The Wonderful World of Int’l School Hiring Fairs: Lesson #6 – “Remember to research.” February 15, 2012“Nine Lessons Learned” taken from The Wonderful World of International School Hiring Fairs article by Clay Burell’s blog Beyond School. 6. “Remember to research.“
“I’m sure I blew one interview by expressing my desire to get experience in a program they didn’t offer, and expressing my distaste for the one they did. Oops. I’d mistakenly thought they did offer that program.” When interviewing at an international school recruitment fair, it is indeed a difficult task to be 100% knowledgeable about each international school you interview with. You do some final researching the night/morning before the interview, but even then some facts about the school might slip your mind when you are possibly in a nervous state trying to answer their questions. On June 15 2006 the term, or more correctly the transitive verb, “to google” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. It seems like that term has been around for ages, and although derived from the eponymous search engine, it has simply become a common use for when you need to look up something, or research something. It is kind of strange to think that only ten or fifteen years ago, if you needed to look up information, phone numbers or directions, you had to have an encyclopedia, a phonebook or a map, today everything can be found by a simple click on google. And with the second coming of the smart phones, there really is no reason to be ignorant when interviewing with an international school director. With the daily flow of new information, we often need to research to get updated or learn about something new, either for work and for our own pleasure. If we need to give a lecture somewhere, we need to set the facts straight, and double-check that what we are actually saying is true. If we’re writing something like a blog or a book, we research. One place where research is very vital is when we are looking for a new job; especially true if you are looking to secure a job at an international school halfway across the globe. We research the international school itself, the location that the international school is located in, and we research what it is like to work at that international school. It’s important that we know as much as possible before applying for a position at an international school, not just to see if we’re right for them, but if they’re right for us. Most work places today have a website that gives away so much information, but sometimes it just isn’t sufficient enough, and that’s when you have to contact the place and people that have worked at that place in the past (or if you know somebody who knows somebody who has worked there) and ask detailed questions. Researching the job at an international school is half of applying for a job. Unfortunately, doing hours and hours of research on not just one international school but 5 of them can definitely put you into a tired state.
Being an international teacher only means that your research has to be very thorough, because then you’re not just researching the job, you’re also researching a country and a city. It’s important that you know what you want (career, money, love, travel, location, etc…) and what you’re capable of, because starting out some place new, with a different language and a different culture, can be hard. But doing your homework and researching might make the transition easier, well on the surface that is. When you research most of the things you stumble on are interpretations, a subjective view of the whole. A kind of second-hand experience. So while researching is vital, you have to be somewhat skeptical and always remember to have an open mind. Google is, after all, just a small piece of the grand reality. One excellent way to gather and share information and comments about 1000s of international schools around the world is by being a member at International School Community. Each international school has its own profile page, and on each school profile page there are four sections: School, Benefits, City and Travel. Members of internationalschoolcommunity.com are able to read about and submit their own comments and information in those four sections, all in a very easy to read and organized manner. It is a great way to get a better glimpse into what could be your future life as you venture out into the world to work at your next international school!
