Why Does Thriving in an International School Begin at the Job Interview?
To increase the chance of support staff members thriving in an international school environment, it is important to start at the outset—that is to pick the right person for the right job at the interview. Considering a candidate who has the experience and qualifications to perform their professional duties and somebody who possesses adequate English proficiency and interpersonal skills to communicate well with their colleagues and customers is critical. However, it is also necessary to hire someone with a multicultural mindset. Such persons are flexible and open to different ideas, beliefs, and values. They have a nuanced outlook about interpersonal communication and do not cloud judgment and conduct on the basis of only what they are comfortable with. The way of doing things, thinking about issues, or responding to others are different in an international school. These differences can create conflict within the school that limits effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, having a multicultural mindset will help local employees to feel less intimidated by the fact that the school environment around them is not dominated by the Chinese culture. It is a pre-requisite to ensure that the host country employees are prepared to embrace the micro-culture of an international school. (For the definition of international school micro-culture, please refer to the first post of the series.) The vibrancy of cultural diversity ought to be celebrated in both the academic and non-teaching divisions of the school.
The interview process should be structured in a manner that ascertains the multicultural mindset of a candidate and allows employers to analyze whether the potential employee will be able to survive and thrive in the culturally diverse and challenging environment of an international school. The interviewers can present some cross-cultural case studies in a school setting to the candidates for their reactions. This exercise features some form of reality of cross-cultural challenges and will give the candidate the opportunity to be sure about the school. All too often, the interviews are one-sided; the schools just wanted to be sure that the candidates are right for them.
In order to build an environment where there is mutual respect and inclusivity for all cultures, both foreign teachers and the host country employees should understand, respect, and acknowledge cultural differences. One of the several ways to achieve this goal is to participate in engaging, fun, and entertaining ice-breaking sessions such as short presentations by the employees on the specifics of their cultural holidays, food traditions, and other important aspects. For example, foreign teachers should learn about the dragon boat festival and mid-autumn festival. Similarly, the Chinese staff should know about western holidays such as the Anzac Day, Boxing Day, St Patrick’s Day, and Thanksgiving to name a few. Organizing fun activities to stimulate cultural understanding is but a good start. More astute conversations that lead to constructive actions have to have long after the interviews and early years of employment.
I re-wrote the job descriptions of a school to include cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural communication skills as a required expectation in the job description of each and every non-teaching support staff member. Multiculturalism must be embraced by all stakeholders of an international school.
In his series on navigating through intercultural environments, Henry will talk about what host country support staff can do to blend more easily in their international school micro-culture.
Check out other articles from this series:
