02/09/2026
What 5 years in a Dutch school in Nigeria taught me about management… and what France taught me by contrast.
For 5 years, I taught in a Dutch school following the British curriculum, in Nigeria. What struck me wasn’t just the pedagogy — it was how teachers were treated.
Over there, experience is valued. You’re trusted. Your opinion is asked for. British-style management invests in people before expecting anything back — it understands that recognition comes before performance, not after.
When I arrived in Auvergne, I found the same passion for teaching, but a different relationship to work. In several schools, I felt like my investment came second to a profitability target, without any real recognition in return.
And this isn’t an isolated case. More and more, freelance teachers are being replaced by large companies specialised in language teaching — better structured to win tenders, but often far removed from the classroom and the human relationships built with students over time. You invest years into a collaboration, into the trust of a teaching team, and end up replaced by a provider, on a simple cost basis.
This contrast taught me a lot. Above all, it confirmed something I believe: management isn’t just a matter of national culture, it’s a choice. Some choose to invest in people. Others, in immediate profitability.
My calling hasn’t changed. What’s changed is my perspective on what real, respectful management can offer — to the teacher as much as to the student.
