Retention starts before arrival.

I help international schools design onboarding that prepares foreign hires for cultural adjustment success and strengthens teacher retention before day one on campus.

My vision

Schools where professional educators exercise agency as learning designers, experience daily appreciation for their efforts, and act in alignment with their values. Educators are fulfilled and sustained in their profession, choose to stay at great schools, and their wellbeing and unique ingenuity are assets to their school ecosystem.

"Christina is one of the most accomplished educators I’ve worked with. She’s an exceptional communicator, lifelong learner, and mentor who always gives her best to every project."
- CL, Education Leader

"She has a clear and thoughtful way of shaping experiences, connecting ideas, and making communication accessible and meaningful. It’s a rare and powerful quality that transforms schools."
- ZA, Language Educator

"Christina helped me prepare for a professional exhibition by pushing me to think, speak, and perform with clarity. Her precision and empathy make her an outstanding guide to professional creators."
- SZ, Professional Photographer

"She has a gift for organizing complex information into systems that work, and she makes it all look effortless. Christina leads with both focus and heart."
- PM, International Educator

"Christina brings people together, raises standards, and builds community. She won’t accept mediocrity, and her presence always lifts the culture around her."
- UM, International Education Leader

"She reads people well and adapts her communication to every audience. Thoughtful, organized, and methodical, she turns challenges into clarity."
— STS, International Educator

"Her insight into complex emotional situations and her ability to turn ideas into action make her a trusted guide for any school navigating change."
— CRK, Professional Colleague

"Her cross-cultural experience and positivity helps educators thrive in new environments. Christina’s guidance makes international transitions smoother and more sustainable."
- TW, International Educator

Consulting Services

Customized Solutions for International Schools

Educator Retention Reset

Foreign Hire Onboarding Reset

• Uncover the real factors driving teacher turnover on your unique campus.

• Translate honest faculty feedback into actionable insight leaders can actually use.

• Strengthen internal systems so belonging and wellbeing become part of how the school operates, which improves teacher retention.

• Prepare foreign hires for both the logistics and cultural realities of their move.

• Align expectations and communication across HR, leaders, and educators.

• Integrate wellbeing and cultural awareness into the school’s onboarding systems for lasting retention and belonging.

FAQs

What exactly is an Onboarding Audit?

An Onboarding Audit is a structured virtual conversation in which we review how your school currently welcomes new foreign hires. Our goal is to identify where expectations and reality are misaligned (often in communication, logistics, or cultural perceptions) and determine specific, actionable improvements you could apply this recruitment season. Schedule an Onboarding Audit if you care about strengthening your onboarding system so the new teachers you just hired are properly prepared, connected, and eager to stay.

Who is this service for?

This is designed for international schools. If you are a HR Director, Head of School, or leadership team member who wants to improve teacher retention by focusing on the early employee experience, this service is for you. It’s especially valuable if your school already attracts great teachers but struggles with teacher turnover or inconsistent onboarding practices.

Cultural awareness training helps foreign hires understand their own cultural lens and approach their new environment with curiosity rather than judgment (of themselves or their new home). It moves onboarding beyond logistics into relationship-building with the self, others, and the location.

When teachers don’t recognize their own cultural expectations and react to the school community, they are more likely to experience stress, communicate negatively, and distrust leaders positioned to support them. Embedding cultural awareness into onboarding and retention systems strengthens the school’s longevity, protects the wellbeing of foreign hires, and builds the foundation for honest feedback within the community.

Why include cultural awareness in the onboarding and retention services?

How does onboarding connect to retention and wellbeing?

Retention begins at onboarding because it's about belonging. When new hires feel informed, supported, and culturally aware from the start, they build confidence, connection, and trust in the school early. This foundation reduces stress, prevents isolation, and strengthens their agency to maintain their wellbeing in a new environment. When onboarding is done well it leading to longer faculty contracts, healthier commitments to your school community, and a strong school reputation as a place where professionals choose to live and learn.

Contact Christina

I was an elementary teacher for 10 years in international schools. I've been the foreign hire educator several times and advised my school's HR team on the foreigner's experience informally after each transition.

During the pandemic I become a liaison between teachers and leaders, and identified how crucial internal communication, cultural awareness training, and supportive HR systems were to sustaining the school culture while we weren't on campus. Since then I've followed my calling to support educators and address the issues in education.

I believe every school has the potential to be a thriving community where top teachers invest their time, energy, and expertise, and feel they are supported and encouraged to voice their ideas.

I believe that real reform in education starts with teacher wellbeing.

My work is a partnership with international school leaders, supporting their drive to be changemakers on campus by inviting honest communication and centering cultural awareness and wellbeing in the educator and leader experience.

I look forward to supporting you and your school.

- Christina Kottmann