Question for Dave

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Question for Dave

by Just Curious

Jan 12, 2011

Dave-when you got your job in Italy, did you have a face to face interview? Do most teachers who get jobs at international schools get them through the job fairs? Is it even worth applying directly to the school?

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Dave -> Just Curious No I had a Skype interview (I actually had three interviews, which isn't uncommon). The first with the principal, the second with the department chair, and the third was with the head master. It's definatley worth applying to the schools directly, and more and more of them are accepting candidates directly (It's just cheaper, recruitment companies ...See MoreNo I had a Skype interview (I actually had three interviews, which isn't uncommon). The first with the principal, the second with the department chair, and the third was with the head master. It's definatley worth applying to the schools directly, and more and more of them are accepting candidates directly (It's just cheaper, recruitment companies usually charge a 1/2 a month too a months salary as a placement fee for a teacher). In my experience some of the super elite's and some regions still will ONLY recruit from specific recruitment services. Lastly, some of the "dream" positions may not be possible no matter what, especially in Europe. For instance if your not fluent in french there are some international schools in France you cant work at because the course of instruction is in french. If a school doesn't have a vacancy, you cant get a position there, and many of the elite schools have very slow turn over.

Is a job fair worth it? It depends who you ask and more importantly what school your interested in. If your an "unqualified" candidate a job fair wont help you. If your a highly competitive/qualified candidate a job fair isn't going to help you because you can just as easily get a position without going to a fair. I think fairs can help a candidate if they are qualified but under competitive. Going to a fair gives you the chance to fill in the blanks and answer the questions you cant anticipate or address in a cover letter/resume. Second, you have to be honest about your interviewing skills. If you really cant give a great impression at an interview, going to a fair is going to hurt you. Third, you have to be aware of the market. If few or no schools at the fair have vacancies or anticipated vacancies in your field all you will be doing is dropping off resumes. Finally, you have to consider the expense. UNless you live within driving distance of a fair, it could cost you a lot of money to travel to the fair especially if the fair your school(s) attend (not all schools attend all fairs) will require international travel. For instance while just about all schools attend the Bangkok fair, some European schools only attend the U.K. fair (Partially true because of the timing of the fairs, the, schools may have filled positions by the time the fair you plan to attend comes up).

It would be hard to be hired for anywhere in Europe locally. There are a lot of documents that need to undergo complex verification processes (Based on the Hague convention) that MUST be applied for from your country of citizenship. So if you did have to have a face to face interview you'd have to fly out there interview and fly back and schools in Europe wont pay for the travel.

On 1/12/11, Just Curious wrote: > Dave-when you got your job in Italy, did you have a face to > face interview? Do most teachers who get jobs at > international schools get them through the job fairs? Is it > even worth applying directly to the school?

Jan 12, 2011

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