{"id":319,"date":"2025-12-22T10:36:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T10:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=319"},"modified":"2025-12-22T10:41:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T10:41:07","slug":"the-wonderful-world-of-international-school-hiring-fairs-lesson-1-bad-interviews-are-good-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/the-wonderful-world-of-international-school-hiring-fairs-lesson-1-bad-interviews-are-good-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson #1 at International School Hiring Fairs: Why Bad Interviews Are Actually a Good Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

No matter how glossy a school\u2019s reputation may be, the people sitting across from you in a hotel room asking questions in that school\u2019s name are a far stronger indicator of what it would actually feel like to work there. During my own recruitment journey, I spoke with English department heads whose questions\u2014and my answers\u2014made it immediately clear to both of us whether we would, or would not, make a happy marriage. Unsurprisingly, there was a strong correlation between that sense of \u201cfit\u201d and whether or not a position was ultimately offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some schools enthusiastically branded themselves as 21st-century institutions<\/em>, loudly beating the drum of their laptop programs. Walking into those interviews, I half-expected flower petals to descend from the ceiling. Yet on more than one occasion, the sentiments expressed belonged to people who had clearly never experienced the literacy magic that can happen after a few months of sustained blogging, writing, and online dialogue. No rose petals there\u2014only the mental image of soggy cabbage leaves falling, probably in both our imaginations. A two-year marriage? We think not. And honestly, thank goodness for the bad interview, and for the polite \u201cWe\u2019re sorry we cannot offer you a position at this time.\u201d No apology necessary\u2014good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is something strangely wonderful about learning to feel good<\/em> about bad interviews. At international school recruitment fairs, it\u2019s easy to get swept up in the hype. You watch teacher after teacher walk away with job offers while you, perhaps, walk away with none. Many of us have been there. The worst moments often happen in the elevators\u2014surrounded by animated conversations about new contracts and offers to be signed the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019ve said before on International School Community<\/a>, recruitment is often about luck and timing. But there\u2019s another important truth worth adding: when a school and a candidate are truly right for each other, it is usually glaringly obvious. And when they\u2019re not, that\u2019s often just as clear. It\u2019s remarkably similar to finding a life partner\u2014you both need to be in the right place, at the right time, and there needs to be genuine chemistry for things to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us have left interviews thinking, \u201cI\u2019d really like to work at this school,\u201d<\/em> while knowing\u2014deep down\u2014that the feeling wasn\u2019t mutual. And sometimes, even deeper down, knowing that you<\/em> didn\u2019t feel it either. Recruitment fairs like UNI Overseas Placement, Search Associates, ISS, and CIS can create a powerful desire for affirmation. You want to feel like a \u201cgood catch.\u201d You want offers\u2014preferably from everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some teachers are advised to accept every interview opportunity offered to them. But if you do that, you may find yourself sitting in hotel rooms with administrators who simply are not speaking the same professional language as you. They talk enthusiastically about their school, while you\u2019re thinking: This isn\u2019t the person I want to work with. This isn\u2019t the school I want to commit to. And this isn\u2019t the country I want to live in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of one particularly bad interview, a school asked, \u201cSo, what do you think?\u201d The candidate replied honestly, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I just don\u2019t think we\u2019re a good fit to work together.\u201d The administrators looked genuinely shocked. Sometimes, being clear and respectful is necessary\u2014not just for you, but because some schools may not even realise they\u2019ve just experienced a bad interview themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs that a bad interview may be taking place at an international school recruitment fair<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might be in a bad interview if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The administrator turns to a colleague and asks, \u201cSo\u2026 who was this person again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The conversation focuses almost exclusively on the benefits package and lifestyle, with little discussion of teaching and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 One interviewer is distracted\u2014sorting paperwork on the bed\u2014while another attempts to interview you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The interviewers openly debate your suitability in front of you (for example: \u201cWe usually only hire people from the UK,\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019re actually looking to fill this role locally\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 You are asked more questions about visas and legal loopholes than about your teaching practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The tone feels condescending, with interviewers positioning themselves as far superior while overstating their school\u2019s status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The person interviewing you doesn\u2019t actually work at the school and can only talk about how wonderful the parent company is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Bad interviews aren\u2019t failures\u2014they\u2019re information. They clarify what you don\u2019t want, save you from unhappy contracts, and remind you that this process is as much about schools choosing teachers as teachers choosing schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    No matter how glossy a school\u2019s reputation may be, the people sitting across from you in a hotel room asking questions in that school\u2019s name are a far stronger indicator of what it would actually feel like to work there. During my own recruitment journey, I spoke with English department heads whose questions\u2014and my answers\u2014made 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