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From welcome packs to celebrating another's success: How international school faculty gets a sense of home
Besides helping staff settle in quickly, Tanglin Trust School also supports their personal and professional development
Staff at Tanglin Trust School know they can always count on their colleagues to support them, making the school feel like a home away from home. PHOTO: TANGLIN TRUST SCHOOL
Xin Yun
Tanglin Trust School is not just another workplace; it is like the supportive parent who shows up to all the games that Ms Natalie Ho, 30, captain of the Singapore National Women’s Field Hockey Team, plays in.
Like a proud parent would, the school broadcasts the participation and achievements of the senior teaching and learning assistant of infant physical education (PE) to everyone in the Infant School at Tanglin Trust School, comprising some 700 children aged between three and seven.
Ms Ho is not the only one on the receiving end of such warm gestures. British national Mr Benjamin Walker still fondly recalls the very first day he arrived in Singapore to start his career with Tanglin Trust School, even after having worked at the school for 11 years.
The assistant head of Tanglin Junior School (Co-Curriculum) says: “When I arrived in 2012 from London, I was transported from the arrival gate at the airport to my new apartment, with my wife. The apartment was fully equipped with a welcome pack waiting.”
“It came with a bottle of wine, which was much appreciated,” adds Mr Walker with a laugh. “It makes a difference how Tanglin shows it cares for their staff’s well-being.”
Rated among the top 250 employers in Singapore according to global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times, Tanglin Trust School takes care of its employees in these meaningful ways. In turn, its staff rave about the family-like culture and community spirit formed across several cultures here.
Supporting professional growth for staff
Tanglin Trust School also encourages its employees in their professional pursuits.
For instance, Mr Walker is part of the senior leadership at the Junior School and has completed several continuing professional development courses to help him in his career, with the most recent one being the National Professional Qualifications in Senior Leadership (NPQSL).
From being a Year 4 class teacher in 2012 to an assistant head of year and, later on, head of year, he has grown in his career and was recently appointed as assistant head of Junior School (Co-Curriculum) in 2021.
“The school really trusts me to design the best co-curriculum I can, and it is my first foray into senior leadership, which is where I would like to stay,” says Mr Walker.
Ms Ho also benefits from the school’s support in career growth, with colleagues who guide her in challenging situations and courses.
“Once we were doing rock climbing and there was this child who didn’t want to climb,” she recounts. “I approached my team manager and asked what I could do to help the child overcome his fear. He said we should have a talk with the child, and could attend more courses to understand how the minds of children work.”
Her perseverance paid off as the child was able to venture a few feet off the ground after eight weeks of the PE programme.
“He was shocked at his own progress too,” she says. “Even though it was a short distance, the progress was much more meaningful.”
“Through the courses I attended, I learnt to think and feel from the child’s perspective, so I could tackle the situation and communicate in a different way.”
The school also supports Ms Ho’s sporting career in women’s hockey, by quickly approving her absence during the school term for major games overseas. She will be spending about a week in Cambodia in May 2023 for this year’s SEA Games and will also be in Hangzhou for about 20 days in October 2023 for the Asian Games.
Investing in first-class facilities
A good academic environment must also be conducive to learning. To this end, the school unveiled a new 11-storey building – the Tanglin Centenary Building – in January this year. Facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a gymnastics centre with a viewing gallery, so parents can watch their children learn, and even a co-working space for parents, which allows them to be a closer part of the Tanglin Trust School community.
It also houses The Institute @ Tanglin and the school’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Centre for employees to pursue professional growth.
Ms Ho says facilities such as the viewing gallery and co-working space are important for parents, which shows how much the school cares about involving the community.
“Tanglin has the best facilities of all the international schools I have visited during my practicums,” she says.
“For the gymnastics sessions, parents can sit and watch their children’s activities, with big windows. It makes a difference for those with very young children.”
To its employees, Tanglin Trust School is more than an employer; it is a community.
Meanwhile, for international employees like Mr Walker, Tanglin Trust School has become a home away from home.
“When you work at an international school, most people are away from their families. I know if something were to happen, people around you will immediately ask how they can help,” he says.
“It may be a cliche, but my colleagues have become my extended family.”
