Teaching overseas can be life-changing. Doing it with a partner, or as a family, adds an entirely different layer to the experience.

For teaching couples, international school recruitment isn’t just about finding a job. It’s about finding the right combination of roles, locations, benefits, and timelines that work for two careers, and often, for children too. That reality shapes everything from how you interview, to how you negotiate contracts, to how you build a life once you arrive.

I’m not an expert in “doing it right,” but I do have years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and working overseas alongside my spouse. What I’ve learned is this: success as an expat educator couple depends far more on communication and flexibility than on perfectly aligned job postings.

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Want more information about how to get a job at an international school? Check out these posts:

• How to Get a Job at an International School: First Steps for Teaching Abroad
• International School Recruitment: Where to Find Jobs and How to Get Hired
• Moving Abroad as a Teacher: How to Prepare for Your First International School Job
• International School Services vs Search Associates: Which International School Recruitment Agency is Right for You?
• What to Expect at Your First International School Job Fair
• International School Teacher Benefits Packages Explained: Housing, Airfare, Healthcare, and Tuition Benefits
• How Much Money Can You Really Save Teaching Overseas? A Practical Guide for Educators
• Teaching Abroad with Kids: A Practical Guide for International School Teachers and Expat Families
• Teaching Couples and Families Abroad: Navigating International School Careers Together

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Interviewing as a Couple Is a Completely Different Experience

If you’ve ever interviewed for an international school position on your own, you know the familiar rhythm: your experience, your educational philosophy, your fit with the school.

Interviewing as part of a couple is different.

Even when only one partner is formally applying for a role, the other almost always becomes part of the conversation. Recruiters want to know who is coming with you, what they do, whether they are certified, and how both of you might fit into the school community.

I still remember how noticeable that shift felt. Suddenly, interviews weren’t just about my classroom. They were about logistics, long-term sustainability, and whether a school could realistically support two professionals…and eventually, a family.

The interview structure itself often changes as well. Sometimes schools interview teaching couples together; other times, they interview partners separately. One spouse might be meeting with a subject team while the other is speaking with an administrator or HR. It can feel like a lot to track, which is why using an organizer like this one or this one can be especially helpful when navigating the recruitment process as a couple.

This is also where international recruitment platforms like Search Associates, Schrole/TES, and ISS are particularly valuable. These systems are designed to support teaching couples by allowing schools to search for and view linked profiles, considering candidates as a professional unit, not just as individuals.

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Our Journey: Working Side-by-Side (and Sometimes Apart)

Before we were married, my husband and I worked for the same group of English academies in South Korea, just on different campuses. Later, during a brief return to the U.S. to earn our teaching certifications, we both taught as adjunct instructors at a university, quite literally across the hall from one another. From there, we continued working at the same schools, and somehow, by chance, we kept ending up right across the hall again.

For nearly the first ten years of our marriage, we worked either across the hall or just down the corridor from each other.

That meant shared commutes, shared lunch breaks, and endless conversations about students needs, curriculum, and staff meetings.

It also meant we had to be intentional about learning how not to talk about work all the time. We set boundaries around when school conversations ended, made space for individual hobbies and interests, and very practically, kept extra snacks in our desks. Inevitably, a spouse (and later, a child) would appear mid-day in need of food.

More recently, we shifted to working at different campuses within the same organization. That transition was unexpectedly hard at first. We were no longer spending every waking moment together. But it was also healthy. We built new friendships, developed our own rhythms, and brought fresh energy back home.

There’s no single “right” setup for teaching couples abroad. What matters is recognizing how closely work and life intertwine when you’re an expat educator couple, and being thoughtful about what balance looks like for you.

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Communication Is the Most Important Recruitment Tool You Have

The most successful expat educator couples I know all do one thing well: they communicate clearly and early. Success, in my view, is defined by wellbeing, contentment, and the ability to navigate unexpected change. These are not couples who never face challenges or who avoid outside support when it is needed. Rather, they are people who continue choosing this lifestyle with intention, even when it requires flexibility or compromise.

Before recruiting, it helps to sit down together and define two working lists.

