Frequently asked questions

chk Education works with a selective group of premium international schools across the Middle East, South East Asia, China, Hong Kong, and Latin America, from established groups to founding schools building their initial staffing structures from scratch. We are also active in emerging markets, including Sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh. We recruit for teaching roles and senior positions, including CEOs, Directors of Education, Principals, Heads of School and Deputy Heads. We can also recruit non-academic roles, such as Bursars, Directors of Finance, COOs and Directors of Marketing and Admissions.

When we say we work with premium schools, we are not talking about fee levels or brand recognition. We mean schools that are clear about their mission and live by it. Leadership that sets the tone. A culture where staff are genuinely valued. A commitment to safeguarding that goes beyond policy and into everyday practice.

Before we take on a school as a client, we want to be satisfied that the working environment is a good one. That means strong student outcomes, transparent package structures, and leadership that takes staff welfare seriously.

If a school does not meet that bar, we do not work with them.

Every candidate meets us via a virtual call before they reach your shortlist. That conversation lets us properly assess pedagogy, cultural intelligence, and safeguarding understanding. No CV-only submissions, no speculative profiles sent without your briefing.

We do not use AI to evaluate, score, or shortlist candidates. Recruitment decisions need human judgement, not algorithms.

Our team brings direct teaching and school leadership experience, so we understand what you are actually looking for, not just what a job description says. We work as a hiring partner, which means we represent your school honestly to candidates and give you a realistic picture of the talent pool.

We are also honest about what we can and cannot deliver. If a shortlist is going to take longer than expected, or the talent pool for a specific role is smaller than you hoped, we will tell you that upfront.

Every candidate is face-to-face screened via Teams or Zoom, with safeguarding competence explicitly assessed in that conversation. Our dedicated compliance team, Francis and Christina Arcilla, manage all document control. Between them, they bring over twenty years of quality assurance and HR experience, and they handle the rigorous checks that fast-moving recruitment firms often skip. That includes full employment history verification, reference validation, qualification confirmation, DBS and police clearance, and cross-checking of safeguarding disclosures. Safer recruitment is embedded in everything we do.

Yes. Executive search is where chk Education has the deepest experience. We have placed group heads, operations leaders, principals, heads of primary, and senior leaders across four continents. For leadership appointments, we offer both retained and contingent search models. Retained search includes market mapping, a structured briefing process, and post-placement follow-up. Contingent search means you only pay on a successful placement. We will advise which approach suits the seniority and urgency of your brief.

Yes, and founding school recruitment is something we approach differently. Sequencing leadership appointments correctly, building realistic workforce models, and getting safeguarding processes in place from day one requires a different level of advisory input than a standard vacancy fill. Six schools have trusted us to shape their initial staffing structures, and that experience informs how we approach every founding brief.

That depends on the seniority and specialism of the role and the time of year relative to the international recruitment cycle. We will give you an honest timeline at the start of any brief, not a commitment we cannot keep. What we will not do is send you a shortlist for the sake of appearing fast.

Our fee structure depends on the type of search and the seniority of the role. We are transparent about costs from the outset. Contact us directly to discuss your requirements, and we can give you a clear picture.

Yes. There are situations where a school needs to recruit without signalling publicly that a position is available, most commonly when the current post-holder is still in place. In those cases, we conduct the search entirely through private outreach within our candidate network. No job advertisement is placed. We approach suitable candidates directly and discreetly, making clear the sensitive nature of the search. The role, the school, and the process remain confidential until the school is ready to move to the interview stage.

We maintain close contact with both school and candidate after placement. If something is not working, we want to know about it early. Our post-placement follow-up is part of the process, not an afterthought, and our satisfaction data reflects that approach.

Get in touch directly at info@chkeducation.com or through our website. We will start with a thorough briefing to understand your school, your culture, and what you genuinely need before we do anything else.

chk recruits for all teaching roles as well as senior and leadership appointments at international schools. That covers primary and early years through to secondary, middle leadership, and principal or executive level. Our focus is on British and Irish educators whose experience translates well into international school settings.

