Purpose: Private English-language international schools saw a dramatic upward growth trend in recent years, with student enrollment reaching 4.2 million in 2015. This growing body of international schools face powerful supply and demand forces when recruiting Western credentialed teaching professionals. Existing literature provides limited knowledge in regard to what forms school reputation and how strongly a school's reputation relates to its appeal to prospects. Our study aims to identify the latent constructs underlying the measured school reputation variables based on teachers' perspective. This study also examines the relationship between teachers' ratings and their intention in applying to a school. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative, cross-sectional data were collected using Likert scale instrument from 402 teachers in three international schools that were members of East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). We used exploratory factor analysis to identify a set of related, latent constructs that formed school reputation. Additionally, we used descriptive analysis in highlighting the factors and measured variables that mattered to participants in their selection of international school employers. We then conducted simple correlation analysis to determine the relationship between school reputation and the likelihood that candidates would apply to a school. Findings: Our exploratory factor analysis demonstrated the existence of six latent constructs underlying international school reputation: school leadership, school location, employee compensation, school feature, peer view of school, and school ownership and history. Additionally, our descriptive statistical analysis revealed teachers, when seeking for international school employers, attached greatest importance to salary and benefits and collegial, supportive working environment led by effective school leaders. This was in great contrast to the very little attention they attached to school accreditation status. Finally, our correlation analysis discovered a very strong positive relationship (r = 0.89, p < 0.001) between school reputation and teachers' likelihood to apply. Original value: Rating systems abound that rank a university's quality on various measures. No comprehensive system that ranks K-12 schools at all grade levels exists in the U.S. or internationally. Our study is among the first few attempts to systematically study the quality measures that form school reputation and their potential influence in affecting teacher recruitment and retention at the K-12 level internationally.