What is your plan for the next time you recruit? What stage are you at in your life and career? What experiences are you hoping for in your next school, city, and country?

To assist you in making this big, life-changing decision, we once again reached out to our trusted veteran panel of Amy Hunt, Rob Howe, and David Ross — this time to discuss how to make such an important life pivot.

Amy is currently teaching Psychology and Science of Mind at Nueva School in San Francisco. She left the US at age 25 to teach IB English in Ethiopia, where she met her husband, Lee. They taught together in Rio, Minnesota, Barcelona, São Paulo, and Brussels before returning to the US in 2020. Amy is also a yoga therapist who reads, loves murder shows and pickleball, takes hikes and cold plunges, and tries to coax her three 20-something children to fly the nest.

David is retired He began teaching in Los Angeles, then moved to Malaysia with his family for 6 years. He then took a one-year sabbatical with his family to bike across Europe, then taught in Vietnam for nine years. He enjoys SCUBA diving, free diving, playing in a band, pickleball, staying fit, and cooking. He is also a proactive investor and proponent of financial literacy.

Rob Howe is a businessman and international educator. He began his career in the technology industry. After a 1.5-year sabbatical, he met his wife, an international teacher, and decided to become one. He first taught for 2 years in Jakarta, Indonesia. He then returned to the USA, started a new career in sustainability consulting, and adopted two children from India. In 2014, he returned to overseas teaching in Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and finally Vietnam.

Our Guiding Question was “When putting your recruiting plan together, what are some key criteria to guide you when looking at potential schools, cities and countries?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Assessing your current stage in life/career, along with clarifying your values
• Creating a recruiting plan: Listing the criteria you desire in your next school/ city/country and doing your research
• Defining the non-negotiables for your search
• Unpacking numerous criteria from our blog post, “Profiling Schools, Cities, and Countries”
• Final thoughts and recommendations from our panelists

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Profiling Schools, Cities and Countries blog post at the Educators Going Global Info Hub

Recorded June 19, 2025.

Categories: Recruiting | School Life | Finances | Parenting | Transitions | Travel

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

We have wanted to do this show for ages. We so admire women leaders, and some major players joined us for this interview! Kim Cofino is a well-known voice in the areas of women in leadership and instructional coaching. Madeleine Maceda Heide was a head of school on three continents and is a co-founder of the AMISA Women in Leadership organisation. Rhonda Norris is Superintendent of International Schools Group in Saudi Arabia and was a head of school in the Caribbean and in Asia, and Heather Naro is Head of Schutz School in Alexandria, Egypt. Their wisdom runs deep and their compassion is overflowing. This was a heartfelt, intimate conversation where the ladies shared their best tips for aspiring women leaders, with a big one being: “Go for it!”

Check out our website for the full bios of these incredible women.

Our Guiding Question was “What have been some of your most useful lessons learned as a woman leader in International Education?”

Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:

• Reasons for becoming leaders
• Pathways to leadership
• Barriers to women becoming leaders
• Steps to take to become a leader
• Advice not to take along the way
• The importance of mentoring, modeling, perspective taking, service, adaptability and more!

Resources mentioned:

The Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools - AAICIS

AMISA Women in Leadership website

Carney Sandoe

Kim’s Website, Eduro Learning, book co-authored with Christina Botbyl - Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership

Kim’s Coach Better Podcast

Episode 82 with Claire Gaul On Followership and the Complexities of International Teaching

International Schools Group

Contact Info: Kim Cofino Heather Naro Madeleine Maceda Heide Rhonda Norris

The show was recorded on June 16, 2025

Categories: Leadership | School Life

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.

Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.

The data is quite conclusive: young people around the world are struggling. Research and books such as The Anxious Generation highlight the negative effects of technology and social networks on our students.

We also know that two common themes in international schools are academic pressure and high expectations for students applying to university.

On a more positive note, we are seeing a growing trend of schools placing greater emphasis on a holistic approach to supporting students.

In this interview, we learn how the Dean of Students at one school helps lead and coordinate efforts to stay ahead of these trends.

We speak with Andy Vaughan, a Dean of Students at an international school, about his role in providing leadership to help students develop the life skills needed to overcome struggles and chart their pathway toward full and healthy lives.

Andy is a Kiwi who has been living overseas with his family for the past 20 years teaching and leading in South East Asia. Currently working at the High School Dean of Students at International School Bangkok, Andy was previously the Athletics Director at ISB and in the past has taught Physical Education, Science, Health and Outdoor Education. He is passionate about establishing systems in schools that proactively ensure we support student well being to ensure all students feel like they belong and are cared for.

Our guiding questions were: “What does a Dean of Students do? How has the role of Dean of Students evolved over time? What trends are you observing around this role in international schools going forward?”

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The impetus for and evolution of the Dean of Students role at Andy’s school
• A breakdown of the job description
• The importance of using data to support students
• Lessons learned from the role
• Observations about digital wellness
• Advice on how to move into leadership positions
• Trends in the role of Dean of Students and in international schools in general

Resources shared in this episode:

Mario Education
Google Looker Studio
Parenting in the Digital Age & Family Wellness Workshop (Slideshow)

The show was recorded on June 22, 2025.

Categories: School Life | Parenting | Wellness

Remember to access our Educators Going Global website for more information and consider joining our Patreon community at patreon/educatorsgoingglobal!

Email us with comments or suggestions at educatorsgoingglobal@gmail.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Listen on your favorite podcast app: connect from our share page.

Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.