Guide · updated 2026-10-16

How to choose an international teacher recruitment agency: a checklist

Check what the agency charges you, which countries and schools it actually fills, whether its vacancies are live, and whether claimed memberships appear on the membership body's own list. Then read the contract before signing.

An agency can save you time or cost you money, and the difference is usually visible before you sign anything. The checks below are things you can do in an afternoon: read the terms, look for the agency on the lists it says it belongs to, and match its vacancies against the school's own site.

We do not rate any agency here. The directory lists agencies from public data, and this page tells you how to test any of them for yourself.

1. What will it cost you?

GOV.UK's employment agency guidance says an agency cannot charge a work-seeker a fee for work-finding services. It allows charges for extras such as CV writing, as long as the terms are in a separate document given before the service, the extra service is not a condition of finding you work, and you can cancel without penalty.

Ask in writing: is there any fee to me at any stage, including registration, fair attendance, document checks or a deduction from pay? GOV.UK's pages do not address overseas placements specifically, so also ask which country's rules the agency says apply. A clear answer is a good sign. A vague one is a reason to wait.

2. Which countries and schools does it really fill?

Ask for the countries and the named schools it has placed teachers with recently, and for contact details so you can verify one. Then check the school: for British schools abroad, look the school up in the DfE's list of accredited British Schools Overseas and read the latest inspection report. For Dubai, KHDA's published guide tells you what the school must do to appoint you, so you can test whether the agency's description matches.

Be cautious of an agency that cannot name a school. Placing teachers is the whole business, so it should be easy to describe.

3. Are the vacancies live?

Pick two roles from the agency's board and find them on the school's own careers page or on COBIS Global Jobs, where member schools post for free. If you can't find the role anywhere else, ask the agency whether the school has authorised it to advertise the post and when the role was last confirmed.

The timing matters. Teacher Horizons, a recruitment platform, says most UAE schools advertise from October for an August start. A board full of posts that look stale in the middle of that window deserves a question.

4. Check claimed memberships on the body's own list

If an agency says it is a COBIS Supporting Associate, look it up on the COBIS Supporting Associates search rather than relying on a logo. The page lists 231 constituents of many kinds, including assessment bodies, publishers, software vendors, insurers and training providers, and states that subscription does not mean COBIS endorses a service.

So membership proves very little about quality. It is still worth verifying, because a claim that fails a simple lookup tells you something about the agency.

5. Read the contract and the paperwork trail

Your employment contract is with the school, not the agency, so ask for the school's contract before you resign from your current job. Check term length, notice period, housing, flights, health cover, end-of-service payments and what you owe if you leave early.

In Dubai, KHDA's rules add to your contract: the 90-day rule applies a waiting period before a new Appointment Notice if you leave without serving your notice or outside the end of a term. Also keep your own copies of every attested document, reference and email, because they are yours.

Questions teachers ask

Is it normal to pay a fee to a teacher recruitment agency?

GOV.UK says an agency cannot charge a work-seeker for work-finding services, though optional extras can be sold under separate terms. The guidance does not address overseas placements specifically, so ask in writing what any charge covers.

How can I check an agency's COBIS membership?

Use the COBIS Supporting Associates search on cobis.org.uk. COBIS says subscription does not mean it endorses a listed service, so treat a listing as a check on the claim, not a recommendation.

How do I tell if a vacancy is real?

Find the same role on the school's own website or on a site where the school posts directly, such as COBIS Global Jobs for members. If it appears nowhere else, ask the agency for the school's name and contact.

Should I sign with several agencies?

Nothing in the sources we used prohibits it, but read each agency's terms for exclusivity wording. Keep a record of which schools each has submitted you to, so you avoid duplicate applications.

What should I check in a school's contract before accepting?

Look at contract length, notice period, housing, flights, health cover, end-of-service payments and early-leaving costs. In Dubai, also read KHDA's rules on notice, term-end departures and exit surveys.

Sources

All guides