Advisory Teaching Jobs

If you are an experienced, qualified teacher and want to help the world in a whole new way whilst still enjoying a great salary and top notch benefits, then advisory teaching may be for you.

Advisory teachers are experienced teachers and school leaders with over 4 years of solid classroom experience and experience of mentoring other teachers, who are deployed to foreign state schools to work alongside local teachers for a period of time, usually between 1 and 3 years, to help them improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. Advisory teachers are usually assigned to one or two schools to mentor and develop local staff, working alongside them in a cooperative and sensitive way, but are supported themselves by a sponsoring expatriate company which usually has a local office with staff to guide and assist their staff.

The projects and requirements reflect the needs and priorities of the country you will work in. Some are quite focussed, such as a project in the Far East where advisory teachers were required to enhance an already world-class education system by improving the use of drama, speaking and debating within the English curriculum. In other countries, where local teachers and school leaders have little formal teacher training, advisors are needed to help implement a new curriculum for the first time, for example in Abu Dhabi. Other projects focus on e-learning, management development or teaching English as a foreign language. The opportunities for advisory teaching are far and wide across the globe but usually exist in countries that are investing heavily in building up their state education systems. The relative benefits for each area can vary but almost always include flights, in-country support, housing allowances, bonuses and medical coverage. However it is important to research opportunities carefully because the packages and jobs vary considerably from location to location. One thing that is important to note is that advisory teachers can most definitely boost their CV and can be rewarded while doing so. In fact, these jobs often provide more comprehensive, family-friendly and lucrative employment packages than those at nearby international schools reflecting the vast experience and training of the teachers who are attracted to these posts.

Advisory teaching, however, may not be to everyone's taste; candidates must be well-trained and confident in their teaching. They must be confident teaching teachers rather than children. They must also possess great personal flexibility, cultural awareness, resiliency and excellent communication skills as they will need to influence and guide local teachers working across cultural boundaries in a foreign system. Additionally, candidates must be fully qualified, experienced primary and secondary teachers, who have recently taught or advised teachers in the relevant subject and age range, with excellent references and complete fluency in English. For management advisory posts, where the project involves mentoring school leaders in effective leadership techniques, candidates must have at least 2 years' experience as a senior manager.