International schools in the UAE could be affected by a predicted teacher shortage in the UK despite the substantial growth trajectory the country's international school market is currently enjoying, according to the International School Consultancy.

The number of English-medium international schools around the world has reached 8,000, according to new data from ISC Research, with China and the UAE displaying the fastest growth.

Affordability and the growing presence of one year foundation courses are contributing to making the market more competitive, according to providers at the British Boarding Schools Workshop last week.

The number of students enrolled at English-medium international schools around the world has hit a record-high of four million. This number has increased from 2.75 million students five years ago.

The number of K-12 students coming to the Britain's independent schools from mainland China has soared in the last year, overtaking the traditionally strong cohort of Hong Kong students. "Market penetration in Hong Kong is very high; whereas in China, this is just the beginning," commented an adviser.

The British Association of Independent Schools with International Students (BAISIS) has recently undergone a rebrand in order to attract more top line schools to its group as it seeks to become a lobbying group for the sector and a recognised badge of quality.

Onshore international students in the UK applying to study at UK higher education institutions are twice as likely to be accepted as those applying from overseas, new research from British consultancy, The Knowledge Partnership (TKP), has revealed.

The international schools market is booming and in 2013-2014 the number of students enrolled in this market sector increased by 8.4% to 3.6 million. Top local student nationalities studying at the premium leading international schools are Thai, Kuwaiti, Mexican, Emirati and Spanish.