The internationalization of education caused the issue of mobility of highly skilled workers. There is a connection between academic mobility and migration in international education. Sociological analysis of international migration is important for understanding the challenges which are related to social, cultural and linguistic integration of international academics into the environment of the receiving country. There are two models of transnational academic mobility: internationalization for business and academic migration. The first one being mainly for financial reasons for temporary teaching abroad. The second model is concerned with permanent being abroad as academic migrants. Cultural context of the educational environment is a real challenge to efficient integration of international academics to teaching abroad. A thorough analysis of the opportunities and challenges for international academics is extremely important for domestic pedagogical theory and practice. It gives the possibility to conceptualize the notion of internationalization of education in the modern globalized world. Mastery of foreign languages is one of the main tendencies of higher education development, English the most widely used in educational systems of European and world countries. Knowledge of a foreign language on an upper-intermediate of advanced levels is a requirement to participate in academic mobility for both students and teachers. Speaking another language besides English would be an additional advantage for the applicants. Teaching in a different socio-cultural environment means transferability of pedagogical knowledge and skills. Notwithstanding induction and professional planning challenges connected with adaptation to educational environment and cultural context are considerable. Linguistic challenge of transnational teaching is double – professional and socio-cultural. Western academics teaching local students might encounter challenges because of the level of cultural competence. International academics teaching in English courses to home students with different values and beliefs have additional challenges namely linguistic and educational both at professional and socio-cultural levels.

У статті розглянуто питання академічної мобільності викладачів закладів вищої освіти. Окреслено різновиди академічної мобільності залежно від терміну перебування за кордоном. Виокремлено необхідність володіння іноземними мовами, зокрема англійською для ефективної адаптації до міжнародного освітнього середовища. Проаналізовано проблемні аспекти перебування закордоном для науково-педагогічних працівників, зокрема лінгвістичні та соціо-культурні виклики. Окреслено заходи щодо подолання розбіжностей між очікуваннями та реальністю у зв’язку з участю в заходах академічної мобільності.