At present international schools continue to experience unprecedented growth. Offering elite, bluechip education these schools, which were once the domains of elite expatriates, are now predominantly occupied by locals, many of whom seek access to western universities and the global knowledge economy. Shifting demographics coupled with delivering a curriculum rooted in a western tradition may suggest these schools constitute a new form of imperialism. While both the growth of such schools and their demand for teachers has led to increasing coverage within the mainstream and academic community, there remains a dearth of knowledge regarding teachers. It is into this space that the current study seeks to shed some light. In particular, it aims to explore why and how teachers become ‘international’, and the impact such development has on their praxis. It also seeks to explore how teachers, as front-line workers, position themselves within the discourse surrounding international schools as artificers of a global elite driven by a western, globalist agenda. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, the study employs a methodology drawing upon theoretical frameworks developed by Foucault and Bourdieu. This dualist approach serves to not only extrapolate the origin of ideas and motivations that shape teachers’ praxis; it also seeks to understand this praxis in action. Findings suggest a teacher’s decision to pursue an international career is attributable to a variety of push/pull factors. Moreover, there is a need for a revision of praxis to better meet students’ needs and parental expectations. The evidence suggests that revising praxis is challenged by the opacity of key terms and assumptions within the field. Likewise, teachers employ a variety of approaches to learning and curriculum delivery that is explicitly cognizant not only of students’ cultural, national or ethnic background but also of their elite economic and social status. The study concludes with recommendations for further research.

中文翻译：

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新帝国主义？国际教师——成为、守门和资本（再）生产

目前，国际学校继续经历前所未有的增长。这些学校提供精英、蓝筹教育，这些学校曾经是外籍精英的领地，现在主要由当地人占据，其中许多人寻求进入西方大学和全球知识经济。不断变化的人口统计数据加上提供植根于西方传统的课程可能表明这些学校构成了一种新的帝国主义形式。虽然此类学校的发展及其对教师的需求导致主流和学术界的覆盖面不断扩大，但关于教师的知识仍然缺乏。目前的研究正是在这个领域试图阐明一些观点。特别是，它旨在探讨教师为何以及如何成为“国际化”的，以及这种发展对其实践的影响。它还试图探索作为一线工作者的教师如何在围绕国际学校的话语中将自己定位为受西方全球主义议程驱动的全球精英的设计者。该研究采用混合方法，采用了借鉴福柯和布迪厄开发的理论框架的方法论。这种二元论方法不仅有助于推断塑造教师实践的想法和动机的起源；它还试图在行动中理解这种实践。调查结果表明，教师决定从事国际职业可归因于各种推/拉因素。此外，需要对实践进行修订，以更好地满足学生的需求和家长的期望。证据表明，修订实践受到该领域内关键术语和假设的不透明性的挑战。同样，教师采用多种学习和课程交付方法，不仅明确了解学生的文化、民族或种族背景，还明确了解他们的精英经济和社会地位。该研究最后提出了进一步研究的建议。