Renae McCauley

Renae grew up in North West Queensland in the heat and dust of Mount Isa. She was a passionate and competitive sports person growing up, with particular interest in Judo, Hockey and Touch. Renae moved to Brisbane to complete a degree in sports development however she quickly realised that sport was her happy place and did not want it to become her ‘work’ so she started looking for alternatives. 

A move to the Torres Strait led to Renae working at the local school and it was here that she uncovered her interest in teaching. Working within a school setting, collaborating with colleagues and of course supporting student development was a natural fit for Renae. In 2002, she left the Islands to complete a Bachelor of Education (Primary) through USQ and has been teaching ever since. 

Looking to create deeper connections with her Father’s family in Northern Ireland, Renae moved overseas in 2007, eventually settling in Birmingham, England. Here she taught in state schools for over 3 years before the delightful British weather sent her looking for a more familiar environment. Renae moved to Egypt where she worked in an International school for 2 years and rejoiced in the dry, dusty heat. This was such a great experience that Renae moved on to a second international school in Vietnam. 

After Vietnam, Renae returned to Australia and to working within the state school system. Inevitably the urge to see more of the world returned, in 2018 Renae set off for the Czech Republic where she worked in an international school in Prague for 2 years. Despite her initial concerns about the winter weather, Renae thoroughly enjoyed her time in Europe and the chance to experience four complete seasons in a year.

More recently, Renae began to explore non-state school education settings with BIS being her third independent school experience. Looking to learn more about educational alternatives, Renae completed a graduate certificate in International Education (IB PYP) through Melbourne University in 2024 before taking up the position of Dolphins teacher in Semester 2. Being an educator at BIS has already shown itself to be a unique experience with such wonderful students and a supportive community.