Courses & Certifications

Included as part of ECIS School Membership. Click here to learn more. Establishing a successful safeguarding culture in a school results from professional learning that includes everyone who works in or for a school — from teaching staff through school leadership and governing stakeholders. Understanding and applying the best safeguarding practices and behaviours is not for teachers alone; nor is it for school leaders alone, nor for trustees or governors alone. It is for everyone!

Middle leaders, from teacher-leaders through coordinators and assistant principals (and more!), are crucial partners in facilitating school change that has a direct and meaningful impact on student learning. The middle leader certificate programme translates quality research around middle leadership into a credible professional pathway.

Elevate your school’s potential through our bespoke training designed for teachers, leaders, and associate staff in international or internationally minded schools. Whether face-to-face or online, our dynamic workshops, led by expert facilitators go beyond the ordinary. Every bespoke piece of work begins with a conversation to understand your context. With a commitment to building strong relationships, we deliver customized training solutions, not silver bullets. Our partnership for growth approach enables us to listen so that we can design and deliver training that meets the unique needs of your school, group or organisation.

The most successful schools are always improving because their teachers are always learning. Our ECIS Teaching and Pedagogy Certificate empowers teachers who want to improve and equips them to develop excellence in teaching and learning.

Our latest ECIS professional learning programme draws on contemporary literature and the latest research about cognitive science and how children learn best. It translates relevant theory about teaching into practice, taking into account the international context, so that teachers build the knowledge, skills and understanding to teach with impact.

Schools are looking at inclusive and supportive ways of recruiting and retaining new teachers. In response to requests from member schools, we have introduced an “Early Career Teachers Cohort for international school teachers in the 2024/2025 school year. This cohort is an opportunity for community-building, peer coaching and research-informed professional learning, led by highly qualified and experienced teachers, Anja Junginger and Brianna Gray. They will be joined by special guests from the ECIS team, and the programme will incorporate a variety of substantive ECIS resources. Additionally, leaders of the teachers on the course will be invited to quarterly virtual “ECT Leadership Cafés.”

This cohort is for teachers who are in the first few years of their teaching career, or teachers who may have experience in other types of schools but who are joining international schools for the first time. (It is not suitable for those who are still undertaking teacher training.)

Sessions will take place via Zoom. LEARN MORE

The ECIS Preparing for International Teaching Certificate is a professional development qualification which will help your teachers develop their skills and deepen their knowledge around the intersection of intercultural awareness and global competence. For more than ten years, the Preparing for International Teaching Certificate (PITC) has empowered teachers from across the world to change their schools, themselves, and the lives of their students. The International Teacher Certificate (PITC) comprises four courses, designed to help you develop the competence to be an effective international teacher. All participants are recommended to have English language competencies comparable to Level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

At ECIS we believe that increased global understanding and engagement is imperative for all school leaders and teachers. As we work together to seek a better understanding of our world, and each other, we create opportunities for impact; empowering current and subsequent generations to create positive and sustainable change. This course is available to all ECIS members. Learn more about School Membership.

ECIS and Tes are working in partnership to support international schools worldwide, helping them to develop and retain the talented teachers they need for their school to succeed.

Tes have been supporting schools and championing great teaching for more than 100 years. Today they provide a wide range of software and services to help schools and students flourish.

Through Tes Institute – the fully accredited teacher training and development part of TES – they help school staff all over the world to be the best they can be with flexible, personalised online and in-school teacher training and CPD. From trusted support staff and passionate graduates to confident teachers and leaders, their unique approach allows learners to study in their own time, learning from their peers as well as from highly experienced tutors.

Whether we are considering ‘not-for-profit’ or ‘for-profit’ international school governance, trustees and governors need to work in partnership with school leaders in order to develop and lead effective, stable and strong schools. If you are a trustee, governor and/or school leader, then our programme the ‘Governance Foundations Certificate’ will help you to understand the role effective governance can play in creating effective and sustainable schools, capable of delivering a quality education for all.

We are delighted to offer our member schools an excellent professional learning opportunity–an online course developed by members of our own community, Rachael Thrash and Ellen Heyting as a toolkit for transformational teaching. In addition to the course, ECIS will host open forums with Rachael and Ellen throughout the year.

We know there is value in pushing students outside a protective academic bubble to personalise their learning through real-world experiences and connections, but teachers and schools struggle to find time, resources, and assessable outcomes. This online course, organised around 6 stages for connection, walks teachers and curriculum designers through practical and reinforcing approaches that transform the classroom into a student-centered laboratory for growth! Teaching and learning becomes an active collaboration for all group members. Drawing on evidence-based best practice, this course guides educators to find the potential for learner growth within their content and subject areas. Teaching is a joyful practice when the learners are eager to engage and find meaning through their participation.

This course is included as part of ECIS School Membership packages.

Alternatively, you can take the course via the ECIS Learning Hub:

Take course

Learn more about Cultivating Connection that Matter