How to become a head of department: a practical guide for international school teachers

To become a head of department, you usually need three things: consistently strong teaching in your subject, evidence that you have already improved something beyond your own classroom, and a well-prepared case at interview. In practice that means taking on pieces of leadership before you hold the title, such as coordinating a year group’s curriculum, mentoring a new colleague or running moderation, and keeping a record of what changed as a result. This guide sets out how to become a head of department step by step, what the selection process usually involves, and how to approach your first months in the role.

It is written for teachers in international schools, where departments often combine several curricula, colleagues trained in different countries and new staff every August. No guide can promise a promotion; schools make those decisions for their own reasons. What you can control is how ready you are when the opportunity comes.

What does a head of department do?

A head of department (also called a head of faculty, subject leader or subject coordinator) is a middle leader: responsible for a subject team, accountable to senior leaders, and usually still teaching a substantial timetable. Titles and scope vary, but the role typically includes:

• Curriculum: sequencing what is taught, maintaining schemes of work, and choosing courses and resources.
• Assessment: setting common assessments, running moderation so grades mean the same thing across classes, and analysing results.
• People: line management, appraisal, supporting colleagues who are struggling, and inducting new staff.
• Quality of teaching: lesson visits, looking at pupils’ work, and organising professional development within the team.
• Operations: the department budget, resources, examination entries and trips.
• Communication: representing the department to senior leaders and responding to parents about the subject.

In an international school, some parts of the job tend to be larger. You may run more than one curriculum at once, such as IGCSE and A level alongside the IB Diploma, or a British-style lower school whose pupils move on to an American high school programme. Some of your team may be new each year, so induction is an annual task rather than an occasional one. Many pupils may be learning in English as an additional language, which shapes how the department plans and assesses. And parents are often closely involved, so clear communication about the subject’s expectations saves time later.

Head of year or head of department?

Teachers moving into middle leadership often weigh these two routes. A head of year (or grade-level leader) leads pastorally: behaviour, wellbeing, attendance and progress across subjects, working closely with tutors and families. A head of department leads academically within one subject: curriculum, assessment and the quality of teaching. Both build leadership experience. The better fit depends on whether you are most energised by your subject or by the whole child across the school day.

What is school leadership, and where does a department fit?

School leadership is the work of setting direction, developing people and organising the conditions in which good teaching can happen. Management keeps things running reliably: timetables, budgets, procedures. A head of department does both, and has to judge which a situation needs.

A research review by Kenneth Leithwood, Alma Harris and David Hopkins, Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited, groups effective leadership practice into four domains. It also argues that leadership improves learning mainly indirectly, by shaping the conditions in which teachers work. The four domains translate well to a department:

This matters for your application. Interview panels are not only asking whether you teach well; they are asking whether you can improve the teaching of others.

How to become a head of department: a step-by-step plan

Step 1: Make your own teaching secure and explainable

You will be asked to improve other people’s teaching, so you need to be able to explain your own: why you sequence a topic the way you do, how you check understanding, how you adapt for pupils learning in an additional language. If you can put the reasons into words, you can coach others.

Step 2: Take on a slice of leadership now

Heads of department are often appointed on the strength of responsibilities they have already carried. Useful ones include:

• coordinating a year group or key stage within the subject;
• rewriting a unit of work and guiding colleagues through teaching it;
• running a moderation meeting for a common assessment;
• mentoring a newly qualified or newly arrived colleague;
• delivering a professional development session for the department;
• managing coursework deadlines or examination entries for one course.

Choose tasks that involve other adults and produce something you can point to. A tidy resource folder is useful; a unit that three colleagues now teach differently, with pupils’ work to show for it, is evidence of leadership.

Step 3: Learn how the whole department runs

Ask your current head of department if you can sit in on a results meeting, see how the budget is set, or help draft next year’s timetable requests. Read the school development plan and notice how the department’s priorities connect to it. Understanding these mechanics lets you answer interview questions with precision rather than generalities.

Step 4: Keep a leadership log

Evidence fades from memory quickly. Keep a simple record and update it every half-term. The row below is an illustrative example:

Your log becomes the raw material for your application letter and your interview answers.

