This article reports on research carried out on behalf of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) as to the role and deployment of British international school teaching assistants. Through questionnaires and a follow up open discussion with headteachers from British international schools it was found that, due to the differing international contexts of the schools, teaching assistants had different training needs; training therefore needed to be flexible in its approach and access. Universally, however, the international headteachers wanted their teaching assistants to be able to support pupils by using intercultural learning and teaching strategies to promote a positive learning environment for diverse learners.