Did you recruit for a new position this recruiting season? If so, how did it go? Did you attend a fair or go for it on your own? Did you land a new job or come up empty-handed? ISR invites you to take our 6-question Yes/No Survey & share your story.
Much can be extrapolated from Survey results. Among other things, the results of our Survey should tell us about the state of recruiting fairs as compared to the ever more popular tech-type venues such as Skype or the networking possibilities that work for so many international educators already in the international scene.
Survey results are tallied in real-time so you can see how other teachers fared. With a title like Recruiting Season Round-Up, don’t let this Article be confused with “cattle calls” of the past. We want to know your story!
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ISR Discussion Boards 
I placed my CV online and was contacted for an interview on Skype. Received an offer at the end of the interview ….at age 63. Have paid well over $1,000.00 to attend a hiring fair in the past, and was hired before the fair started by a principal who had already planned to hire me.
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We have been recruiting English native speakers for five primary posts and two secondary post at a central Asian international school. We do our advertising via free ESL boards and by word of mouth.
Since the advent of Skype we’ve found Job Fairs to be a complete waste of our time and money.
This year we received a very large number of on line teacher qualified applications from the UK. Far more applications than experienced in previous years. We were able to complete our recruiting in a campaign of some five weeks this year…… as opposed to an eight week eight campaign last year.
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For the most part, the job fairs are an economic rip off to the consumer. The fairs are NOT for the candidates; they are for the benefit of schools hiring and the fair organizers (agencies). Back in the days before Skype they had some value, but now the expense to get there, stay there, not to mention the pressure to make last minute decisions, are just not worth it. I obtained my very first international teaching position at a job fair in San Diego and I had flown in from Philadelphia at that time. I got a job through the fair but that was 20 years ago and except for making a couple of contacts, I have never obtained another job directly from attending a job fair either through ISS or Search.
I am still working internationally by the way, and after an 8-year stint teaching at a university in Mexico, I returned to K-12 international schools in 2010. This is my 5th posting in 6 years.
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Went to a Search Fair, got lots of interviews but no job that I wanted to take.However, I did make a contact that led to interest and a follow-up interview at another fair who led to an offer at the kind of school i wanted. I was being fussy but it did work out for me.The fairs still do things that applying online only can’t.
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My wife and I got jobs at Atlanta fair. It appeared that many did.
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I think the best approach is to 1. Cold canvas schools directly via email. Ensure you write an outstanding email or cover letter to differentiate yourself. Also, include a professional photo of yourself in your CV. Email the director and principal of these schools and follow up with at least another email after a week to 10 days. 2. Use social networking, as a lot of people are offered jobs through this avenue. 3. Get on Search Associates or an equivalent. They will try to push you to attend a fair but I think this is redundant these days. I think the 3 approaches above are the best way to secure a job.
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We have been recruiting for a small number of vacancies, but use regular advertising approaches – the fairs do not appeal to us – we want to see candidates teach in the classroom.
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I found a new position by searching advertisements and was interviewed via Skype. It was not easy as I have discovered that many schools are not interested in me now that I am older. I now have just the job I wanted at a school in Egypt who were happy to try to accommodate my husband too, as he is not a teacher.
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Hi. Good for you. But note, Egypt has massive economic problems. Good luck, you’re going to need it.
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Good for you! I enjoyed teaching in Egypt! The people are lovely! Embrace all your opportunities and go with lots of flexibility.
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It would also be helpful to know how many people DID land a job through a hiring fair – even which fair they attended given how many of them there are. Why is this information not being sought?
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I paid to attend a fair but was unable to go due to a very bad cold. Since then I have had a couple of Skype interviews but no offers. In my experience, my age (I am now 65) is a major problem in the markets, like China, where most vacancies exist. Of course, this has nothing to do with whether one attends a fair or not.
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It was my first time using a recruitment fair. I used it mainly because I wwas seeking a promoted position into leadership. I also looked carefully at the schools in attendance, and targetted my approach. It worked for me, as I feel I ‘sell’ better face to face. It was quite expensive (around USD 1500 incl. sign up, travel and accommodation) even though it was close to my current city, so I’d advice that you are sure you have a strong interest in the schools and positions on offer. Would I do it again? Probably, if the venue, schools and positions fitted my budget/aspirations.
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I found out the hard and expensive way that being married to a non-teaching spouse is a negative.
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Yes. Having a non-teaching spouse is a negative for some. It’s hard and often the places that take you seriously are those who do not pay anything for spouses. I still managed to find a good position nonetheless but flights/insurance etc. are not covered for them.
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Hi, some of the better Egyptian schools will accept a non-teaching spouse. But barter with them, ask for a contract caveat that half of your spouse’s returning flight is covered. It’s all about negotiation.
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I attended two job fairs and had tons of interviews but came up empty handed. Then I finally got an offer through the same recruiter, and I have accepted it! As a principal, I also was doing a lot of recruiting, and it’s been difficult because our package does not compare well to other schools in our region.
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