International teacher document onboarding checklist

Congratulations – you’ve hired your newest international teaching staff member!

While the interview and selection process of hiring a new international teacher or faculty member may seem like the hard part of the recruitment process, onboarding is no easy feat.

To ensure your new international teacher or faculty member’s onboarding process and arrival at your school is as smooth as possible, Schrole has created the following basic checklist to help you plan ahead.

Passport

You’ll need to acquire a copy of your new international teacher’s passport. Take the time to check the document is up to date and valid for at least six months beyond the end of their contract.

Work visa

If your new international teacher is not a citizen of the country in which your school is located, it’s likely they will require a work visa to legally work. Requirements and application process significantly vary by country, so ensure your new hire is aware of the process and time it may take.

Teaching credentials

Verify that your new international teacher’s teaching credentials are valid and recognised in the country your school is located in. Proper verification usually requires an evaluation or certification process. Schrole can assist with teaching credentials through our platform Verify.

Criminal background check

Completing a criminal background check is essential when it comes to safeguarding your students and the wider school community. It’s important to begin this process as soon as possible, as the process can take several weeks or even months, depending on where the new international teacher has lived and worked previously. Schrole can assist with criminal background checks through our platform Verify.

Medical clearance

Does the country in which your school resides require incoming visa holders to prove vaccination status and that they are free from certain contagious diseases? If this is the case, you’ll need to let your new international teacher know they may need to undergo medical tests or evaluations.

Educational transcripts

Hiring for a specialised position? By requesting and reviewing educational transcripts, you can confirm your new international teacher is qualified for their role.

References

Reference checks are one of the most important steps in selecting and hiring a new international teacher or staff member at your international school. Not only do reference checks give you the opportunity to determine if your chosen candidate is suited for the role in question, it means you’ll prevent wasting both time and money on an ill-suited new hire.

Insurance

Does your school provide new international teacher with health and life insurance? If yes, take the time to ensure all details, and required documentation is provided to your new international teacher. If no, confirm the new international teacher is aware they will have to organise their own insurance, and once done, provides you with supporting documentation.

Financial documents

You’ll need to collect a number of financial documents from your new international teacher, including bank account information and taxation documents.

While the previous list is by no means exhaustive, with requirements varying from region to region, and from position to position, it’s a great place to start.

If you’re interested in providing a consistent and professional experience for all newly hired staff and faculty, talk to us about Engage. Designed to replace onboarding spreadsheets, document folders, checklists and email trails, Engage allows your schools to create unique onboarding templates that reflect the requirements for any new employee.  This includes expat/local staff, leadership roles, year groups and teaching areas. You can even create workflows for existing staff and faculty who may need to do a compliance procedure such as child safeguarding training. Once you’ve started the Engage process, it’s quick and easy to replicate.