The international school space is no longer the “hidden gem” it was 40 years ago. Even then, there was a differentiation between international schools that, while informal and unofficial, continues to be widely accepted as a way to compare, evaluate, or “rank” international schools worldwide. The concept of International School Tiers is something you’ll hear frequently in the world of international education.
This “tier” system is unofficial and subjective, and each person has their own opinion and idea of what constitutes each tier. However, several criteria are often universally accepted as part of each tier.
These international school tiers may provide a helpful lens to evaluate whether an international school is a good fit for you professionally, personally, and financially. Today’s article will outline the most common criteria for qualifying international schools into three tiers.
International School Tiers – Tier 1
Tier 1 schools are at the top of the international school sphere for several reasons. Here are some of the most impactful ones:
- Diversity of their student body. Tier 1 schools are diverse, without an overwhelming majority of one specific population, and certainly not a large local population (generally).
- Tier 1 schools are not-for-profit and independently operated.
- Tier 1 schools invest substantially in their faculties with the most competitive compensation packages in their regions and state-of-the-art facilities and technology.
- Tier 1 schools are often located in capital cities or cities with heavy foreign investment, which attract high expatriate populations.
- Tier 1 schools emphasize hiring experienced teachers who are well versed and continually improving their best practices through professional development, which the school actively supports by bringing in experts to workshop with teachers and providing stipends for teachers to support their professional development. More often than not, most faculty at Tier 1 international schools have advanced degrees.
- Tier 1 schools have robust resources and the staff to maximize their use.
Other Possible Tier 1 Factors
The curriculum in Tier 1 schools varies; the most common models are American and British curricula and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The Advanced Placement (AP) is also common. You’ll find that, at the elementary/primary levels, there may be a stronger emphasis on standards-based grading.
Many of the schools considered Tier 1 have been around for decades, in some notable cases, for over a century. Thanks to that, they are well established in their communities and recognized as a focal point for the expatriate community of their cities.
High compensation comes with high levels of responsibility; Tier 1 school teachers may have a substantial workload. On the other hand, these schools often report low turnover, so you can count on having well-embedded faculty to support you if you’re new to the school.
Tier 1 schools might also have close ties to one or more embassies.
Remember, these international school tiers are subjective. The list above may not hold true for each school considered to be Tier 1.
International School Tiers – Tier 2
Tier 2 schools are usually found in various locations and sometimes include host country students; however, once again, host country students do not make up most of the student body. Some features of Tier 2 schools include:
- Potentially lighter workload: Tier 2 schools might be smaller and run fewer programs, hence the lighter workload. Some teachers prefer the work-life balance they can manage in Tier 2 schools, even if it means lower pay.
- Lesser Package (usually) compared to a Tier 1 School. Pay, in particular, usually takes a hit at a Tier 2 school.
- Tier 2 schools may include non-profit and for-profit schools. Those for-profit schools that fall under Tier 2 are in this category and have more autonomy from the parent company to dictate school policy.
- Tier 2 schools may have faculty with more variation in the experience spectrum.
- Professional development support varies across Tier 2 schools: some provide stipends, and some rely mostly on in-house PD. Access to external PD paid by the school may be on a case-by-case basis.
- Much greater likelihood of some or many local students in the student population.
- Will still use an international curriculum.
Other Possible Tier 2 Factors
Remember that when we discuss international school tiers, everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Not all Tier 2 schools are small, some are quite large. Others have nearly 100% local student population, others have nearly none.
Tier schools are more likely to appear as a top option in smaller world cities/countries (e.g. Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Morocco, etc.) with fewer expats as opposed to major world cities with large expat populations (e.g. Hong Kong, Mumbai, Dubai, etc.). However, they are also present in most major cities around the world as well.
Again, please remember that these international school tiers are subjective. The list above may not hold true for each school considered to be Tier 2.
International School Tiers – Tier 3
Most Tier 3 schools can be spotted by one of the following factors:
- Primarily host country students (in which case we’re talking about a bilingual school, not an international school) or for-profit schools owned by a company, a single owner, or a family.
- In Tier 3 schools, enrollment numbers are king. While understanding that enrollment is necessary to keep schools open – the old principle of “businesses need revenue,” maintaining numbers does interfere with educational decisions in Tier 3 schools. That could mean accepting students that the school is not ready or able to support (think language acquisition or special needs), forgoing disciplinary action to appease a parent, cutting curriculum offerings and/or after-school activities to cut costs, etc.
- Tier 3 schools are usually referred to as ones with the lowest work-life balances.
- Likely to be almost exclusively for-profit or family owned.
- Packages will be the worst of any tier from pay to benefits.
- School might be “international” in curriculum only, meaning students and staff are local. School is could also be bilingual.
Tier 3 schools are often places teachers go to gain experience, but not often one they stay long-term. For many, what’s considered a “tier 3” school, working conditions aren’t ideal and after experience has been gained or some other goal achieved, teachers leave. This means high turnover in these types of schools.
Again, please remember that these international school tiers are subjective. The list above may not hold true for each school considered to be Tier 3.
Final Thoughts on International School Tiers
International School Tiers are generally based on the following criteria:
- Student body
- Organization and governance
- Compensation and benefits
- Work environment
- Level of experience of faculty
These are by no means the only criteria, but the ones most frequently discussed.
Please remember that international school tiers are completely subjective. These are simply common factors that many consider when giving a school its “tier”. Tiers are unofficial and there is no actual guideline of what makes a school a Tier 1, 2, or 3.
We also ask you to remember that simply because a school might be of a certain “tier”, doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be a bad working experience. There can be great Tier 3 schools and terrible Tier 1 schools. There are too many factors that make up a school and workplace to say a school will be a good or bad experience simply because of a ‘perceived’ tier.
Finally, we encourage you to keep an open-mind as you look for possible schools to teach at. It will never cease to surprise us the places that people never thought they’d like to teach at, but end up loving. As we said, a perception of a tier doesn’t mean it’s a place you should avoid. Many teachers directly target tier 2 or 3 for a more balanced lifestyle.