Headteacher leaves Welsh Valleys School for Ho Chi Minh
From the hills of Wales to the bustling city in Vietnam...
A Primary Headteacher from the Welsh Valleys, Sarah Curran has been appointed by an international school in Ho Chi Minh City to be a leader of its Early Years Department – and will connect children in Wales and Vietnam as a result.
Sarah has been the Headteacher of the small village primary school in Rhigos, Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales for five years. She will swap the 70 children school with its 3 teachers, for the British International School of Vietnam which has 150 teachers and 1,800 students. Sarah’s move will help Rhigos Primary School expand on the successful international links it has already forged.
Sarah Curran and her family
International connections
For the past 3 years, Year 6 children from Rhigos Primary have travelled to Maristes Lleida, an international school in Spain to experience school life in another country. Children from the Spanish school have also visited Rhigos each year. “The experience has been amazing for everyone,” says Sarah. “For the children, language isn’t a barrier; they work out their own sign language, sing together, play football, it gives them an incredible international experience. It’s brought the whole community together too; fundraising for the trips, and welcoming the children into our community. Everyone comes out when the Spanish children visit.”
Sarah is hoping that her move to Vietnam will help to expand on the international experiences for the children of Rhigos, not only for those in the primary school but also for her six year old daughter’s school. “Casi, my daughter is going to create her own blog and will be sharing this with her old classmates in Wales,” says Sarah. “And when we come home for the holidays next July (international schools break up earlier than the UK), Casi is going to share her Vietnam experiences with the children here.”
Sarah Curran and her daughter Casi
And family comes too
Sarah will be moving to Ho Chi Minh City with Casi and her university lecturer husband who will be pursuing a PhD in Lego serious play. “The news hasn’t sunk in yet but we’re all incredibly excited,” says Sarah, two days after being offered the job. “BIS Vietnam is a growing school, rated outstanding and will have a new campus for Early Years which I’ll be developing. It’s my dream job!”
The British International School Vietnam, which follows the National Curriculum of England, is one of 7,500 international schools located around the world, all teaching in the language of English and many delivering a UK curriculum. Sarah already has a friend teaching in an international school in Abu Dhabi. “She gave me the confidence to do it, especially moving with a child,” explains Sarah. “It was helpful to have her reassurance that it would be a great move for all of us.”
International school recruitment support
Sarah also had assistance from TIC to help her find her job in Vietnam. “When I started my search, I’d look at the TES (Times Education Supplement) and didn’t know which school was good or not,” says Sarah. “I needed someone to give me advice, and confidence that I was selecting the right schools; however much you do a Google search, you really won’t know the schools, plus there were cultural issues I needed to understand. It’s a huge commitment if you don’t know what you are letting yourself in for and I very quickly realised that I needed an expert to help me.” So Sarah approached TIC and the team helped her find the right job that suited her skills, experience, passion for Early Years, and her family needs too. She was particularly reassured to know that representatives from TIC had visited BIS Vietnam and knew the school well. “It gave me confidence that the school we were talking about was real. It gave me a sense of security that was very important.”
Sarah says that TIC helped her in other ways too. “They helped me to shape my CV; to put things together in the right way to highlight the skills and experiences that mattered. They helped to prepare me for my first ever Skype interview! I worked with several members of the TIC team. They got to know me well enough that they were able to match me with the right school. This job is perfect for me; it fulfils everything I wanted, so I’m very confident that I’ll end up having a very positive experience. The service TIC gave me was completely outstanding.”
The right teachers and leaders for international schools
Sarah is a great example of the right type of person that international schools are looking for. “Not only do international schools want people with UK teaching qualifications and experience, they also want those who are adaptable, enthusiastic and willing to face new challenges,” says TIC’s Managing Director, Andrew Wigford.
Where could your teaching career take you? Check out our latest vacancies to start your overseas adventure today! To find out more about what teaching in an international school can offer you, take a look at our other infomative blogs.
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Anne Keeling
Anne handles the media relations for TIC. She researches and writes the articles that appear in the press and on websites about how TIC is supporting teachers and the international schools, and how teachers who have been placed by TIC are getting on with their international teaching experience. She has spent over 25 years in media relations.
Deputy Head Primary