Thomas V. Millington co-presented with Vince Schaff on addressing the importance of supporting displaced international educators. This was presented virtually as part of the NAFSA annual conference in 2020.

1. Engaging the
Disengaged:The
Importance of Supporting
Displaced International
Educators

2. Work is a secular religion in a land that does not suffer atheists
lightly.
-Allison J. Pugh, author of The Tumbleweed Society
“I love this field, but I don’t think that the field treats its
employees very well.”
-Respondent to 2015 “Unemployment in
International Education Survey
“I am an invisible man. When they approach me, they see only my
surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—
indeed, anything and everything except for me.”
-Richard Wright, Invisible Man

4. STAGES OF DISLOCATION AND RELOCATION
This is a representation of my experience with suddenly being ‘in transition’.
It does not come from any study or research. –Tom
SHOCK SADNESS ANGER DESPERATION/QUESTION OF PLACE DOUBT REINVENTION
Stage ONE Stage TWO Stage THREE Stage FOUR Stage FIVE Stage SIX
Major
disruption,
confusion;
insensitivity of
IE
Truncation of
routine; effects
on family
Frustration; anger at
former employer &
other job applicants;
unresponsiveness of
potential employers
Abandonment by the field;
Disconnectedness; isolation; no
resources
“Was I in
the wrong
field?”
”Utopian
Temperament”;
unemployment as a
source of strength

5. Navigating
Troubled
Waters
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

6. Effects of Long-term Unemployment
• The Funny Thing About Adversity
• Adaptation and Validation of Perceived Control in Unemployment
Scale
• Ideological Training for the New Economy
• Unemployment from the Perspective of the Psychology of Working
(purchase required)
• Long-term Unemployment: A Destructive and Chronic Social Issue-
Cyclical or Structural Unemployment? Where does IE fall?

7. CHALLENGES TO INTERNATIONAL
EDUCATION
• No mechanism to measure growth or diminution of the field
• How many people enter the field? How many people leave?
• The Beveridge Curve (rate of unemployment vs job vacancies)
• No support for in-transition international educators
• Keep in-transition employees connected: (https://www.walkme.com/ )
• Online Mentorship?: Mentor Cloud
• No “Code of Ethics” guidelines for hiring practices in IE
• Discrimination against long-term unemployed individuals
• Missing hard data on unemployment in IE (race, gender, geography,
experience, age, etc.)

8. How to measure growth or shrinking of the
field?
American Historical Association (AHA)-
2014 report
Tracks job offerings by year
Correlates increase or decline of job postings with
number of job candidates (History doctorates issued
per year)
CAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EMULATE THIS?
Establish industry-wide guidelines for
entry-level job announcements in IE

9. Resources
• International Educator Circle -a group formed in LinkedIn to support international educators who are in-
transition
• The Institute for Career Transitions
• Emilie Aries –Career coach, author of “Bossed Up”
• Melissa Doman, M.A.- Organizational Psychologist and Mental Health at Work Specialist
• International Education Career Academy
• What to Do if You are Laid Off from Work

10. Resources
• Phase II MIG- serves retired international
educators and those who are anticipating
retirement. They have just created a new
initiative called “Listening Circles” which
creates a team of experienced MIG
members who will be assigned to no more
than 4-6 others and coordinate
conversations weekly for a month. The idea
is to not offer job coaching, but rather, a
space for candid discussion and shared
concern.
• All Things International Education-online
community for international educators
• 2020 Survey of Unemployed International
Educators