Bridging local education and global careers: Experiences of university alumni teaching abroad

This narrative inquiry study examined the experiences of Teacher Education program alumni who opted to pursue teaching careers overseas. Their experiences provided insights and recommendations on how their undergraduate training prepared them in international education settings. Through the analysis of their narratives, 15 teachers, 10 female, and 5 male, the study provided an understanding of how they transitioned from the Philippines’ cultural values and educational system to their new school environment. After the thematic analysis, the results led to three main themes: professional preparedness, cultural adaptation, and institutional support for internationalization. Therefore, this suggests that internationally oriented curricula, cross-cultural training, and global partnerships must be strengthened by universities offering teacher education programs to develop future educators who can thrive in international academic settings. Furthermore, this study proposes to align national higher education policies with international programs and the global mobility of teachers to enable them to teach overseas.