Throughout my teaching career, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have access to excellent coaching provision. Having designated time to pause, reflect and think strategically, has enabled me to streamline my priorities, move forwards with a clear sense of purpose, and avoid the trap of being ‘busy’ yet not productive.
Having a coach has not only positively guided my own leadership journey but instilled within me a desire to become a coach myself. I hoped to have the same transformative effects on other educators, that I have benefitted from.
After coaching over 150 international school leaders and hearing how impactful it had been for their development, I was adamant that this should not only be available to the ‘lucky’ few. Imagine how powerful it would be if every Principal, Head of School and Senior Leader was a qualified Executive Coach? Imagine the ripple effect and positive impact this could have within their schools? If every line management meeting, team meeting, parents’ evening - even conversations at the school gate - were intuitively shaped and underpinned with a sense of coaching expertise? This future prospect for our schools really enthused me and was the spark that ignited the concept of the ICCE.
Life can be incredibly fast paced leading in an international school. There are constant curriculum changes, ever-increasing expectations, staff arriving from all over the world, and leaders trying to stabilise each of these moving parts, whilst driving school improvement forwards. Behind every thriving school is a leadership team working relentlessly to keep standards high, staff motivated, and students inspired. However, these environments can be isolating and exhausting. This is where Executive Coaching comes in. Coaching can help leaders manage stress, stay motivated over time and is a practical way to strengthen a school’s culture and retain their best staff.
The whole atmosphere of a school changes when leaders bring coaching into their professional approach. Instead of feeling like they always need to have the answers, they become skilled at asking the right questions to guide their teams to find their own ways forward. Teachers who are coached by the qualified leaders begin to feel a difference too. Their increasing confidence, resilience and mindset towards adapting to new challenges, are just some of the visible benefits. Coaching helps to establish and infiltrate a genuine atmosphere of trust, collaboration and growth within schools. Inevitably, and most importantly though, the students reap the benefits too, as motivated teachers create more engaging classrooms.
Recruiting and retaining international school leaders has never been tougher. Teachers and leaders looking at international schools weigh up more than just the salary and incentives. They ask: Will I be supported here? Will I grow professionally?
When a school offers Executive Coaching, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ It shows that professional development is more than just a tick-box exercise. For staff already in the school, it is a reason to stay. For job-hunters, it is a reason to join.
Furthermore, for senior leaders working away from their family support network, coaching can be crucial to aid deep thinking and solution-finding for the unique challenges they face in international education. It also supports succession planning by preparing future leaders from within the organisation. When senior leaders are trained as coaches themselves, they use their skills not only for their own progression, but to develop their colleagues.
It is natural to question the cost of coaching, yet leaders should also consider the cost of not providing coaching. Recruiting a new senior leader costs far more once you add up recruiter fees, visas, relocation costs, lost time, and the disruption to staff and students. Alternatively, coaching is an investment that pays back in loyalty, resilience, and stronger performance. It creates schools that can effectively navigate change and staff members who embrace the resulting challenges. Indeed, research by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) found the average return on investment for Executive Coaching was 7 times the initial investment.
At the International Centre for Coaching in Education (ICCE), we believe schools can absolutely grow their own coaching expertise from within. That is why we designed our online curriculum for the ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching, specifically for senior leaders in international education. The programme is completed remotely, alongside your school role and provides leaders with advanced coaching skills, a better understanding of leadership dynamics, and the tools to embed coaching across a school. The result is not just personal and professional growth from undertaking the qualification, but a cultural shift that benefits everyone within the school.
Ready to Get Started?
We are now enrolling for the January 2026 ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching.
Interested? Get in touch today.
Email: andrew@theicce.org
