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Nigeria is projected to become the nation on earth by around 2050, with some 400 million people. It’s already the most populous in Africa, with - and this may explain why its international school sector is growing, too.

New entrants such as Rugby School Nigeria and Charterhouse Lagos (soon to be joined by Wellington College International Lagos) sit alongside more established players that offer a mix of British, International Baccalaureate and national curricula to children from both local and expat families.

Indeed, ISC Research data shows 400 international schools in the country, educating just under 150,000 pupils and generating fee income of $2.4 billion (£1.8 billion).

Malia Rowe, field research manager, Africa, at ISC Research, says that within sub-Saharan Africa, “Nigeria remains a leading market for international education”. With the premium sector continuing to attract investment, “enrolment demand is holding steady and competition among providers is growing”, she adds.

But what is it like living and working there as a teacher? We spoke to staff at four schools in the country to find out.

Safeguarding

“Safeguarding is taken extremely seriously,” says Dr Adam England, principal of Rugby School Nigeria in Lagos, which opened in September 2025.

He explains that the school has a dedicated vice-president in charge of safeguarding, and says training is undertaken by staff “on multiple occasions” to ensure knowledge is embedded. It’s important that this provision reflects that of the main Rugby School in England, he continues. “If we did not match UK standards, we’d be out of business.”

A similar approach is taken by Dr Jill Cowie, head of Broadoaks British School in the capital, Abuja, which has more than 300 pupils on its roll. “We follow the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance and processes,” she says, explaining that teachers also undergo regular level 1 training, with any designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) also doing level 3 and 4 training.

She notes, too, that the school is doing more work around talking to male teachers about how they broach issues such as toxic masculinity and making sure they are not “putting themselves in difficult positions”.

This is a policy Cowie intends to continue when more foreign teachers join the school, as it continues to grow.

As for safeguarding issues that tend to crop up day to day, John Todd, director of education at Charterhouse Lagos, says these are mostly akin to what you’d find in any school, including issues around phone use, where the usual filtering and monitoring technologies are used.

“Ninety-five per cent of our secondary-school kids are boarders and have to contact home; we have a half-hour every evening where they get their phones in a controlled environment so they can have those conversations,” he explains.

As regards other monitoring, Todd says: “I was in an assembly recently where we were explaining to the children that if they search certain things, the search will be blocked and we will know it has come from their computer.”

Another safeguarding consideration referred to by school leaders is the fact that there are not a huge number of external social-service resources for them to call on, meaning that schools have to step up to a greater extent to ensure they are across everything.

On the other hand, the Church - so important in Nigerian society - can provide a certain amount of external support, and it’s also noteworthy that the schools in question usually have the resources to offer in-house counselling.

Behaviour

“Nigerian children are…joyfully energetic,” says Todd. This is a huge positive, but it does, he explains, mean that “if [a teacher] thinks they can sit back and everything will just work…it doesn’t work like that”.

The good news, though, is that education carries huge weight in Nigeria, which means that, while some may “test the boundaries”, children are definitely “willing to learn” and eager to engage in their lessons.

Cowie’s experience is similar. Broadoaks’ pupils - of whom around 75 per cent are local and 25 per cent are from expat families working in the country (including for embassies) - are generally keen to learn, she says, although, “kids being kids”, some “normal low-level behaviour” issues can, of course, occur.

Peter Anyam, academic deputy head at Springhall British Secondary School in Abuja, agrees that a pupil might occasionally display a certain “sense of entitlement” that teachers have to curb, but says that, in the main, engagement is high.

Springhall British Secondary School in Abuja

“The students are generally ambitious, curious and highly capable. Many come from families that place significant value on education and have high expectations regarding academic achievement and personal development,” he adds.

Interestingly, one area that can be a challenge for a school is how parents interpret behaviour issues. England, for example, says that Rugby School Nigeria does a lot of work in helping parents to understand that these issues can stem from special educational needs.

“We have a brilliant Scandinavian head of special educational needs and disabilities who has been instrumental in changing parental perceptions about [things like] mildly autistic behaviour, ADHD and so on. She has worked really hard with parents to overcome prejudices.”

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• Qatar: It’s ‘work hard, play hard’ in wealthy Gulf state

Indeed, parents’ own conduct must be addressed on occasion, England adds.

“I’ve had a woman slap her son for embarrassing her by not adhering to school rules, and I’ve had to say to her, ‘Look, Mum, this will, in all likelihood, repeat the cycle of violence when your son grows up. There are better ways to change behaviour.’”

These situations can, of course, be tricky, says England, and must be dealt with in a “very constructive and considered manner”.

Recruitment and retention

With such a fast-growing market, recruitment and retention are particular focal points for leaders.

At Broadoaks, a push to hire more foreign teachers is currently underway, and Cowie notes that, while the pandemic and a sluggish economy might have made it harder to recruit from abroad in recent years, this is now changing.

“With the market on the up and expansion plans in place, the school is keen to get those international teachers in,” she says.

“So we have a new head, who will be developing the early years foundation stage (EYFS) group from the UK, and we’d like our head of English as an additional language (ENL) to be international, as well as our foreign-language teachers, and perhaps a couple of science teachers.”

Plenty of teachers apply from across Africa - including Ghana, South Africa and Kenya - she notes, and there have also been applicants from Eastern Europe and Australia.

Age is an important consideration.

“A lot of my Nigerian teachers are quite young,” Cowie says. “I’d quite like to get a few older stalwarts in as well - those who have been there, done that, know how to handle difficult parents...that kind of thing,” she says.

“So my new head of EYFS is in her forties, and the new deputy head is in his fifties. I interviewed someone in their sixties recently, so that would give a nice mix.”

