The International Schools Review Forum

I notice that some international schools employ people without administrative licensure for administrative positions such as assistant principals, principals and directors.

If you have a decent amount of experience in middle management roles, a MA, and a few other "bells and whistles" on your CV, is the administrative licensure worth it? I am not talking about random "certificates" or a MA in educational management or leadership. I am talking about state/country administrative licenses.

While the extra schooling can most definitely be a boost, there are plenty of ineffective administrators out there with the license. So far, I am not seeing a big difference between those with the license, and those without it. From my observations, on the ground experience, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills are some of the biggest predictors of effectiveness and success.

I suppose the licensure can get you the interviews, so in the end it might be worth it. Has anyone ever just went for it, and began applying for administrative roles without licensure, and ended up getting an administrative role in an international school?

What about the case that where you come from, there is no such thing as an administration licensure system? LOL

From what I've seen, the higher up you get in the hierarchy, the more important your formal qualifications become.
I agree that they're not a good indicator of how effective you'll be as an administrator, but since you need to land the job first to be effective at it, the license might help.
That being said, there are plenty of people who got there without it, but I'm sure there are many that didn't get there because they didn't have the right piece of paper.

When competition is fierce, any reason is enough reason to cut someone out of the running.

Yes absolutely. The hardest art of leadership is getting into it to begin with. Leadership roles are defined by reports, peer deliverables, or resource budgeting and allocation. There are three general means of entering leadership.
1) Grow In: You start at an IS as an IT, you work well with leadership, parents and ownership, and then when there is an opening you get the job because ownership trusts you and leadership and parents like you. This pathway is faster at lower tier ISs, where there is a lot of turnover and longevity often means your only one of the few staff to renew.
2) Work In: You get a M.Ed in Ed.Ld, you add a credential, you build some leadership or management experience and you work your way up into leadership. This may and often requires some work in DE. This is the pathway that accounts for the majority of leadership. Candidates were leadership in DE, and they were hired as leadership in IE.
3) Edge In: You make friends and build a network, maybe you marry into, but someone in ownership likes you and gives you the job, or someone in leadership helps you get into the job. This is the least common path into leadership.