The challenges schools face in attracting, supporting and retaining international teachers have been set out in a new research report published today by the Department for Education.

The DfE commissioned a survey with overseas-trained teachers who had gained qualified teacher status (QTS) in England, and international trainees who had successfully applied to train to teach in England.

The survey, which was carried out by IFF Research last year, concluded that international teachers played a “key role” in helping schools fill vacancies, but warned that schools faced barriers to recruiting them.

The research involved interviews with leaders, teachers, trainees, recruitment agencies and initial teacher training (ITT) providers.

Concerns about international recruitment have been growing following the cut of the international relocation payment, and fresh fears have been raised about the potential impact of the latest immigration reforms.

Here are five key findings from the new DfE report.

1. Stress and poor pay factors in international teachers leaving

International teachers and trainees were most likely to say that they were moving to England for “more opportunities for career progression” (54 per cent), followed by a desire to experience working in English schools (52 per cent).

Wanting to be close to friends and family was a stronger motivation for those 50 years and over (25 per cent vs 14 per cent on average), and female teachers (20 per cent vs 7 per cent of male teachers).

However, for those currently teaching, the picture does not remain as positive.

The survey found that one in eight (12 per cent) of those currently teaching in England want to “leave as soon as possible”. 

Stress, poor pay and pupil behaviour were the top reasons why international teachers - particularly those under 30 - left a post in England.

2. Financial incentives did not always translate into people going on to teach

At the time of the survey, the DfE offered a £10k international relocation payment (IRP), which was designed to help with relocation costs.

Those teachers who did have the IRP mostly spent it on repaying a loan from friends and family (61 per cent), accommodation costs (54 per cent), or to repay a credit or loan company (41 per cent).

Some providers warned that financial incentives only encouraged applications to apply for courses, but that this did not actually translate into them teaching.

One training provider said: “Well, [bursaries are] very effective in attracting [candidates], but we’re not actually getting… the conversion.”

3. Providers struggling with ‘poor-quality’ applications

The most common difficulty reported by training providers when recruiting international trainees was the processing of a large number of poor-quality applications from overseas, which they said they lacked the resources to look through.

Training providers also mentioned applicants’ standard of English as a significant barrier to recruitment, with candidates often having “inappropriate qualifications” or “inadequate English language skills”.

In addition, providers said that changes to visa policies had a significant impact, noting that the frequent shifts in these policies created “uncertainty”, making it “difficult to predict the future intake of international students” and presenting “substantial challenges to long-term planning”.

Concerns over England’s appeal following the pandemic were also raised. Providers said that “changes in student mobility”, “shifting trainee motivations” and a “perception of UK visa policy as unpredictable” were potential reasons behind this.

4. Schools need more help to support international staff

Employing international teachers presented several challenges to leaders, the survey found. 

Concerns were raised over the additional time, resources and support required to ensure their successful integration and retention.

One of the most common challenges for leaders was helping international teachers adapt to the English education system, including in respect of behaviour expectations and classroom-management strategies. 

Some leaders also told the survey that they felt the quality of teaching among international staff varied and was “not always up to expected standards”.

To support international teachers, leaders offered a range of support, including professional development programmes, assistance with housing and relocation, tailored induction programmes and phased integration.

However, some international teachers left after a very short period, which “discouraged some schools from pursuing international recruitment in the future”, the report said.

5. Recruitment agencies should be accredited, leaders say

Recruitment agencies were the most common route used by teachers to find their first teaching roles (44 per cent).

However, while teachers had mostly positive experiences of working with school agencies, leaders had mixed views.

Although some leaders found agencies effectively filled vacancies, others felt they provided poor-quality candidates.

“All felt agencies were very expensive, but many felt they had no other option to find teachers,” the survey said.

Leaders with poor agency experiences reported that they were sent large numbers of unsuitable applications from international candidates, and felt that agencies did not have a rigorous enough selection process.

Some leaders have called for a government-run accreditation system for recruitment agencies. They believe that this would “improve the quality of recruitment practices” and “ensure fair treatment of international teachers”.

Accreditation could also help monitor and regulate agency fees, reducing excessive costs for schools and safeguarding public funds, leaders told the survey.