International Teacher Podcast

You've built a life in America, established your teaching career, and found a place to call home. But what happens when your J-1 visa runs out? Do you really have to pack your bags and leave? In this episode of the International Teacher Podcast, immigration attorney Kaushik Ranchod joins us to unravel the complexities of J-1 visa waivers, green cards, and the rapidly changing landscape of U.S....

This episode explores Alpha School, an alternative K–12 model that uses adaptive technology for core academics and human “guides” for coaching, relationships, and life skills. Alpha’s model rests on three commitments: Students will love school. Students will achieve twice the expected annual academic growth. Students will learn practical, real-world life skills. Students spend roughly two hours ea...

Episode 163, Featuring Dr. Josiah Marr, takes us on a family gap year with an unusual itinerary: visiting international schools around the world. From Europe to Asia and into his new leadership role in Manila, Josiah shares how curiosity, faith, and generous mentors opened doors to remarkable schools and meaningful connections. Join us for a lively conversation about faith-based education, life ab...

Ep 162 - Welcome to the Bi-Weekly offshoot episodes about Retirement, Financial Freedom, Planning for the Future, and other conversations for international educators. Our first Retirement International Teacher Podcast (RITP) episode features cohosts Jake Loney & Greg Lemoine. JP is featured as our first guest of this series because she happens to be a successful retiree - since she officially...

ITP - 161. Greg, JP, and Hannah welcome Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Hidson from the University of Sunderland for a deep dive into teacher training, certification, and professional growth in international education. Liz explains the differences between the PGCE, iQTS, QTS, and other qualification pathways, including how educators already working overseas can earn recognized British teaching credentials wit...

ITP-160 explores international teaching through the lens of LeeAnna Pekel, elementary principal at Karachi American School, who joins from a suspiciously atmospheric “murder cabin” in Ohio while repatriating for the summer. LeeAnna shares her route from teaching English in Korea to earning certification online, moving into international schools, and eventually returning to Pakistan after being hea...

ITP - 159 Denise shares her unconventional journey into education, from a background in fashion to building a teaching career across Taiwan, Korea, international schools, and eventually California. She reflects on earning her master’s degree, adapting to different school systems, navigating hiring practices, and experiencing the contrast between public and international education. Along the way, s...

ITP - 158 Join us for a candid conversation with former international teacher and Choose Your Own Finance founder Blair Hoover as she shares how she went from being unable to afford an onion to achieving financial independence through international teaching, disciplined saving, and long-term investing. We explore teacher burnout, working in the UAE, the FIRE movement, retirement planning for inter...

 ITP - 156 Welcome to the Canadian Podcast special, with our guests, The Stunt Brothers. In this episode, Greg and JP talk with Roy and Martin, hosts of After the Bell , a Canadian education podcast thankfully free of wrestling promos, folding chairs, and questionable spandex. With more than 70 years of combined teaching experience, Roy and Martin share how they found their way into education, fro...

Marijn Bergsma joins Greg and JP to talk about growing up as a third culture kid, raising gifted children, and feeling the familiar pull back toward international life. The conversation moves through childhood in the United States and Japan, returning “home” to the Netherlands, parenting highly capable kids who do not always fit neatly into school systems, and the possibility of becoming an intern...

ITP - 154 Dr. Robin Heslip joins us to share nearly 50 years of experience in international education, from her early teaching days in Wisconsin to leadership roles in Kinshasa, Rabat, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Zagreb, Abu Dhabi, and the Office of Overseas Schools. In this episode, Dr. Heslip reflects on international school leadership, accreditation, recruiting fairs, governance, mentorship, wo...

ITP - 153 Yolanda Reshemah joins us from California to explore the complicated, emotional, and often beautiful question of where we belong after living across cultures. Born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, raised in England, shaped by France, and now living in the United States with a German husband and a globally minded daughter, Yolanda brings a deeply personal perspective on home, identity,...

