Three Job Fairs, Three Jobs: An International Teacher Hiring Saga
Highlighted article from the Matador network: English teacher Amy Villagio shares about getting hired for international school jobs.
She talks about her experiences attending the UNI Overseas Recruiting Fair in Iowa.
Sections of the article that we would like to highlight:
“One of the hallmarks of the international teaching job fair experience is the sign-up period. This is somewhat akin to a cattle stampede. Tables are set up in a huge room arena-style, and candidates head to their top schools, turning in their invitation if they have one and signing up for a time slot, or turning on the sales pitch and angling to get into any remaining interview times. Beforehand you’ve done your country research, noted all available jobs in your subject area, and prioritized according to countries, schools, and assignments. Now it’s down to following your carefully mapped-out plan of which table to go to first.”
The sign-up period at international school recruitment fairs are tough. They are full of excitement and anticipation. Waiting in lines with your potential competition is nerve-wracking. The general idea is that the schools with the longer lines are the more desirable and better international schools to work at. One time at a recruitment fair one of our staff went to the American International School Budapest was the school with the longest line. Another time at the UNI fair one of our staff members noticed that Shanghai American School – Puxi was the winner of the longest line. Somehow word gets around about these schools and all the candidates want the opportunity to work there. These schools get to be really picky. Just taking resumes at the cattle call and giving the message out: “We’ll call you if we would like to set up an interview.” Sometimes it is very important to “carefully map-out” your plan of attack during this time of the recruitment fair. If you are too slow to get to a school, their interview schedule will have already been filled with other candidate interview times. Sometimes it is good to wait in line if that is the case. Really though, most candidates goals should be to get as many interviews as possible as they tell you it is good interview practice going to interviews even if the school is not one that may or may not interest you.
“I interviewed with schools from Germany, Kuwait, Syria, and Thailand. Finally, I was down to my interview with the school in Cameroon. Here I got the hard sell – “I’m offering you the position, you’ve got about five minutes to decide, you’re my number one candidate, I’ve got other English teacher interviews after yours and I can’t guarantee this later on…I took it. Later I drove back to Colorado, racking up ridiculous cell phone charges calling friends and family and announcing in gleeful shock: “I’m going to Africa!”
The moment of “you have 5 minutes to decide” is an awesome feeling, even if being really stressful. We have all been in moments when you future is on the brink of a big chance…all based on your one word answer “yes or no.” Earlier in the article the woman in the article she stated that she was excited that she had received a request in her box to interview at one of her top schools that she wanted to go to in Eastern Europe. Then throughout the crazy, up-and-down experience of the recruitment fair, she ended up take a job in Cameroon. It is amazing how you can go from really wanting to go work at one international school to then accepting at job at a completely different one. Unbelieveable!
“This time it was different – I was signed up with ISS, International School Services, and had purchased a bank-breaking ticket from Cameroon to Bangkok, plus reserved rooms at the Shangri-La. Administrators had access to my file beforehand, and started contacting me for interviews right away. With the advent of Skype and the often exorbitant expenses (did I mention I had already bought a ticket from Cameroon to Thailand?), fairs are quickly on their way to becoming obsolete. An administrator from a little school in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a city I’d never heard of before, and I started talking. Several skype interviews later, he offered me the position, and I took it.”
Thank goodness! We are so happy to hear that Skype is making its way towards a new way to hire teachers at international schools. Yes it is more ideal to meet in person with the people that are interviewing you. Actually, it is more ideal if you can actually interview with the people from the school at their school! However, Skype is the next best answer to this whole ordeal. It is good for the environment and good for the pocket book for both parties involved. Unfortunately, in this woman’s experience, she had already bought a plane ticket to go to the recruitment fair when she got the position after interviewing over Skype. Oh well, you must always be prepared. Sometimes there are sacrifices that you must be ready to deal with when you are on the hunt for your next job at an international school.
