The Voice of TIE Podcast

In this special episode of Voice of TIE, host Stacy Stephens welcomes Bambi Betts,  a cornerstone figure in international education and a leader of the Principal's Training Center to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The International Educator (TIE).  TIE was founded by Forrest Broman during a sabbatical from his headship at the American International School in Tel Aviv, born out of a recognized need to connect quality teachers with international schools at a time when no consistent platform existed. 

What began as a classified-ads newspaper delivered by snail mail has evolved into a vital, mission-driven community resource for international educators worldwide. Bambi Betts reflects on TIE's humble origins, its growth alongside the Principal's Training Center, and the sweeping technological changes that have reshaped how the organization serves its community. 

Looking ahead, Bambi shares a hopeful vision rooted in TIE's enduring mission: connecting educators, sharing stories, and championing quality teaching and learning for children around the world — for the next 40 years and beyond.

Bambi Betts is the Director and course developer of the Principals’ Training Center for International School Leadership (PTC) and founder of additional training centers for international teachers, teacher leaders, counselors, and governance members. She has served as Director, Principal, teacher, and governing board member in international schools for over 30 years and has been a consultant in over 150 international schools, conducting professional development sessions on a wide range of topics related to the effective international school, including assessment, curriculum leadership, teacher leader strategies, instructional strategies, faculty evaluation, and governance. Bambi also serves on the governing board of two international schools in Haiti and Cambodia, is a founding member of the Academy for International School Heads (AISH), and serves as the president of the Overseas Schools Assistance Corp. (OSAC) non-profit which offers online news and recruitment services to international schools through TIE.

Socials:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bambi-betts-a0b3a47/

PTC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theptc/

On the web: www.theptc.org and www.tieonline.com

In this episode of the Voice of TIE Podcast, host Stacy Stephens sits down with Bridget McNamer, founder of Sidecar Council, to explore the persistent gap in women's leadership within international schools. Despite years of advocacy, women hold only 28–33% of head of school roles,  a statistic that has barely budged. Bridget shares her journey from recruitment consultant to full-time leadership coach, the organic growth of her Sidecar Rallies and summits, and why she believes confidence is a learned skill. The conversation dives into career navigation strategies, the importance of financial literacy as a tool for creating options, and the systemic barriers posed by school boards. Bridget makes a compelling case for moving away from the "lone hero" leadership model toward collective, team-based approaches and challenges accreditation agencies, recruiters, and boards to be the levers of real change.

Bridget's Bio:

Bridget McNamer, Founder and Chief Navigation Officer of Sidecar Counsel, has spent her life seeking adventure, shaking things up, and supporting leaders who refuse to accept the status quo. Her sweet spot is serving as "sidecar counsel" to women leaders in schools who can bring much-needed balance to a role that has become overly-masculinized. These days she can be found basking in her new nest in Provence, coaching courageous souls from her laptop dashboard and keeping her daring spirit alive through regular comfort-zone challenges. Recent adventures include practicing her high school French on kind non-English speakers, discovering freshwater swimming holes in Provence, and trying her hand at sketching.

Sidecar Counsel:

https://www.sidecarcounsel.com/

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/bridget-mcnamer

Are we truly growing our teachers, or just ticking boxes? In this first Voice of TIE podcast fo the school year, the Director of TIE, Stacy Stephens sits down with two colleagues from the Principals' Training Center,  Scott Jackson, Head of Campus at the International School of Stuttgart, and Leanne Dominguez, Deputy Head of School in Kazakhstan, to tackle one of the most consequential yet under examined systems in international education: instructional supervision.

Fresh off a summer of training school leaders from around the world, the three unpack why so many appraisal systems default to compliance over growth. They explore the tension between accountability and development, the danger of treating frameworks as endpoints rather than starting points, and why the best growth systems become almost invisible and are replaced by rich, ongoing conversations about teaching and learning.

From the power of teacher-driven evidence to the critical distinction between commitment and compliance, this episode challenges leaders to stop winging it and start building coherent, differentiated systems that genuinely develop teachers. Whether you're heading back to campus or mid-year, this is the conversation you need before your next observation cycle begins.

Show Notes:

Bios:

Lianne Dominguez is the Deputy Head of Senior School and Whole School Safeguarding Lead at Haileybury Astana, Kazakhstan, and a Filipino educator and international school leader with 19 years of experience across Asia and Central Asia. Her experience spans leadership and teaching roles in academics, boarding, admissions, university counseling, and start-up school development. She has built school systems from the ground up, pioneered teacher supervision and evaluation models grounded in international teaching standards, and championed student voice and belonging in school culture. Lianne teaches Leadership and Team Dynamics and Instructional Supervision at the Principals Training Center and facilitates the University Counseling course at the Counselors Training Center. She also visits schools for accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is a former mentor in the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color (AIELOC) Aspiring Leaders of Color program, training and supporting educators worldwide. A regular contributor to The International Educator, she writes about human-centered leadership, belonging, transitions, and reimagining school communities.