ITP 152 - Rich Boerner, former Head of School in South Korea, Bangladesh, and Brazil, joins the International Teacher Podcast to unpack how AI is changing international school hiring , teacher interviews, and the search for true school fit. Drawing on decades of leadership experience, Rich explains why resumes, cover letters, and traditional interviews often fail to predict teacher success, especi...

ITP - 151 - Melissa Rodway is an author, traveler, and former Radio Jockey. She joins Hannah, JP, and Greg to talk about travel, storytelling, and her new book The People You Meet: Luxury, Leeches, Love and Lao-Lao . Melissa shares how a childhood year in Australia planted the travel seed, how months of moving through Southeast Asia became the foundation for her book, and why the people we meet on...

ITP 150 - Christian’s story highlights both the opportunity and the complexity of international teaching. Now based in Singapore, he reflects on a career that began in North Carolina and expanded into leading international schools in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. What starts as a conversation about getting into international education quickly becomes a thoughtful look at why teaching abroad...

ITP - 149 , Greg and Hannah talk with Nishant Sharma , Director of Technology and Innovation at Changchun American International School in China , about his journey from corporate tech to international teaching, life in a truly international IB school, and how his school is using AI, VR, Apple technology, and a humanoid robot named Harry BOTTER in the classroom. This episode explores what technolo...

ITP - 153 Yolanda Reshemah joins us from California to explore the complicated, emotional, and often beautiful question of where we belong after living across cultures. Born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, raised in England, shaped by France, and now living in the United States with a German husband and a globally minded daughter, Yolanda brings a deeply personal perspective on home, identity,...

ITP - 148 follows Scott and Amanda as they share their international teaching journey from Dubai, Shanghai, the Philippines, Thailand, and Riyadh to their upcoming move to Jakarta. In this episode, they talk about meeting through OkCupid across continents, transitioning from teaching into school counseling, supporting student mental health in international schools, and what it is like to have a ba...

ITP - 147 Colin Simpson has been overseas for years. This was his first in-person job fair. Colin joins Greg and Hannah to discuss international teaching job fairs, recruitment platforms, school fit, networking strategies, and partner applications, with practical insights on navigating the overseas teaching job market more effectively. Colin has a trailing spouse and lots of dogs, but he teaches I...

ITP - 146 Audrey Forgeron, international educator, podcaster, and certified life coach, discusses her global teaching journey across Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Chile, Senegal, Italy, Jamaica, and Nepal. Audrey shares insights on international education, transitioning from teaching into life coaching, cultural adjustment abroad, and how her coaching business, Forge Your Best Life, supports...

Ep - 145  Solo host, Greg the single guy, speaks with international Tech Directors Kyle Sumrow and Robby Cobbs about their journeys from classroom teaching into educational technology leadership across Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Puerto Rico. They share how careers in international schools evolved into a larger mission to improve access to technology, training, an...

ITP - 144 Lidia joins us from Dubai, UAE to share stories of teaching Spanish and French in multiple countries. Greg and JP cohost this exciting episode about Spanish Jamón, China, Japan, and the UAE. -more information- The International Teacher Podcast is a bi-weekly discussion with experts in international education. New Teachers, burned out local teachers, local School Leaders, International sc...

ITP - 143 Thank you to our listeners. We have been going strong since 2021. This is our longest episode yet. Why? This longer anniversary episode of the International Teacher Podcast was recorded in two parts due to time zone challenges. The first segment features Kent joining Greg and JP, while the second brings in Darian, Hannah, JP, and Greg for a full group discussion. In Part 1, Kent shares h...

ITP - 142 Sofi explores the journey from classroom teaching to international school counseling in Busan, South Korea, where cultural awareness, student wellbeing, and community connection are central to daily life. Sofi shares how her experience during COVID led her toward counseling, how her interest in Korean language and culture helped shape her path, and why working in an international school...

ITP-141  Caryn Pelletier joins the International Teacher Podcast to share her 25-year international teaching journey across Egypt, Ghana, Italy, Tanzania, Qatar, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Bahrain. She talks about moving overseas as a teaching couple, navigating international school recruiting through Search Associates and GRC, and the realities of hardship postings, expat life, school contracts, and c...