The last decades the role of school principals has been the focus of numerous studies and educational programs around the world. Results of these studies have shown that school principals’ role is multi-dimensional, demanding and affects school performance and effectiveness. As a result of these observations, many countries around the world have developed programs that prepare school leaders for the demands and the challenges of school leadership. Such programs target not only those who are already in school leadership positions but also those who are about to be appointed to the job. In the Greek scene, and by that we include both Greece and Cyprus, we observe a lack of such programs. The focus, therefore, of this study is to investigate how newly-appointed school principals feel about the job they are about to enter or have just been appointed to, how they see their role, what conditions they think should be at place to make their job more effective and efficient, and what obstacles they encounter along the way. For this purpose, we collected data from newly appointed principals in Greece and Cyprus using a survey. In this paper, we present findings that compare the views of Greek and Cypriot school principals about their job and we complement those with findings from the North American literature on the same subject.

Numerous studies have examined job stress among postsecondary faculty (e.g., Barnes, Agago, & Coombs, 1998; Bowden, 2000). Studying stress has implications for improving understanding of job-related stress, as well as for enhancing the working life of higher educational administrators. The current study contributes to the body of research by addressing a previously unstudied population, Greek and Cypriot educational administrators. Although considerable research has studied stress, further research is warranted to identify new factors that might mediate job stress. Examining previously unstudied populations within postsecondary education could help researchers identify such new factors. Because of differences among disciplines regarding salaries, class size, and publishing and tenure expectations, it is important to study samples in diverse contexts. Therefore, insights gained from examining stress among Greek and Cypriot administrators have potential to impact staff development, retention strategies, and job satisfaction. In this study, we investigate the stressors that Greek and Cypriot middle managers in education experience, the work-related situations that contribute to their level of stress, and the most formidable leadership challenges they face. Finally, we compare their views with those of theie Canadian, and we comment on possible implications for the management of universities.