I was very glad I did not stay at the Hyatt because it looked old and shabby. It took forever to get up in the elevators to rooms for interviews. Many candidates ran the stairs. I just figured in about 30 minutes time between interviews. I stayed at the overflow hotel by default but my room was much newer and nicer than the rooms at the Hyatt I saw. (Since the recruiters interviewed in their rooms, I got to see a lot of rooms.) The downside of staying at the overflow hotel was that I had nowhere to relax other than the public areas of the hotel and with days starting at 7:30am and ending around 6pm I got really tired.

I received one firm job offer but could not accept because the salary did not cover my expenses. Competition was very intense! The recruiters seemed to prefer couples over singles and young teachers over more experienced teachers. Most of the people running around exclaiming they had jobs were also good looking people so perhaps there was the natural bias at work to hire more attractive people. Of the 10 people I made friends with and hung out with only one other person received an offer and she settled for a school that pays only $25,000 USD. The others did not get offers. I am not sure if this is representative of everyone's experience. I noticed that older candidates did not seem to get hired unless they were part of a teaching couple, nor did candidates who spoke English with a heavy accent, nor did extremely overweight candidates.

I think that my experience this year at the fair is also reflective of the fact that we are in a tough economic market place with supply of teachers outstripping demand. I just hope to find a job for next year soon. Good luck to everyone.

I would recommend this fair to others if they did not have to pay a lot of money to travel to the fair and they could stay cheaply in the area.

I was in such a hurry to catch my plane that I forgot to complete my survey of the fair. I thought the entire fair ran very smoothly for having so many people. I would love for the candidates in the future to be paired with someone else as a roommate. I myself was given a roommate and it made the entire terrifying experience more manageable. I also think it would be nice to somehow have a contact sheet available for names and email addresses. I met so many wonderful people who were trying to get placed overseas as well, but was so involved in the interview process, that I did not get any of their information. It also would be great if the schools themselves had a meeting in the late afternoon on Saturday or early Sunday morning with the candidates that they hired. It would give them a chance to meet and exchange information as well. Everyone is moving to a new location and it would be so nice to have at least one other person to speak with that is going through the same transition.

Overall, I know that I would not have been successful had it not been for Search Associates and my advisor. If in the future I wish to change schools, I know that I will again call on Search Associates for help. Who knows, one day I may wish to become an advisor myself!

Your biggest fan,

Elizabeth Feezle
New Teacher at International School of Luxembourg

I thought the fair was organized and well put together. Orientation was pointless if you had read all the e-mails and researched the process. Interview sign up was easy and relaxed. I didn't have much "competition" from the married teaching couples because I'm in music and I think there were only 5 music teachers there that I ran into. I signed up for all the interviews I wanted with no problem, the lines weren't that bad. I signed up for all my interviews in less then 20 minutes of each session, but that was because there were only so many music jobs. I did have to talk one school into an interview, but other then that they knew who I was when I walked up to the table and had been waiting for me to sign up. It was great! It seemed that the information Search had given them about me and the card I had put in their mailbox the night before sign ups really helped.

I'm the kind of person who tries to figure stuff out on my own and not ask for help, so I never sought out my associate, Dexter, but when he saw me he sat down next to me and started asking questions. When I told him my top 2 choices he was nervous about the European schools because they tend to pay lower, but he seemed optimistic about the other choices. The next time he saw me he told me that he had personally contacted the school in Europe and made sure that I would be making enough money to live and travel off of, and encouraged me to go for it. Actually told me I'd be crazy not to take that one. He was great and very helpful, even when I wasn't looking for the help. I know that some of the other associates are less helpful and not very involved so I felt lucky. I know others that would approach associates that were not their own because of this and the associates were nice enough to talk to them.

I got to the fair extra early so I could get settled in. The Hotel had positives and negatives. I met some people who stayed at another hotel to save money, but it was so inconvenient to travel every morning and then you had no where to escape to. I enjoyed staying there because I could go to my room and think in peace and quiet (plus the internet worked better in the room) or I could go to the candidate lounge and socialize and talk to the other candidates (the internet was bad in there when it was really busy, and there was no where to plus up computers so mine died.) Meeting other candidates and hanging out made the fair more bearable. It relieved the stress. The negatives were the price! I got set up with a roommate through search to split the price and it was still too expensive! And the food was bad. Made me sick and it really wasn't good, plus it was expensive. With the people I met, we shared cabs and went out to eat at night. It was worth the money to get away from the hotel. It would be better if the hotel was more centrally located where you could go places.

I am most displeased with the service provided by Search. Our associate ignored us before the fair, during the fair, and now after the fair. When I needed to talk to her, she was nowhere to be found. When I could locate her, she was busy doing something else. Now we are still searching, but I can't seem to get a response to save my life. Why are we assigned these associates anyway? Are they supposed to help us out? What's the point? Next time we'll try ISS.

