Miss Phelps, and she was my English teacher in secondary school as well as my form teacher throughout my entire time in secondary school. And I'd always uh wanted to be a teacher, even when I was a little bit younger. But spending sort of those uh whatever five, five years in in secondary school with her as my form teacher and English was my subject, I then was very much, I really want to be a secondary English teacher when I, you know, when I'm older, that's what I want to do. I didn't actually become a secondary English teacher, I became a primary teacher because I always felt that the top students were going to be too tall. And now here I am across the primary and secondary school. But yeah, she would be always the person that I think about when I think about that's guided me through and helped made my decision. As to being a teacher.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

I love that. And that's exactly why we asked this question. I think people often don't realize quite how much of an impact you have as a teacher on your students. It's easy to forget why you yourself were inspired. Brian, what about you?

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Yeah, my most influential teacher. He was actually the assistant head teacher, and he taught me PE across key stage four and key stage five. And his name was Mr. Wilkinson. And he was one of these characters that was refreshingly honest, had a very, I say strict but also engaging approach to teaching. He treated you as if you were an adult. So he would have no qualms in sitting there within the class and saying, if you're not here to learn and you're not here to apply yourself, there's the door. Go and take a free period. It matters not to me. And whether that was just the greatest bluff on earth or some reverse psychology that clearly worked, it made me really want to engage within his lessons. It taught me self-motivation in terms of I wanted to perform in his lessons so that whenever he reported back to whoever he reported to, he could come back and say, Look at what I've done with this class. Look at how I'm getting them to achieve what they want to achieve. And he made you believe in yourself not only just in PE, and he was also our football coach as well, but also outside the classroom and into maturing into young. I mean, I went to an old boys' school, so into young men. And I mean, I left school eight years ago, and we're still in contact now. Uh, you know, whenever I go back to the UK, I'll go and see him. We might go out for for a for a drink or or what have you. And I had a lot of great teachers in school, but I always look back at him and go, he taught me a lot of values that not only benefited me academically, but also as a person. So, yeah, Mr. Wilkinson, shout out to you if you're listening.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

That's lovely, really nice to hear. So, yeah, very, very nice uh notes to end on there. Thank you both so much for your for your time and for sharing such thoughtful and practical insights. It's been really useful. Yeah, and it's clear obviously that there are challenges in the current recruitment landscape, but also that there are real opportunities for schools to reflect, to adapt, and perhaps strengthen their approach, and lots of opportunities for teachers interested in the region. A reminder that resources on the BSME response to regional tensions page on our website are continuously being updated. So please do check those if you are a school in the region. Feel free to get in touch with the BSME team if we can support you in any way. And I'll just add if you are listening from a HR point of view, just to be aware that BSME is running a webinar series in June from the 8th to the 11th of June on school operations, and there will be a HR focus day. If you'd like to know more, please go to the BSME website at bsme.org.uk and check the professional learning page. Thank you to all, thank you to both of you, and happy teaching.