9 Lessons Learned Regarding Intl School Hiring Fairs
 benefits, city, comments, information, International, international school, international school community, international schools, international teacher, International teaching, interviewing, recruitment fair, research, researching, School, travel,
International School Community Newsletter v2012.01 – 07 January, 2012 January 7, 2012
v2012.01 – 7 January, 2012: The Wonderful World of International School Recruitment Fairs: Lesson #5 – “Check your ego at the door.” “Every normal person, in fact, is only normal on the average. His ego approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a greater or lesser extent.” Sigmund Freud. The greatest sports legends, the inventors of things we rely on today, great actors and actresses, all of these people must seem to have a big ego. Maybe it comes with their achievements or our projections of them? Then there are the great dictators, the generals of war or just some average Joe that just won the biggest-ever on his lottery ticket. Ego comes in many shapes and forms, and albeit some are seemingly more attractive than others. It’s a hard task to know when to enhance or down play your own ego. We’re constantly told to either just stand in line or be like others, that we don’t really deviate from the mass, that we’re just one in a million, that perhaps we’re not as special as we think. Then we’re told we need to stand out, make a difference, show our true colors, let the ego steer and victory will come our way. So, how are you to act at the international school recruitment fairs? Ego is an ambivalent thing, you could say that it’s both our chance and our fall. It’s the chance to express ourselves, to enhance our personality to make it clearer how we stand out from the masses, what makes us special, what we’re capable of; how we’re the best of all of them. But there is a line, and if that line is crossed, our personality becomes too big and a bit desperate, we express ourselves in a way so superior to others that we make them feel small, we become way too special, maybe even too good for our own good; we are the best of all of them, no question there, there’s “me” and no one else. It’s often in job interviews we’re left with the difficult task of being the best and out-shining the competition, but in such a manner that we don’t let our own ego get the better of us, and suddenly instead of standing out positively in the round-robin session or in the administrator’s hotel room during the interview, we stand out negatively instead. It’s practically a game of ego vs. humble. It’s pointing out the things you are good at and how you are the best for the position, but it’s just as much being humble, being likable, charming, sitting straight, smiling, having eye contact, being interested, letting your ego shine from time to time, but not letting it consume the space. “There’s nothing like rejection to make you do an inventory of yourself.” James Lee Burke. And every so often your ego takes a blow during your experience at a recruitment fair. When you venture in life, there’s always the risk of rejection. Sometimes it feels like there isn’t any international school out there that wants to hire you. It’s basically the same whether you open your heart for someone you love or you are at a job interview, getting that “no” is a sour sting to your ego. And that’s when the inventory begins: should I have? or could I have? Would it have? And so on and so on…
Every mountain we climb in this life should probably have two gates: “for exit hurry” or “in risk of rejection”. We can’t go through life (and through international school recruitment fairs) without getting a little hurt sometimes, without bruising our ego. It’s all part of living as they say; the smart and clever ones. So maybe you didn’t have enough experience, maybe the connection just wasn’t there, or maybe, just maybe someone was just better than you. You know, you shouldn’t take it personal. It just means you get a few more rounds through the “in risk of rejection” gate. And who knows, just one week after the fair, where you weren’t offered any contracts to sign, you might receive in your email inbox the offer from the international school you have been dreaming of working at! Believe us, it is happened many times in our International School Community. Go ahead and send a private message regarding hiring and fairs to one of our members. International School Community’s current members work at or have worked at 92 international schools! Check out which schools here and start networking today! Recently updated schools:· 07 Jan Harbin No. 9 High School International Division (Songbei Campus) (36 new comments)
(Harbin, China) “Furnished apartments are in a conglomerate of high rises about 15 minutes walking distance from the school. Housing is free and part of the contract. You must pay utilities… We had an apartment which was adequate for our needs. It was well heated and lots of light…” · 07 Jan International School of Penang (Uplands) (9 new comments)
(Penang, Malaysia) “Moving allowance is $920 for a single teacher, additional money for dependents & long-service. Settling-in allowance is $320 in cash for singles and $400 for couples. Annual flight home – Start & end contract for family + mid contract for employee…” · 06 Jan Colegio Menor San Francisco de Quito (9 new comments)
(Quito, Ecuador) “There are around 127 full time staff (30% North American, 70% Ecuadorian). 47% of the faculty has Master’s degrees. (60% from U.S. Universities)…” · 06 Jan Canadian International School Beijing (5 new comments) (Click here for the last 40 schools to be updated with new comments) Recent blog entries:· Using the School Profile Search feature on International School Community: Search Result #2 · Survey results are in – How many countries have you traveled to so far this year? (in 2011) · Video highlight: St. Stephen’s International School (Bangkok, Thailand) · Highlighted article: India’s most admired international schools · Comments and information about hiring policies on International School Community #2 (Beijing, Seoul and Beirut) Recently added schools:
Requested schools to be reviewed:
This last month we have had visits from 71 countries around the world!