For starters, the communication network within Search Associates is excellent. Search Associates gave me timely and helpful information way in advance of the actual Cambridge Fair. Not only was the information exceptionally specific (i.e. links on the website connect candidates to hotel maps for easy reference as well as updated international school recruiter information), but also proved to be useful once arriving at the Fair. Furthermore the first-day orientations organized by Search Associates were meant to encourage, inform, and guide candidates in their search to find employment at an international school. The Search Associates staff that spoke at the orientations left me feeling inspired and more prepared for the ensuing sign-up sessions and interviews with recruiting schools.

With regards to technicalities, the Fair was an overall success. Around 150 international schools were in attendance at the Cambridge Fair, actively seeking candidates for employment. The Hyatt Regency was an ideal location for the Fair because their facilities were capable of hosting hundreds of recruiters and candidates, without ever feeling too large. Search Associates made sure in advance that both candidates and recruiters had lounges with access to free wireless and workspace--and these proved to be ideal for fair attendees who needed to conduct business in between orientations, sign-up sessions, and interviews. Interviews with recruiting schools took place in Hyatt Regency hotel rooms, which was practical because of their proximity to all other Fair activities. (A side note: One fantastic feature of the Cambridge Fair were the mailboxes set up for candidates, recruiters, and Search Associates staff, located in respective lounges. The mailboxes made communication between Fair attendees swift, especially when recruiters and candidates were too busy to check e-mail.)

Availability of jobs was excellent because Search Associates maintains both an online database of updated information from international schools as well as a superb communication network with the schools in attendance at the Fair. Therefore I knew well in advance that the international schools in Cambridge would be posting available jobs during four possible sign-up sessions and that these jobs would be the most updated possible. A separate sign-up session and orientation was organized for intern candidates, which helped me and other prospective candidates enormously. I noted that the majority of the 150 schools in attendance were offering multiple positions, and selecting dozens of candidates for interviews. Additionally, time allotted to arrange for interviews was well planned at the Cambridge Fair. There were several hours during each sign-up session for candidates to circulate the large, comfortable Hyatt Ballroom and set up interviews with recruiters. Because the Fair lasted until February 7th, candidates had at the very least three possible days with which to set up interviews with recruiters.

Interns, singles, and couples would feel equally supported because each candidate is assigned their own Search Associate to personally help them at the Fair. Though individual Search Associates were often busy, they were NEVER too busy to speak with me when I needed help or had a question. Individual Search Associates also projected a warmth and understanding because many of them had been through the international recruitment process before. Also, Search Associates consistently conveyed positive messages about "life after Cambridge"-- meaning that they are determined to help candidates who did not find positions at Cambridge continue their search until they find an appropriate placement. The determination of the Search Associates to support all candidates at the Fair imbued the attendees with a sense of well-being and comradeship. It was quite common to see competing candidates congratulating each other for their personal successes or providing reinforcement during chall
enges.

My personal experience with Search Associates was excellent. I felt supported during the entire process; I was well prepared before the Fair (via e-mail and telephone), encouraged during the orientation sessions (by experienced, well-trained, and professional staff), guided throughout the Fair (with practical and up-to-date information), and congratulated after I accepted a position at an international school (I received follow-up e-mails and correspondence promptly after the Fair.) As a first time attendee to the Cambridge International Teaching Job Fair hosted by Search Associates, I hope to return again in the future and I highly recommend this Fair to prospective candidates and recruiters at international schools.

My two complaints are simple: the hotel was expensive (especially the food) and undergoing renovations, making it very noisy and at times unattractive, and the "associates" were not overly helpful. They seemed to just hide in their makeshift office all day, and when I did need to speak with someone I overheard bickering between them and was given a terse, rather unhelpful response to my question. While they did a fantastic job arranging and organizing the fair, I think their "people skills" leave a bit to be desired.

Overall, though, it was a great experience, and I would absolutely attend this fair again as well as recommend it to others!

We had six interviews as a couple, and could have had more if we considered the Middle East. We had two offers and accepted a great one.

The only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that Search does not provide a list of school openings before the sign-ups, other than what is up on the web. Schools do not always update their openings so you get to the sign-up and have to read signs behind each recruiter's table. An accurate list on Friday morning would have been beneficial. Also, the Search staff was not overly friendly or helpful. We asked some questions and our Search rep said she would get back to us but never did.

A large number of schools were represented, but some who were listed didn't show. Also, A LOT of jobs that we were looking at disappeared in the days before the fair and not many new ones popped up. Schools should have been hiring but we detected a bit of disappointment in the air. It may be because there were a lot of young and not very experienced people there. I heard that couples were in high demand, but it was hard for the two of us to find both of our jobs even considering the fact that we have multiple certifications, only one dependent, and were open to many places in the world.

The associates were very helpful. Harry Deelman is not the organizer of this fair or even my associate, but he spent at least 30 minutes with us to help us make a decision. It isn't exactly our dream school, but we wound up with jobs we're happy about. I would recommend this fair to those who have a lot of experience (IB definitely helps) and are flexible about place.