Step 5: Study leadership deliberately

Leadership can be learned. Reading, coaching and in-school programmes all help, and some teachers choose postgraduate study to give that learning structure and a research base, for example an MEd in educational leadership and management. Whichever route you choose, apply it straight away: an article on coaching conversations is only useful once you have tried one with a colleague.

Step 6: Say what you are aiming for

Tell your line manager that you want to move into middle leadership and ask what they would need to see. That conversation often leads to the next responsibility, and it gives you an honest view of what your school values.

Step 7: Choose where to apply

Internal promotion builds on relationships and knowledge of the school; external roles can offer a fresh start. For international posts, read the job description closely: which curricula the department teaches, how large the team is, whether the role includes pastoral duties, and how much teaching it carries.

Interview tips for head of department roles

Selection for middle leadership often runs over a day, or a series of online sessions, and typically includes several of the following. Prepare for each one separately.

• Teaching a lesson. Panels want a strong, typical lesson, not a performance. Ask in advance about the class, their prior learning and how many are learning in an additional language.
• Observing and debriefing a lesson. You may watch part of a lesson with a senior leader, then discuss it or debrief the teacher. Start with specific strengths, choose one or two priorities that would make the biggest difference to pupils, and suggest a concrete next step.
• A data or in-tray task. You may be given results by class and asked what you notice. Look for patterns across classes, groups and topics before drawing conclusions about individual teachers.
• A presentation. Common titles are your vision for the department or your priorities for the first term. Keep to two or three priorities grounded in what you have learned about the school.
• A pupil panel. Listen carefully and ask what they enjoy about the subject.
• The formal interview. Expect questions on curriculum, assessment, managing people and working with parents.

Worked example: answering a people-management question

A common question is: “How would you support a colleague whose classes consistently achieve lower results than the rest of the department?” A strong answer has a clear shape. The outline below is an example, not a script.

1. Check the picture first. Compare like with like: prior attainment, timetabling, the number of pupils new to English, any staffing disruption.
2. Talk before judging. Hold a supportive one-to-one, share the data and ask what the teacher sees.
3. Agree a focused plan. One or two areas, with support attached: co-planning, visiting a colleague’s lesson, coaching.
4. Review on a set date. Look at pupils’ work and assessment again after a few weeks.
5. Know the next step. If there is no improvement despite support, follow the school’s appraisal process fairly and transparently.

Where you have a real example from your leadership log, use it: the situation, what you did, what changed and what you would do differently.

If the interview is online

International schools often interview overseas candidates by video, sometimes with a recorded or live online lesson. Test your camera, sound and lighting, confirm the time zone in writing, keep your leadership log to hand, and prepare an example of pupils’ work you can share on screen.

Your first 90 days as head of department

New heads of department are often tempted to change everything in the first term. A steadier approach builds trust first:

If you are promoted internally, your relationship with former peers changes. Acknowledge it openly, keep friendships, but hold difficult conversations privately and consistently. Fairness and predictability make the change easier for everyone.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a head of department?

There is no fixed timeline. It depends on the school, the size of the department, how often posts arise and the experience you build. Many teachers carry smaller responsibilities, such as coordinating a year group or mentoring colleagues, for some time before applying. Focus on gathering evidence of impact on colleagues and pupils rather than counting years.

What qualifications do you need to be a head of department?

Each school sets its own requirements. Typically they look for a degree related to the subject, a teaching qualification, a record of strong teaching and some leadership responsibility. Postgraduate study in leadership is not usually required, but some teachers use it to develop their understanding of leadership in a structured way. Always check the job description.

How can I be a good head of department?

Keep teaching well, because your credibility depends on it. Know every member of your team and what they need. Agree a small number of clear priorities and protect time for them. Make routine systems, such as assessment calendars and shared resources, reliable. Communicate openly with senior leaders and parents, and review regularly what is working.

What is the difference between school leadership and school management?

Leadership is about direction and people: deciding what matters, bringing colleagues with you and developing their practice. Management is about reliable systems: timetables, budgets, procedures and deadlines. A school needs both, and a head of department spends time on each every week. Good ideas fail without sound systems, and sound systems without direction keep a department busy but not improving.

For teachers who want to study leadership formally, Taito Education offers the Master of Arts in Education (Educational Leadership), awarded by Plymouth Marjon University, UK, and studied fully online over one year. Details are on the MA in educational leadership online page.