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 Highlighted Link
Teaching and living in “The World’s Happiest (And Saddest) Countries” – According to ForbesAccording to this Forbes article, the top 10 happiest countries are: “Joining Norway and Australia in the top 10 are their neighbors Denmark, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. Equally small and civilized Switzerland and the Netherlands are also up there. Rounding out the top 10 is the United States at 10th and Canada (sixth).”There are many international schools in most of these countries, offering many opportunities for international school teachers to live very “happy” lives, or so it would appear… |
 Highlighted blog of an international teacher:
International Teaching Fair 2/2010“International Teaching Fairs are the traditional way to connect prospective schools with teachers. I believe technology will be changing this practice more each year as it is less costly to interview via Skype than to send a hiring team around the globe. Skype misses that element of personal connection which can be critical in creating a good fit between staff and school, although some principals with extensive international teacher hiring experience may not see that as a priority. Online portfolios allow the applicant to upload files, photos, even videos and the administrator can choose what they would like to review. If different documents are needed, a quick email to request and a few moments to transfer, is all that is required. In my case, my use of rubrics was of interest and I was able to share specific lessons, rubrics I created and student work samples in several content areas. The ability to upload immediately demonstrated my ability to respond to requests quickly as well as my organization and technology skills. The job offer that I accepted was the one where the process was all online, except for the one concluding phone call. At the time of the fair, though, I had only sent this school my CV and resume…”“I woke up later than I anticipated, but really was taking my time, I think, to feel in control. I didn’t want to be one of the first to arrive and the days schedule was long. By the time I walked across the parking lot to the conference rooms I was nervous again. There was so many people! Going into the candidates “lounge” where the rooms walls were covered in sheets of paper listing the school, country and positions available, I noticed that most people had an intensity that I wanted to resist. The tables were covered in laptops and I started to regret not bringing Brett’s, but I travel light. I did end up using the hotels business center at a cost of $5 for fifteen minutes and calling Kelina to go online for me quite a bit…” *If you are an international school teacher and would like your blog highlighted on International School Community contact us here. |
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tab, next click on “Renew your subscription”, then enter the coupon code HALFOFF1612 to get 50% off! This offer will expire on 04 February, 2012.
ISCommunity Newsletter
School profile highlights #10: Int’l School of Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai Rego Int’l School and Colegio Nueva Granada
November 17, 2011Members of International School Community have written some new and informative comments and information on the following international schools:
International School of Kuala Lumpur (2 new comments) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
New information or comment in the School section: “English is the primary language in the hallways. There are a number of EAL students, but are not the majority. The largest single cultural group is Korean (24%) but there is a cap of 25% per class year of any one particular cultural group, ensuring an international make up to the school community.”
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Colegio Nueva Granada (2 new comments) in Bogota, Colombia
New information or comment in the City section: “If you either speak or at least try to speak Spanish they will love you. It is a great city to learn the language and the people are very happy to speak to foreigners about their own countries, etc.”
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Shanghai Rego International School (6 new comments) in Shanghai, China
New information or comment in the Benefits section: “This year the school has given another option for housing. It’s a place called Royal Garden and everyone seems quite impressed with it! I’m still happy though with my own choice in the city but its good to have another option.”
Recently Updated School Profiles
Great resource: Want to work at an international school in Thailand?
September 4, 2011International Schools for Bangkok and Thailand
Wow! There are many international schools in Thailand. Actually, a high number of visits to International School Community each month are from Thailand. So, it is no surprise that there are many people wanting information about the international schools there.
The website has a great map of all the international schools in Thailand.
It also has all the international schools listed in a table which shows which curriculum each school has, the city it is in, the level of education they provide to students and main language of instruction.
Other highlights from this page:
“We are often asked for ‘foreign schools’ in Bangkok and Thailand. None of the international schools in Bangkok and Thailand is really a ‘foreign school’ since they are all accredited by the Ministry of Education in Thailand, a legal process that eventually makes them Thai schools. International schools use a foreign curriculum, as opposed to the national Thai curriculum, from the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Australia etc.”