Socials:

linkedin.com/in/liannedominguez

Lianne's Blog:

https://blog.tieonline.com/category/lianne-dominguez/

Scott Jackson is Head of Campus at the International School of Stuttgart's Sindelfingen Campus in Germany. With over 30 years of international education experience across Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Germany, he is a passionate school leader focused on student well-being, inclusion, and building strong learning communities. Scott believes that positive relationships and happy students are at the heart of successful learning.

Socials:

linkedin.com/in/scottejack

What does it really take to land an international teaching job in today's market? TIE's Stacy Stephens sits down with Mark Weber of Weber's Ed to unpack the findings from TIE's recent Getting the Jobs survey and what they reveal about a recruitment landscape that's changing fast.

Together, they explore why being qualified no longer feels like enough, how extended hiring timelines are raising the stakes for job seekers, and whether shrinking salary and benefits packages are reshaping who gets hired. Mark brings on-the-ground perspective from years of supporting candidates and schools across Latin America, offering candid advice on career trajectory, strategic job searching, and what it really means to stand out in a crowded field.

From the myth that "all the good jobs are gone by December" to the growing tension between technology and human connection in hiring, this conversation is honest, direct, and packed with insight, for both educators navigating the market and schools looking to attract the best talent.

TIE’s Survey Findings

Webber’s Ed Job Search

Webber’s Ed website

Webber’s Ed Reddit

Webber’s Ed Facebook

Webber’s Ed LinkedIn

In this second Voice of TIE conversation about the International Montessori School of Hong Kong’s new middle school program, Stacy returns to speak with Kyle Wagner, this time joined by four Grade 7 students. While the first podcast introduced the vision behind the program, this episode focuses on student perspectives to better understand what the experience actually feels like for the learners living it each day.

Together, the students share what makes this Montessori middle school different from more traditional settings, highlighting the role of hands-on projects, exhibitions, inquiry-based learning, and authentic choice. They reflect on experiences such as running a student café, pursuing independent study, presenting to others, and taking on greater responsibility for their own learning. Along the way, they speak candidly about growth in leadership, collaboration, confidence, resilience, and independence.

Kyle also reflects on the realities of launching a new program, including both the challenges and the exciting momentum beginning to take shape. The episode offers listeners a valuable follow-up to the first conversation, moving from program design to student voice. It is an honest and inspiring look at what can happen when young people are trusted with meaningful responsibility and given the space to help shape their own learning experience.

Show notes:

International Montessori School of Hong Kong

‘Where is the Teacher’ Book 

Kyle’s Podcast

Kyle’s Website w/free Resources

LinkedIn

This episode of the Voice of Tie podcast features counselors Sammy Jamal and Sam Caras discussing significant shifts in post-secondary counseling within international schools. The conversation reveals how recent geopolitical events have transformed student decision-making around higher education destinations.

Key trends include students increasingly staying in countries where they hold citizenship, while US universities remain popular for highly selective schools. Students now weigh whether prestige justifies safety concerns around school shootings and the political climate. Anxiety about social media activity and visa issues has emerged as new considerations in this process for many international students.

The counselors note growing interest in Asian destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, alongside European private institutions in Spain, Italy, and Germany. Satellite campuses of prestigious universities are expanding globally to meet demand. Students are becoming more selective about US locations, prioritizing proximity to family and direct flight access, a post-pandemic shift.

Both counselors emphasize the need for flexibility in college planning, helping students develop adaptability skills while focusing on values-based decision-making. The role of comprehensive counseling continues evolving, with increased specialization likely as counselors navigate an increasingly complex global landscape for students' post-secondary pathways.

Join host Stacy Stephens, the Director of TIE as she sits down with Lianne Dominguez, senior leader at an international school in Astana, Kazakhstan, and prolific education blogger, for an insightful conversation about belonging, leadership, and the future of international schools.

Lianne's unique perspective stems from attending nine schools as a student, experiences that shaped her deep commitment to ensuring every student and staff member feels they belong. With 18 years in international education—spanning roles from teacher to admissions director, residential life director, secondary principal, and designated safeguarding lead—Lianne brings systems thinking to complex educational challenges.

