STRIKING A BALANCE

As international schools prepare for the 2026 recruitment season, just how important is good health insurance to staff? Pierre de Mirman has some key insights about how to navigate a complex area.
Health Insurance, recruitment and retention

Comprehensive group health insurance has become a critical factor for schools seeking to attract and retain globally mobile educators and staff. As global mobility rebounds and more educational institutions are looking to grow their international teams, one challenge remains front and centre: how to attract and retain top international talent, especially when competition for the best staff is fierce. 

In today’s volatile economic and healthcare landscape, salary alone isn’t enough. It is important to note that health coverage isn’t just a benefit or a ‘nice to have’ — it’s a necessity for educators considering a position abroad. Hence, for investors, school administrators and decision-makers, the strength of your health insurance offering will significantly impact your ability to attract and retain international talent.

Why health insurance matters so much

Expats often find themselves navigating unfamiliar medical systems, language barriers, and high out-of-pocket costs when relocating to a new country. A comprehensive school group health insurance plan can offer much-needed peace of mind by providing:

  • Access to private healthcare facilities
  • Preventive care, including screenings, vaccinations, and wellness checks
  • Coverage for emergency and chronic care
  • Direct billing networks that eliminate paperwork stress
  • Dependent coverage 
  • Telemedicine, mental health, and other wellness services
  • Portability 

When educators evaluate an offer, they want to know how well they’ll be supported if something goes wrong when they’re far from home. Surveys show that health insurance ranks among the top 3 most valued employee benefits for expats.

With regard to retention, Pacific Prime’s 2025 International School Benefits Survey found that over 70% of school HR leaders ranked health insurance as the most important benefit for retaining teachers, more important even than for housing or relocation allowances.

Health coverage and retention

Attracting global talent is only half the battle—retaining them is equally critical. When teachers feel supported and protected, they’re more likely to stay with an institution long term. This is especially true when it comes to family-friendly coverage, claims support, and benefit transparency. Conversely, poorly structured insurance, unexpected gaps in coverage, or confusing claims processes can quickly erode trust. Offering a clear, well-communicated benefits package shows educators that your school values them and is invested in their well-being.

Balancing cost and cover

Understandably, medical inflation across the globe makes cost containment strategies a key focus for HR teams across industries, including education.
This is where flexible benefits can help. For example, offering health wallets or modular benefits allows educators and school staff to choose the coverage they need most while allowing schools to stay within their projected budgets.

Over the years, Pacific Prime has helped international schools redesign their benefits strategies by auditing underutilised policies and consolidating complex global plans for easier management, all on a centralised platform. This has led to numerous benefits, including reduced administrative costs and improved employee experience.

Strengthening benefits

Here are a few strategies school HR teams might implement to make health insurance a differentiator:

Audit your current coverage
Review what’s covered and what’s not. Are your plans still meeting the needs of today’s globally mobile workforce?

Gather feedback from employees
What do they value most? Are there pain points you could address through plan changes or better communication?

Partner with a specialised broker
Work with experts who understand both local market dynamics and international employee needs and have extensive experience supporting international schools.

Educate your teams
Ensure staff know-how to use their benefits, from telemedicine access to claims support hotlines.

Plan for the future
Trends like flex benefits and preventive care will shape tomorrow’s expectations. Stay ahead by adapting and adopting early.

The bottom line is that cutting medical benefits without a proper review and audit is likely to prove expensive in the long term.

Strategic review

Health insurance isn’t just a benefit; it’s a vital tool in a competitive talent landscape. For educators and school administrators, it reflects how much an institution values staff wellbeing and security abroad. And for HR teams and decision-makers, it’s a lever for retention, engagement, and long-term satisfaction. 

Schools can attract top-tier international talent and keep them engaged and healthy by taking a strategic approach to health insurance, balancing cost with quality and structure with flexibility.

Navigating the market

Insurance products are continually evolving and the market is complex. Finding a broker who can simplify what different international health insurance offer in terms of employee benefits for global workforces is, in our opinion, an essential part of the process.

Pierre de Mirman is Global Managing Director at Pacific Prime insurance brokers. Pacific Prime can be contacted to start a review process here: Contact us

 

Pacific Prime is a trusted partner of chk Education

FEATURE IMAGE: by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Support Images: by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay, Fakhruddin Memon from Pixabay & Imhaf Maulana For Unsplash+