International School Community Blog

There are many ways to secure a teaching job at an international school.  The website Educators Overseas also offers such a service.  Here is what they have to say about their philosophy of helping candidates find the “right fit” in their search to teach abroad (taken from their website):

Honesty Throughout the Process

The word “recruiter” is sometimes associated with the idea of telling a job candidate what they want to hear, just so that they’ll take a job. At Educators Overseas we pride ourselves on being the exception to this rule.

• Realistic Outlook – Some schools can only hire people under or over a certain age. Others only want single, unaccompanied teachers or those who have experience working overseas. We will review your qualifications and will be honest with you about your chances and opportunities to find a job.
• Honesty – Apparently there are some teacher recruiting companies who delete any Facebook posts that put their company or the schools they work with in any negative light at all. Rather than deleting such posts we address the issues straight on.
• Quality Schools – we support the teacher bill of rights and work only with quality schools. This unofficial document was created jointly by international school teachers to communicate a few things they expect from their new international school. While we can’t enforce the Bill of Rights, we can and do let schools know that we support the Bill and do not represent schools in egregious violation of the Bill’s spirit or points.

Assistance as You Move Abroad

Unlike other teacher recruiting agencies, our service to you does not stop once the contract is signed and is not limited by the job you accept.

• Travel Guidance – Although you’ll find a lot of information on your own via the internet, visit our Destinations pages for more information on the city and country you’ll be going to. For some jobs you’ll be given a mini travel guide to start you off right.
• Cultural Acclimation – To help you prepare to transition abroad (and also while you’re in country if need be), you we will give you exclusive access to an e-course especially designed for expats moving abroad.
• Transitions Abroad – Moving anywhere is a big deal, but moving overseas, especially for the first time, is even more of a transition. To help you prepare for your big move abroad Educators Overseas stays in contact with you every step of the way, providing your information about shipping, vaccines, the local language, and answering any questions you may have about moving to, teaching in, or living in your new country.

Support After Arriving in Country

What happens after you arrive at a school? If you used another teacher recruiting company chances are you won’t hear from them again once you move abroad. At Educators Overseas, once a teacher accepts a job at an international school, we continue to provide ongoing support to teachers to ensure a smooth transition overseas and an outstanding experience in their host country.

• Expat and Teacher Community Abroad – Once you move abroad you’ll be considered an “expat”, short for expatriate – someone who is a citizen of one country but temporarily residing in another country. The good news is that expats stick together and develop their own sense of community and family in another country. We will put you in touch with expat groups so you can start building your own community even before you go. Educators Overseas will also provide you with resources and information about living in your new country and in some cases a mini travel guide.
• Embassy Contacts Abroad – The Embassy (in the capital city) and Consulates (in other cities) of your home country provides services and support to its citizens residing in the host country. Educators Overseas will connect you with your country’s Embassy so you can receive important alerts and information distributed by the Embassy.
• Help Finding Partner a Job – If you move to a new country with your spouse or partner and he or she decides they want a job, just let us know. We will provide you with prospects, ideas, and local contacts to help them find work. We also partner with some exclusive telecommuting job companies and will send you job alerts for telecommuting opportunities at your request.
• Assistance While Living Abroad – If ever you have a concern, problem, or question as a teacher overseas, email Educators Overseas and we will do our best to help you. With contacts all over the world, we’ll work to provide you with resources to help resolve any issue, whatever your question. In many cases one of our employees will have lived or at least traveled to the city or country you are in. For as long as you are living abroad, Educators Overseas will remain your partner and will be here for you with any advice, suggestions, answers, or friendship.

Seems like they are making the decision to change your whole life and move to a foreign city somewhere around the globe a bit easier than if you were doing it all by yourself.  The recruiting fairs like Search and UNI don’t seem to be offering these same services to their candidates looking for jobs at international schools.  How nice and convenient to have the organization that helped you secure a job abroad help you even after you get the job and are living in your new city! We wonder though what this looks like in practice.

Check out more about Educators Overseas and see if they are a good match for what services you are looking for in your job search.  It might be a good alternative to signing up to go to an international school teacher recruitment fair for some teachers new to the International School Community.  Does anybody have any personal experience working with Educator’s Overseas?  We would be interested in hearing your experience on our blog.

Check out our website as well for the latest comments and information (now over 1600!) from members representing over 80 international schools around the world!