Cowie says teacher job applicants often have a lot of questions about life in Nigeria - perhaps regarding security or lifestyle. England at Rugby echoes this, but says it doesn’t stop people from applying for - or accepting - jobs.

“People do have this preconception of Nigeria. Sure enough, it is dangerous and difficult in places, but so are other countries,” he notes.

This is borne out by the fact that he has “made 40 extremely good hires” since he has been in his role. “Recruitment has been the least of my problems,” he adds.

Like Cowie, he has looked to ensure a balance of staff, mixing local Nigerian teachers with other Africans (“from Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire”), as well as applicants “from India, Lebanon and the UK”.

Charterhouse Lagos

Todd, at Charterhouse Lagos, says he, too, hires from across the region, as well as from places like China and the wider Far East - and that applicants are chiefly looking for the chance to “save and pay down a mortgage”, rather than “to party”.

Neil David Page, principal of Springhall British Secondary School in Abuja, says: “Our staff are predominantly Nigerian, with some other teachers from across Western Africa - Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire - as well as Cameroon.”

The latter are chiefly teachers of modern foreign languages, such as Spanish or French, he says, while senior leaders are more often international - although Anyam, the academic deputy head, is Nigerian.

“I have spent my entire career in Abuja, and working in an international school here is both rewarding and dynamic,” he says.

“The multicultural nature of the community enriches the learning experience for both students and staff.”

Rules and regulations

In terms of the challenges of running a school in Nigeria, Cowie says that her time in China was a lot more complex, but Nigeria still has the level of oversight you would expect.

“We’re visited regularly by the DQA [Department of Quality Assurance], and we have to show our paperwork, and have lesson plans for every lesson,” she says.

She adds that the only requirement in terms of the curriculum is the dedication of one period a week to Nigerian studies - a positive addition to ensure “all of our kids, including visitors, learn about the history and the culture of the country” they are living in.

England says he, too, finds the regulation side of the job “really easy”, and that working with the Ministry of Education is straightforward. “There is paperwork, and everything has a form involved, but it’s not an impediment to progress,” he adds.

Todd at Charterhouse Lagos concurs, saying they have a strong relationship with the government, and noting that the executive governor of Lagos State “came and opened our school”.

“They want international education to succeed, and I think Lagos State sees itself as an education hub for the region, which makes complete sense,” he adds.

Where things can be more complicated, Cowie notes, is around infrastructure issues, such as the risk of power cuts (mitigated with generators on site), in addition to well-publicised security issues.

Lifestyle and culture

Following on from the above, the security situation in Nigeria is perhaps one of the most notable questions that any potential staff may have. However, Page, at Springhall British Secondary School in Abuja, says it is one of the safest places he has lived during his 26 years abroad, which has included time in Malaysia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

“I say this with the experience of living and working in five different cities across Africa, and visiting many other cities: it is singularly the safest African city I’ve worked in,” he says.

“It’s extraordinarily calm and relaxed, contrary to what you’ll often see on the news.”

England, at Rugby School Nigeria, in Lagos, is equally sanguine about the security situation.

He explains that the school provides a bus to get staff into the city and that, just as in London or Manchester, “there are places you wouldn’t go” - but that ultimately it’s perfectly safe.

“You do not need security with you. You make sure you’re back at a reasonable hour, and that’s that.”

At Charterhouse Lagos, meanwhile, most staff live in their own apartments on site, and there is security present, so it feels safe. “It’s fully furnished, with electric, water and wi-fi. It’s cleaned twice a week, and we have a laundry on site,” says Todd.

When staff do get off site, though, there is plenty to do.

“We are literally 10 minutes from the beach on the Atlantic, and you can go down and have a drink while watching the sun go down, which is really quite nice.”

More broadly, the music scene in Lagos is “world-renowned”, while the modern arts scene is “quite incredible”, Todd says, noting that the school itself has bought several artworks.

He adds that it is easy to travel to other destinations such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Togo and South Africa, allowing staff to get away and explore the continent during holidays.

Rugby School Nigeria in Lagos

Dr Joy Isa, director of marketing and admissions at Rugby School Nigeria, who, although originally from Nigeria, has also worked in the UK and across many other nations, agrees that the city has much to offer.

“There are lots of cafes, restaurants and hotels hosting events (mini theatre performances, concerts and so on), the nightlife is good, and a number of international schools also host events to support the expat community.”

She also addresses the issue of security, mentioning “gated communities where all families can walk from their homes to the estate parks, where children ride their bikes, walk the dogs and hold birthday parties”, enabling people to feel safe.

Meanwhile, Cowie in Abuja says she acknowledges there can be security considerations - like anywhere - but points out that there is a huge social scene to be enjoyed.

“I’ve joined the Abuja Country Club, where I play a bit of tennis, and there are lots of restaurants - Lebanese, a lot of Middle Eastern food, Italian, Chinese, as well as really good local cuisine.”

She says it’s a culture that marks a very different way of life to home, and can be infectious.

“You leave from Heathrow and it’s crowded and uncomfortable and everyone is moaning, and then you land here and the customs staff are dancing, welcoming you and asking, ‘How are you?’”

She says the same goes for school events, where dancing, costumes and colour are commonplace. “The energy here is really quite amazing.”

Anyam at Springhall British Secondary School is similarly upbeat about Nigeria in general as a destination, saying it offers “opportunities for significant professional growth, leadership development and cultural learning”.

“Abuja, in particular, is a welcoming and cosmopolitan city with a vibrant international community. Professionals who are adaptable, open-minded and committed to making a positive impact often find the experience highly rewarding.”