A STRATEGIC GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
Teach Your Way Around The World
The complete system for landing your first international school teaching job — built from 24 years experience, five countries, and seven schools' worth of mistakes so you don't have to make them.
I couldn't find a guide like this when I needed it all those years ago. There were no blogs, no forums, no honest account of how any of it actually worked. Just vague promises about "adventure" and "tax-free salaries" from recruitment agencies with an obvious incentive to make it all sound simple.
It isn't simple. It's a system — recruitment cycles, timing windows, application strategy, interview structure — and almost nobody explains the system to the people trying to break into it for the first time.
This guide is the explanation I wish someone had handed me a long time ago.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This is for you if:
You're a qualified teacher thinking seriously about working abroad for the first time
You've started looking into international schools and found a lot of opinions and not much structure
You've applied before and got nowhere, and you're not sure why
You want to do this properly in one season, not drift through two or three
This isn't for you if you're hoping for a shortcut around doing the work. There isn't one. What this guide lays out in order, so you're not guessing.
WHAT'S INSIDE
A five-step system, each one building on the last
Step 1 — Clarity & Direction Whether international teaching is actually right for you (not the brochure version), how to choose a region that fits your goals, and what you need to know about IB, British, and American curricula before you apply anywhere.
Step 2 — Strategic Positioning Why most applications get nowhere, how to build a CV and personal statement that actually gets read, and how to build a focused, realistic target list instead of mass-applying and hoping.
Step 3 — Timing & Execution The actual month-by-month recruitment calendar, from August through to your move — plus a full breakdown of the major job fair platforms, what they cost, and which one to start with if you're not ready to spend money yet.
Step 4 — Interviews & Offers The five stories every international school interview is built around, a simple framework for structuring strong answers, and how to evaluate an offer properly — because the biggest number isn't always the best package.
Step 5 — Securing Your Move Visas, logistics, finances, and what your first 90 days actually look like, including the mistakes almost every first-time international teacher makes without realising it.
Plus a 30-day action plan that turns all of it into a week-by-week checklist, and a closing chapter on the five things I wish someone had told me before my first application.
WHY THIS, AND NOT JUST A GOOGLE SEARCH
Because most of what's out there is either too generic to be useful or written by someone trying to sell you a $3,000 coaching package to tell you what's in this guide for a fraction of the price.
I've sat on both sides of the recruitment table. I know what a job fair actually costs to attend, what it's reasonable to expect back from that cost, and which platforms are worth paying for versus which one you should start with for free. None of that is theory — it's what I'd tell a friend over a coffee if they asked me how to do this properly.
ABOUT ME
I'm Mark. I'm an Australian Business and Economics teacher who's spent the last 24 years teaching in five countries and seven international schools. I run The Footloose Teacher — a YouTube channel and blog for teachers who want to build a career and a life abroad — and I've spoken to hundreds of teachers at every stage of this process, from completely unsure to two seasons deep with nothing to show for it.
This guide is everything I know about how the system actually works, written the way I'd explain it to you in person.
WHAT YOU GET
The complete 24-page guide, instantly downloadable as a PDF
An optional free 1 hour strategy call to help you work your way through the guide
Early-bird price: $17 (rises to $27 once the early-bird window closes on August 7)
One recruitment season done properly is worth a lot more than $17. Most of what's in here, I learned the expensive way — by getting it wrong first.
FAQs
I don't have any international experience yet. Is this still for me? Yes — it's written for exactly that situation. Step 1 is built specifically for people deciding whether to do this at all, before any applications go out.
I'm not an IB teacher. Does this still apply? Yes. The curriculum section covers IB, British, and American systems, and the system itself — timing, positioning, interviews, offers — is the same regardless of which one you teach.
How long until I'll have a job? That depends on timing, subject, and a fair bit of luck — and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What this guide does is put you in the strongest possible position for the season you're applying in, which is the part that's actually within your control.
What format is it, and how do I get it? A PDF guide, delivered straight to your inbox after purchase. Works on any device.
Is there a video course too? There is one coming. This guide stands on its own, but if you want to go deeper later, you'll hear about it through the newsletter.
You've read enough job-search advice. This is the part where you actually start.