An Interview with Mark Beales

Mark Beales – NPQH

Mark Beales is currently working as the Head of Senior School in an Australian International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Having previously completed our NPQH course, we wanted to hear from Mark how he found his time studying with us.

What made you choose the Real Training course over other options?

I was looking for a provider who could work with teachers based overseas. The leadership elements of the course looked particularly interesting, which is why I chose Real Training, via a Google search.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

The course is a detailed look into what it takes to become a school leader. As someone who has worked in international education for nearly 20 years, I wanted to look at some of the non-academic issues that school leaders deal with. Issues such as recruitment, budgeting and general principles of leadership were of particular interest to me, and these are covered in detail in this course.

How has the course helped make an impact at school?

As a result of taking this course, I have established links with other international schools in my city. This has led to training days involving teachers from both schools.

How has the course developed you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

The course has given me a detailed look at the qualities needed to become a school principal, and what steps I can take to develop them. The forums include highly experienced school leaders, and having the chance to talk with them and exchange ideas was invaluable. The feedback from Real Training’s own course leaders (all of them experienced principals) was excellent.