I have friends who work in some of the most envious private and international schools in this country – institutions we often admire from a distance for their order, discipline, efficiency, sophistication, serenity and academic prowess. In the eyes of many Kenyan teachers, securing a job in an international school is the peak of a teaching career. The reasons are varied, but the two most common ones stand out clearly: package and prestige. These schools pay relatively well, and they carry a brand image that any teacher would be proud to be associated with.
However, an uncomfortable reality lurks beneath this glossy surface – one that most people outside the circle may never suspect. Suppose the living conditions I have witnessed through the experience of one of my friends are anything to go by. In that case, private and international schools owe it to themselves – and to the integrity of their brands – to ensure that their staff truly live lives that reflect the international standards they claim to uphold.
It is not enough for these schools to demand professionalism, diligence and excellence from teachers from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and sometimes beyond. It is not enough to adorn their marketing brochures with phrases like global learning standards, world-class teaching environment or international best practices. If the same institutions turn a blind eye to where their staff sleep, cook, rest, recover, and raise their families, then something fundamental is out of place. A professional cannot sustain excellence when their life outside school is riddled with stress, insecurity, discomfort, or indignity.
One of the most striking examples of an organisation that deliberately takes staff welfare seriously is the United Nations. The UN goes so far as to specify the estates where its staff must rent houses, buy homes, or dwell, precisely because it understands that where someone sleeps directly affects how they perform. They do not leave the decision to chance. This is not micromanagement. It is care. It is foresight. It is recognition that human beings are not machines that can be switched on to perform in high-pressure environments while living in low-quality circumstances.
Why does the UN do this? Because the organisation not only values the safety, health, and psychological well-being of its staff, but also understands that staff represent the organisation’s brand. You cannot speak the language of excellence in the workplace while tolerating mediocrity in the personal welfare of the very people who carry your vision forward.
Private and international schools should borrow a leaf from this. If you want your teachers to deliver excellence, uphold your brand, and embody your international philosophy, you must invest in the ecosystem that nurtures them beyond the school gate.
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There is a dangerous assumption – almost a myth – that these schools pay their teachers well enough for them to afford decent housing automatically. It is convenient to make this assumption because the packaging and branding of international schools project an image of affluence. But the reality, in some cases, is painfully different. Some teachers earn modest salaries that barely cover rent in decent neighbourhoods. Others have families, loans, medical responsibilities, or extended obligations that strain their finances.
The result? Some of them end up living in deplorable estates – places that do not reflect the dignity of their profession or the prestige of the institution they work for. And when teachers live in such areas, they carry a burden of stress, exhaustion and insecurity that inevitably affects their morale and productivity. Worse still, when the outside world discovers the gap between the school’s glossy image and the staff’s actual living conditions, it pollutes the brand. The contradiction becomes too loud to ignore.
A school that positions itself as “international” must go beyond curriculum and infrastructure. It must embody international values—chief among them being care for the people who deliver the learning experience. Students feel when teachers are stressed. Parents perceive when teachers appear demoralised or strained. Excellence cannot grow in an environment where the stewards of learning are weighed down by private battles born from poor living conditions.
So what should private and international schools actually do?
First, conduct comprehensive welfare audits. Schools should not assume that because a teacher shows up, teaches well and dresses professionally, their life outside school is equally polished. Teachers are among the most resilient people; they can suffer silently and still perform. Welfare audits would help institutions know where their staff live, the conditions of those neighbourhoods, the security threats they face, and the cost burdens they shoulder.
Second, schools should consider providing housing allowances that match the standard they expect their teachers to maintain. If the school positions itself as premium, the staff housing support should not be basic. A teacher cannot preserve a global-standard mindset while living in an environment that drags their emotional and mental state backwards.
Third, schools can explore institution-owned staff housing, especially those with large compounds or long-term expansion plans. Purpose-built, secure and clean housing close to the school would boost morale, strengthen loyalty and reduce daily stressors.
Fourth, schools should create structured support systems, such as mental health programmes, reasonable workload distribution, and wellness initiatives. These go hand in hand with decent living conditions.
Ultimately, international schools cannot afford to have a split identity – world-class on paper, but indifferent to staff welfare in practice. If the welfare of teachers is neglected, the school’s international status becomes a shell. But when staff are empowered, dignified and supported holistically, the school does not just teach international standards; it lives them.
Private and international schools must check on their staff – not occasionally, but intentionally and consistently. Because when teachers live well, they teach well. And when they teach well, your brand thrives.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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