No Contract? No Deal!

…“Your word is your bond” has long been a favorite slogan among recruiting agencies. What this jargon means, however, to you as a recruiting candidate is this: You’re expected to accept a verbal-only offer of employment at a recruiting fair as if it were an actual signed contract & then stick, indefinitely, to your word. With your future up in the air you’re told to wait for an actual contract to materialize. Unfortunately, sometimes it never does.

…Finding yourself jobless as a result of a broken recruiting promise, with no recourse, should not be an option. In the opinion of ISR, schools that participate in recruiting fairs without a prepared contract to offer are either too disorganized to work for, hiding something, at odds with their school board, or consider International Educators just another commodity required to ‘outfit’ an International School.

…The world functions on formal contracts. Why should an International School be the exception? When financial institutions lend money, all parties guarantee their commitment to the terms of the deal with a signature – No contract? No Deal! The same is true of a job offer in the corporate world as each party affirms their agreement/commitment with signatures on a contract – No contract? No Deal! It follows then that based solely on a mere verbal promise of employment from a school located in a foreign country, NO rational International School recruiter should expect an educator to reject another solid opportunity/contract that may come their way while waiting for a promised contract that may never materialize. Yet international educators are often blackballed after waiting indefinitely for a verbal offer to become a signed contract & finally, in desperation, accepting a contract from a different school, one that is organized & prepared to offer them a real deal – Deal Done!

…We don’t deny teachers have verbally agreed to job offers, only to continue looking for a “better” offer. Likewise, schools have made verbal commitments with the best of intentions & later encountered circumstances or a “better” candidate that led them to not honor their word. There can be extenuating circumstances & as such, if a school cannot offer a written contract at a recruiting fair, ISR believes a legally binding Letter of Intent should be issued with a financial penalty clearly stated if either party defaults. Put your money where your mouth is!

…Enforcing a Letter of Intent & even a signed contract is difficult when the parties involved are located in different countries. That’s where the recruiting agencies come in. Based on their concern for the well-being of both the teachers & schools they “invite” to recruit through their venues, the agencies should accept responsibility for a pay-out if it becomes necessary due to default by either a teacher or school. As such, recruiters would act as an insurance company of sorts, keeping both schools & educators protected. Might some schools, directors & educators find themselves uninsurable based on past records? How recruiters choose to deal with schools or teachers after covering a default would be up to them & the fine details remain to be worked out. Until that time, our position is – No contract? No Deal!

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