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Search
Associates, Bangkok, The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, March 19-21
Organizer: Michael Williams
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Thailand 4/11 I had been to the January ISS Fair and not knowing what fairs were like in Bangkok I have now decided that I will only work with Search from now on. The Search Fair was well-organized, easy to get to, the help desk people for the Fair where well HELPFUL and having your Associate work with you during the process of the Fair, which mine did, made a huge difference. At the ISS Fair you were on your own and the hotel it was held at was a convoluted mess to try to get where you needed to get, not so with Search. Every step of the way was straightforward. The Search Fair was way less in cost and in the end I ended up with many offers, ISS Fair: no offers and having spent $600, a big waste in my book. Search Fairs are the only way to go when being in the midst of job searching! |
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Thailand 4/1 I found this fair to be well organized and presented. I was there largely to develop my experience in applying for teaching positions. I found the location very favorable. The vast difference between the western discipline (within the hotel/fair) and the eastern discipline (outside the hotel and in Bangkok generally) enhanced each other. I too encountered people begging for money to survive, but found these individuals far less threatening than the aggressive and quite challenging attitudes of people I encounter outside my home in London. I did not stay at the hotel where the fair occurred as I considered that Search Associates prefer to present themselves with more bells and whistles than I need to feel comfortable where I spend my nights The hotel I stayed in was close by, very clean and tidy, with very personable and helpful staff and cost less than half charged at the fair's hotel. In general, I found those attending the fair very friendly, being very warmly welcomed and supported by several teaching colleagues I'd never met before. I found the school presentation times to be manageable, not expecting to be able to see all the school's I was interested in. There appeared to be a reasonable amount of opportunity for me to seek positions in the areas I can teach in. I was offered a position, but after considered and supported thought (friends, attending teachers, search associates), I chose not to accept the offer. The nature of the support I received from Search Associates in my deliberations was of such that I would recommend them to other teachers. Some of the things that unsettled me were: several interviewing staff seemed not to have read my CV prior to the interview, interview questions largely focused on my person more so than my teaching practice, as I was preparing for an interview, I spoke to a teacher who had already been offered the position. The majority of teachers I spoke with received job offers. Wifi was available. This experience at this fair was very positive for me. |
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Malaysia 3/24 There seemed to be some good jobs on offer, but we stayed in the hotel (expensive) and got only 6 interviews with schools that didn't seem all that interested in us. Many recruiters said they would get back to us, but never did and we were unsure as to what extent we could really follow up on a job without becoming labeled troublesome teachers! The challenge for us was to try and juggle the timings of the school presentations. It seemed that with so many presenting in different rooms on different floors at more or less the same time, it was really hit and miss as to which ones we could actually attend. The location of the hotel often meant we were inundated with beggars, Thai girls and countless protesters. It was a strange experience at times and we think another city in another country might be a better choice for this fair. On the positive side, we enjoyed meeting many interesting people and found the organizers to be quite helpful. |
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