Teaching couples and teachers with children: moving abroad as a family
What international schools offer teaching couples and teachers with dependants, how hiring works for families, and the package details that matter most.
International teaching is not only for single teachers on an adventure. Many schools actively recruit teaching couples and teachers with children, and families can thrive. But the planning is more complex.
Teaching couples
Advantages for schools: a single housing allowance and relocation, more stability, and often longer stays.
Challenges: both partners need suitable roles at the same time. If one partner teaches a high-demand subject (maths, physics, Early Years) and the other a subject with fewer vacancies, choices narrow.
Tips:
- Apply together, and make the joint application clear from the start.
- Be flexible on roles: one partner may take a slightly different role, such as cover, learning support or a coordinator post.
- Ask whether a non-teaching partner can work locally (visa rules vary).
Teachers with children
The most important element of a family package is usually tuition for dependants:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of children covered | Some packages cover only one or two |
| Percentage covered | Free, 50%, or another discount |
| Year groups covered | Some schools exclude nursery or Sixth Form |
| Guaranteed place | A discount is worthless without a place |
| Medical cover for dependants | Can be a significant cost if excluded |
| Flights for dependants | Annual flights home for the whole family add up |
| Housing size | Is the allowance realistic for a family? |
The non-teaching partner
If one partner does not teach, ask early about:
- the right to work on a dependant visa,
- local job markets for English speakers,
- networks for trailing partners at the school.
Making it work
Talk to other families at the school before accepting. They will tell you what life is really like, from the housing to the school’s attitude to staff children.
See also: contract red flags and moving abroad with children.
Frequently asked questions
Do international schools like hiring teaching couples?
Many do. Teaching couples share one housing allowance and set of relocation costs, and are often more settled. The challenge is that both partners need suitable roles at the same school at the same time.
Will my children get free places?
Many packages include free or discounted tuition for a set number of children, often one or two. Some schools offer it only to certain roles or after a probation period. Always check the details in writing.