Non-negotiables
These are the elements that must be in place for a role to be viable. They might include:

• location or region
• visa eligibility
• minimum salary or savings potential
• housing or tuition benefits
• school divisions offered, especially for families with young children

Trade-offs
These are the areas where you may be willing to be flexible, and they often shift over time. Examples might include:

• one partner prioritizing a dream role
• accepting a smaller benefits package in exchange for a stronger professional fit
• choosing a location that works for this stage of life, even if it is not a long-term plan

These lists will evolve as your careers and family needs change, but having them matters. They keep recruitment focused, support clearer decision-making, and reduce the risk of resentment later on.

There are also moments when a school is so professionally compelling that other factors can adjust. In those cases, having a strong understanding of international school benefits, including housing, airfare, tuition, and healthcare, becomes essential when comparing offers and deciding what trade-offs truly make sense for your family.

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Thinking Outside the “Same School” Model

Many couples hope to work at the same school, and for good reason. It simplifies housing, schedules, transportation, and childcare, and it often makes daily life more manageable.

That said, the recruitment market does not always cooperate.

There will be years when only one suitable position exists at a particular school. In those cases, it can be worth thinking creatively about what “fit” looks like for that stage of life. Options might include:

• exploring whether another international school in the same city has a complementary role
• one partner accepting a different or temporary position while keeping long-term goals in view
• staggering contracts to better align with future recruitment cycles

When applying for a role where only one position is advertised, it is also good professional practice to mention your spouse and their certifications. Schools appreciate transparency, and in some cases, sharing this information early can open doors later in the hiring season or lead to opportunities that were not initially visible.

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Adding Kids to the Equation Changes Everything

In last week’s post on raising expat educator TCKs, I touched on how dramatically our priorities shift once children enter the picture, and nowhere is that more evident than during recruitment.

As our family and careers have evolved, we have learned that timing and context matter just as much as opportunity. There were seasons when certain roles simply were not viable for our family, even when they looked ideal at first glance. We encountered school communities we genuinely loved that offered only high school and did not provide tuition benefits for younger children. At that stage of life, no matter how appealing the role or location, those positions were not the right fit for us.

Earlier in our careers, when paying off student loans was a primary financial goal, we faced similar decisions for different reasons. Some schools looked perfect on paper. They were professionally strong, located in places we would have loved to live, and supportive of families. But when we looked closely at the salary alongside the local cost of living, the savings potential did not align with our goals, so we chose to pass.

Now, we approach recruitment with a different lens. We talk openly about schools, salary and savings potential, regions, and long-term options in the context of our current stage of life. For us, that process feels exciting rather than stressful. We are grateful for where we are right now while also recognizing that one of the gifts of this career is the ability to grow, shift, and welcome new opportunities when the timing makes sense.

Across the international education landscape, many teaching couples and families encounter scenarios like these, even if they do not arise in every recruitment cycle:

• only one partner is offered a role
• tuition benefits cover only one child per staff member
• nearly everything aligns except for one critical logistical detail

In those moments, couples often need to research alternatives, ask thoughtful questions, and weigh what is realistic for their family rather than what looks perfect on paper.

Recruitment as an international educator family is less about finding a flawless opportunity and more about thinking strategically together. Every decision affects the whole picture, and success is always a shared effort.

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The Goal Isn’t Perfection…It’s Fit

Looking back on our years of recruiting and teaching abroad, the moments that worked best weren’t when everything lined up perfectly on paper. They were when we communicated clearly, stayed flexible, and made decisions together as a team. Whether navigating different campuses, balancing children’s needs, or weighing salaries and benefits, approaching recruitment as a couple or family turned challenges into opportunities. In international education, success isn’t just about the job, it’s about building a shared life, growing together, and making a home wherever you land.

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The Insider Perspective: Expat Educator Couples

I’d love to hear from expat educators, especially couples and families, about your experiences teaching abroad.

• What is your top tip for navigating international school recruitment as a couple?
• How do you balance work and family life while teaching abroad?
• Have you ever had to get creative to make a job work for both partners? How?

Share your insights in the comments below to help others navigating the same journey, and let’s learn from each other’s experiences!