In this episode, Lianne discusses her writing process and the "stakes in the ground" she plants through her blog: the critical importance of professional standards for teachers, human-centered leadership, and putting students at the center of everything schools do. She explores why international schools struggle with difficult conversations, arguing that the business complexity of these institutions sometimes overshadows their human-centered mission.

The conversation delves into how COVID fundamentally shifted school cultures, making education more complex than ever. Lianne advocates for leaders to embrace human-centered approaches rather than control-based management as the path to sustainable progress.

Looking ahead, Lianne shares exciting upcoming blog topics, including how AI is creating "infinite minds" in classrooms, Kazakhstan's unique position as a fertile ground for educational innovation in the post-Soviet context, and continued exploration of professional standards and staff wellbeing.

Whether you're an international school leader, teacher considering overseas opportunities, or education professional passionate about belonging and student-centered learning, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating more human-centered educational communities.

Show notes:

Lianne's TIE Blog

https://blog.tieonline.com/category/lianne-dominguez/

Social Media:

LinkedIN

linkedin.com/in/liannedominguez

In this episode of The Voice of TIE, host Stacy Stephens sits down with educational consultant and international coaching advocate Kim Cofino to dive deep into the evolving role of instructional coaching in international schools. Kim, founder of the Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (AAICIS), shares the journey and the growing movement to reframe coaching as a strategic driver of school culture and student learning, not just a job title.

Together, they explore:

• The origin story of AACIS and why international schools need a coaching-focused organization

• The critical role of administrators in supporting and aligning with instructional coaches

• The distinction between instructional coaching vs. generic or poorly defined coaching models

• The measurable impact of coaching on professional growth, teacher efficacy, and student learning

• The development of internationally-specific coaching standards, and how they help define the profession and support career navigation

• How coaching can act as a strategic lever to meet broader school improvement goals

• Insights from research and a landscape study into what successful coaching looks like in diverse school contexts

• The importance of community and professional identity for coaches working in isolated or niche roles

Kim also previews what’s next for AAICIS, including expanding research, conferences, school support tools, and continued advocacy for a clearly defined and deeply impactful instructional coaching culture.

Show notes:

AAICIS - https://aaicis.org/

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aaicis/posts/?feedView=all

In this in-depth episode of The Voice of TIE, host Stacy welcomes two seasoned international educators and recruitment experts, Tico Oms and JP Mallais, to explore one of the most crucial and often overlooked stages of the job search process: the interview.

Both guests share insights from being on both sides of the hiring table. Tico specializes in guiding educators toward leadership roles, while JP helps teachers navigate their career options and next steps. Together, they unpack:

• The evolving nature of international school hiring

• The increasing importance of storytelling and evidence-based answers in interviews

• How to prepare “core stories” that can be adapted to answer multiple interview questions

• Practical resume tips and common mistakes that get candidates filtered out early

• The growing role of AI in resume prep, job search strategy, and interview rehearsal

• Techniques for mastering video interviews, from setup to body language and background

• How to authentically convey cultural awareness and empathy

• Preparing for tough questions like “Tell me about a time you failed” or “What are your weaknesses?”

• The power of curiosity, concise storytelling, and strategic questions to ask your interviewer

• Personal rituals and mindset tips to boost confidence before interviews

Whether you’re a teacher, leader, or aspiring administrator in international education, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to sharpen your interview skills and stand out in a competitive field.

Website: JPMint Consulting

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpmintconsulting/

Gmail: [email protected]

For Tico:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.omscoaching.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joseramonoms-tico

In this episode of Voice of TIE, host Stacy Stephens welcomes Cora Yang and Dalton Flanagan, two dynamic educators from the Chinese International School in Hong Kong who are leading the way in exploring how artificial intelligence can meaningfully enhance teaching and learning. Dalton and Cora introduce the series they will be writing for TIE in the coming months and together, they unpack not just the what of AI in schools, but the why and how, shifting the conversation from fear and uncertainty to practical integration and empowered pedagogy.

Cora and Dalton share their real-world experiences developing AI frameworks for both primary and secondary classrooms. From designing student-friendly prompting tools to preserving academic integrity through metacognitive reflection, their approach focuses on agency, intentionality, and pedagogical purpose. They emphasize that the power of AI lies not in the tools themselves, but in how educators design learning around them.

As the conversation unfolds, they tackle common missteps schools make, either avoiding AI altogether or jumping in without reflection, and advocate instead for thoughtful, student-centered implementation. 

Whether you're just beginning to explore AI in education or already knee-deep in experimentation, this conversation offers clarity, encouragement, and actionable strategies.

Alignment Education

LinkedIn - Cora

LinkedInn - Dalton