No, but you will need qualified teacher status and a minimum of two years of classroom experience. A number of the educators we place are making their first move abroad. Strong UK experience, in the classroom or in leadership, is a genuine asset in international recruitment.

Send your CV to info@chkeducation.com, or apply for specific roles via the job advert on our opportunities page. If your qualifications and experience are a match for our client schools, a member of our team will be in touch to arrange a video screening call.

That conversation covers your experience, your career goals, your safeguarding awareness, and what kind of school environment suits you. From there, we match you to relevant opportunities rather than sending your profile to every school on our books. We do not submit CVs without meeting candidates first.

It varies by school and region, but most packages at the schools we work with include a base salary, accommodation allowance or school-provided housing, annual flights, and medical cover. Many also include school places for dependent children.

Before we put you forward for any role, we take the time to understand your current package and what you need from your next move. We are only progressing conversations where there is a genuine fit.

We factor this in from the start. If your partner is also a teacher, we will ask you to share their CV, since schools value teaching couples and it often strengthens both applications. If your children need school places, we check age groups and capacity at the school before progressing. Relocation with a family requires more planning, and we would rather work through those details early than put you forward for a role that does not actually work for your household.

chk Education works with a selective group of premium international schools across the Middle East, South East Asia, China, Hong Kong, and Latin America. They are predominantly fee-paying institutions with the budgets to offer competitive packages and genuine professional development.

When we say premium schools, we are not talking about fee levels or brand recognition. We mean schools that are clear about their mission and live by it. Leadership that sets the tone, a culture where staff are genuinely valued and a commitment to safeguarding that goes beyond policy and into everyday practice.

We want to be satisfied that the working environment is a good one. That means strong student outcomes, transparent package structures, and leadership that takes staff welfare seriously. If a school does not meet that bar, we do not work with them.

That depends on your experience, the regions you are open to, and the time of year. International school recruitment has clear seasonal patterns, with the main hiring window running from October through to February. Most of our placed candidates find a role within one to three months.

If you register outside that window, we will keep you on our radar for when the right role comes up.

Yes. Every placed candidate in our satisfaction surveys has rated our communication as excellent. You will always know where things stand, and we will be honest with you if a role is not the right fit rather than put you forward regardless.

No. Our fees are paid by the schools we work with. There is no cost to you at any stage of the process.

We place educators across the Middle East, South East Asia, China, Hong Kong, and Latin America. We are also active in emerging markets, including Sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh. Our network continues to grow, so if you have a specific region in mind, it is worth registering and having that conversation with us directly.

Safeguarding sits at the centre of everything we do. Every member of our team completes annual safer recruitment training through COBIS and the Safeguarding Alliance. Every candidate we put forward has been face-to-face screened for safeguarding competence, with full employment history verification, reference checks, and DBS and police clearance completed before any shortlist is shared with a school.

Register with us. Even if you are not ready to move yet, we can keep you in mind for searches that match your criteria. Whether you are looking for a step up, a change of region, or a role that better suits where you are professionally now, we are glad to have that conversation. We work with educators at every stage of an international career, not just those making the first move.

When you apply directly, you are working largely without context. You may not know what the school is actually like to work in, whether the package is competitive for that region, or how your profile compares to what the school is looking for.

Working with chk means you have someone who knows both sides of the conversation. We know what you are looking for, we can advocate on your behalf, and we know the schools. We sit in on interviews with leadership teams and give you specific, informed preparation rather than advice that could apply to anyone. The search for your next teaching role needn’t be stressful.

The volume of teachers pursuing international roles has grown significantly. Before your application goes anywhere, we check that the role actually meets your requirements on salary, housing, and school places. We will also tell you honestly whether your CV is working hard enough, and what needs to change before it reaches a school.

We know the schools well enough to advocate for you directly with their leadership. Gaps in your CV or a non-linear career path are not automatically disqualifying when someone can put your profile in context. We will also tell you honestly when a role is not the right fit. That saves you time and protects you from pursuing something that was never going to work.

If you reach interview stage, we prepare you specifically for that school and that leadership team.

Once you are in the process, we handle the chasing and the negotiation. You will not need to follow up directly or wonder where things stand, and when an offer comes, we will work to get you the best possible terms.