Is Teacher Loyalty About Retention, or Something More?

Beyond Retention: Rethinking Teacher Loyalty in International Education

Ahead of the Outstanding Schools event in Dubai this November, Dr Helen Wright sits down with Simon Lightman to explore teacher loyalty, the changing purpose of education and why schools need to recognise teachers as individuals, professionals and contributors to meaningful change.

"There's something a little bit uncomfortable about the idea that loyalty is just a problem of retention."

It's a thought-provoking perspective from Simon Lightman, who believes that conversations about keeping good teachers often overlook a more fundamental question: what kind of environment are we asking them to remain in?

As international education continues to grow, schools face increasing pressure to attract and retain talented educators. But for Simon, the answer goes beyond incentives, pay and recruitment strategies. It starts with recognising teachers as people with their own professional ambitions, intellectual judgement and capacity to contribute.

Ahead of moderating a panel on teacher loyalty at Outstanding Schools Dubai 2026, his conversation with Dr Helen Wright explores what loyalty really means, how education needs to evolve and why the relationship between teachers and their institutions should be reciprocal.

What this conversation is really about

This isn't simply a conversation about teacher retention or how schools can encourage educators to stay longer. It's about rethinking the relationship between teachers and the institutions they work in. Simon challenges the traditional approach to retention, which often focuses on why good teachers leave and what schools can do to persuade them to stay. While these are important questions, he believes they place too much responsibility on the individual teacher rather than examining the environment and culture of the institution itself.

For him, teaching is much more than delivering lessons or meeting professional standards. It is an intellectually demanding profession that requires educators to make decisions, interpret situations and respond to the individual needs of young people every day. These decisions cannot always be guided by prescribed procedures. They require professional judgement, reflection and the freedom to develop one's own practice. That is why Simon believes schools need to do more to recognise teachers as reflective professionals who have something valuable to contribute. When educators are trusted, supported and given opportunities to grow, they are more likely to feel invested in their work and the wider school community.

For Simon, loyalty is not simply about compliance or the length of time someone stays in an institution. It is about building a relationship in which both the individual and the organisation benefit.

Inside the full recording, The conversation also explores the experiences and ideas that have shaped Simon's approach to education, particularly his work around sustainability, student agency and the role of schools in creating meaningful social change. He shares an experience from living in Peru in 2017, when severe water shortages and restrictions affected communities following glacial melt and flooding. During that time, he noticed a groundskeeper watering the grass outside the American embassy despite a hosepipe ban. When Simon questioned him, the man's response was simple: if he didn't do his job, he would lose it.

The encounter changed how Simon thought about individual responsibility and environmental challenges. What initially appeared to be an irresponsible decision was, from the groundskeeper's perspective, a rational attempt to protect his livelihood and family. For Simon, it highlighted the limitations of asking individuals to change their behaviour without understanding the circumstances and systems in which they operate. He sees a similar challenge in education. Schools often encourage students to take responsibility for environmental and social problems, but don't always give them meaningful influence over the conditions that contribute to those problems.

This raises important questions about student agency, school leadership and whether the values schools promote are reflected in their everyday practices.

And if you'd rather start with the headlines,There are several ideas from the conversation worth taking back to your own school or organisation:

• Loyalty is more than retention. Keeping teachers should not simply be about persuading them to stay. Schools also need to examine the environments they create for their people.

• Recognise teachers as professionals. Teaching requires intellectual judgement, reflection and the ability to respond to complex situations. Educators need opportunities to develop and take ownership of their practice.

• Education should go beyond individual achievement. Schools have a responsibility to help young people develop the capacity to work together and contribute to addressing collective challenges.

• Understand the conditions behind individual choices. As Simon's experience in Peru illustrates, meaningful change requires understanding the circumstances in which people live and work, not simply telling them what they should do.

• Student agency needs to be meaningful. Schools should give young people opportunities to influence decisions and challenge assumptions, rather than simply teaching them about responsibility.

• Loyalty is reciprocal. Teachers can be deeply committed to education and make significant contributions without necessarily remaining in the same institution forever. The relationship between educators and schools should recognise the value both bring.

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that teacher loyalty cannot be built through retention strategies alone. It requires schools to create cultures where educators feel valued, trusted and able to contribute as individuals and professionals.

As Simon's perspective reminds us, commitment is strongest when it works both ways.

Simon Lightman will moderate a panel on teacher loyalty at Outstanding Schools Dubai 2026, bringing together education leaders to explore how schools can better understand, support and retain their teaching talent.

Join us in Dubai this November as we continue the conversation about the people, ideas and leadership shaping the future of education.