expatriates, locals or globally mobile families,” he said.
Those who apply for the master’s must study alongside their jobs, which includes participation in online readings and activities up to 10 hours a week, as well as webinars that are scheduled together with other staff in similar time zones. Two four-day face-to-face residentials also take place, giving the cohort from various NAE schools and offices the opportunity to meet.
“You can’t deny the benefits of being able to meet and interact with other Nord Anglia employees across the globe. I have been able to learn more about international schools simply by talking to colleagues about their own experiences within the organisation,” Ms Burgess said.
“I met so many inspiring people. People I will always be in contact with,” Mrs MacIver said.
Ms MacIver, Ms Burgess and Mr Ng are part of the first cohort of this International Education master’s programme. The entire group, which achieved a 100 per cent pass rate from the course, will be celebrating their graduation at a ceremony in London this month.
Meanwhile, a third group of students are already into the swing of things, having successfully completed their first semester and their first residentials event at KCL last month.
Also in this cohort with Mr Fitzmaurice is George Ghantous, NAE’s Regional Managing Director for Europe and the Middle East region.
He said the first three months of the course has already helped him to recognise the complexities of a school operation and how to better support school staff — given that the demographics of students and families are changing.
“The experience teachers go through as they embark on an international education career, it’s quite an eye-opener, they need a lot of support,” Mr Ghantous said.
“They may feel homesick for example, so it’s good to pair them with buddies to answer their questions and to try and make them feel at home as much as possible.”