“An international school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the country the school is located in. These schools cater mainly to students who are not nationals of the host country, such as the children of the staff of international businesses, international organizations, foreign embassies, missions, or missionary programs. Many local students attend these schools to learn the language of the international school and to obtain qualifications for employment or higher education in a foreign country”
So, who wants to work in Thailand???
Check out the international schools listed in Thailand on International School Community.
Great Resource
International School Community News v2011.01 – 10 May, 2011
May 26, 2011
v2011.01 – 10 May, 2011
The first International School Community newsletter has arrived! First of all, we would like to thank all our current members for their support so far. Many thanks go out to all those members that had a part in the development of this website. International School Community strongly encourages for members to leave comments and submit their votes on the schools they currently work at or have worked at in the past. We also encourage you to take a minute to update your member profile so that others will be able to network with you more easily. Enjoy being an active member on this website and help yourself and others to continue on in the “International School Community.”
Current Promotion: All new members that sign up will automatically receive a free 1-month subscription of premium membership. If you are already a member, you can still benefit from this promotion. Just sign-on and click on the My Account tab and then the renew your subscription link. Use the coupon code “1FREEMONTH” on the payment page, and you will automatically receive the free 1-month subscription of premium membership. Make sure to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues so that they can also benefit from this promotion.
Recently updated schools (more):
- Shekou International School (Shekou, China)
“The campus is very beautiful, lots of nature. Many of the teachers live within walking distance from the school and have views of the ocean…” - Graded School Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
“Many other teachers choose to live in the trendier areas and take the school bus to work or combine public transportation with taxi rides (shared with other teachers)…” - Benjamin Franklin Int’l School (Barcelona, Spain)
- Shanghai Community Int’l School
(Shanghai, China)
“There is one campus that is in Pudong and one in Puxi. From both campuses it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the center of the city (to the Bund area)…” - Seoul International School (Seoul, South Korea)
“The school uses current practices such as readers and writers workshop, and provides training if necessary in these areas. Teachers are required to stay until 5 on Mondays so a lot of this work can be done then.work can be done then…” - Hong Kong International School
(Hong Kong, China) - Columbus School Medellin (Medellin, Colombia)
“The school is basically on top of a mountain…” - American School of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)
“Once you have your residency card, you are totally covered (within Spain) by the public healthcare system and everything is free…” - Shanghai Rego International School
(Shanghai, China)
“I have a housekeeper come and clean my apartment and do my washing/ironing 2 times a week for 5 hours total. I pay her 15 RMB an hour…”
Recently added schools:
- Nexus International School
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - St Christopher’s Int’l Primary School
(Penang, Malaysia) - Sayfol International School
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - Kinabalu International School
(Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia) - Renaissance College Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China)
Requested schools to be reviewed:
- Renaissance College Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China) - Qatar Academy (Doha, Qatar)
- American Community School Abu Dhabi
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) - International School Dhaka (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
- Beijing BISS International School (Beijing, China)
Recent blog entries:
- Random site stats on International School Community – 8 May, 2011
- Great link – 10 Steps to Becoming Fluent in a Language in 6 Months or Less
- New survey: Which area of the world would you prefer to work in?
- Contacting International School Community members to get firsthand information
- Survey results are in – What’s the top reason for why you want to teach at international schools
Site Stats
Current members: 49
School profiles: 719
Surveys: 2
Blog entries: 27
Pictures: 10
Posted comments: 71
Member spotlights:
Clare Rothwell
“I enjoy the way students of different cultural backgrounds play together and include each other in games in spite of communication challenges.”
Christy Niemeyer
“It all started on New Year’s Eve 2003. I was talking with someone at a party whose sister was teaching in Malaysia. This person was telling me the exciting and lucrative life her sister was leading by working internationally…”
Website updates:
•The whole sign-up process has been revamped.
•The recently updated school profiles feature has been improved. Comment tidbits and map feature added.
•The map feature can now be enlarged on the school profiles pages.
•The survey section is now available to non-members.
Uploaded photos:
Shanghai Rego International School (city section)
American School of Barcelona (benefits section)
New Survey Topic:
Which area of the world would you prefer to work in?
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