PsyGuy,

Firstly, a little background on myself. I am in my 16th year in the international schools world. I started at a large school in Asia, moved to Europe and am now back in Asia. All three of these schools I have seen described in threads on this forum as tier 1, elite or premier. Anyway you want to look at it, they are top schools. I offer this only so you get a sense of the experience that I bring to my comments.

PsyGuy, you are in fact a major reason that I have joined this forum. While there is lots of good advice being shared on these boards, unfortunately there is also reasonably high level of information that is shared as fact when actually it is not. I don’t claim to know everything about International Schools, but I know what I know and for too long I have read statements in this forum that I know to be factually incorrect. So I have been inspired to add my own 2 cents worth.

To your comments:

[i]Depending on the tier of school, not having any vacancies is more the norm. Elite schools can go a couples of years without having to recruit anyone at all. It would be rare for third tier schools to have no turnover but becomes quit common at the upper echelons.[/i]

See, this is what I am talking about. A person new to international schools might read this and actually believe that there are top level international schools that go a couple of years without having to recruit anyone. That is just not true. Please name for me one ‘elite’ international school that has not needed to hire a single teacher over a two year period?

[i]NO, it is not in anyway in the teachers favor having an early intent/notice date. Outside of Europe a notice or intent letter in early october and november is the same as a resignation. You dont get to go looking for a new and better position while having the security of your current position and school to fall back on if it doesnt work out. What do you think they are going to do just wait until May or June for you to decide if your staying or not?[/i]

Firstly, for most teachers, I would imagine that being offered a position at a school that they have applied to directly before the Christmas break would be much more desirable then having to go to a job fair. You may disagree with this, but it also seems to be the preferred option of every person I know who has been in the market for a new job. In order for this to happen, there needs to be jobs advertised. Therefore, having an earlier sign-on date, and in most cases, an even earlier indication of intent, provides the school with possible openings which they then post. More jobs posted earlier is good for teachers. For those that know they are leaving their current jobs, it is a chance for them to get a position before the break and avoid the fairs. For those that just want to test the waters, it gives them a chance to apply for a couple of things and if nothing comes from it in regard to an early offer, no harm done, they just sign on again at their current school.

Secondly, and again what you have said is factually incorrect, in many schools in Asia, certainly the ones I have worked for, and others I am very aware of, the process is for the teachers to be asked to sign a letter of intent, a month or so before they are required to sign their actual contracts. The letter of intent is non-binding, rather it is way of letting the school of your intentions so that they can plan their recruiting strategy. The timelines for these have changed in my time overseas, although currently it seems to be that the letters of intent are due around mid-October and the contracts themselves are due to be signed around December 1. That may vary from school to school, but it’s about right.

Going back to the point of my original post, the absolute best way for a teacher to go through this process is to talk with their admin early and let them know:
1 I will be signing on again.
2 I will be moving on, so I will not be signing a contract.
3 I’m happy here, but would like to just test the waters with a couple of positions. Should nothing come of those, I will be signing on again by the date contacts are due.

Some teachers worry that the last of these options is somehow disloyal to the their current school so it will be seen in a bad light. My view is that this is not the case. Admin expect people to consider all their options as they are coming up for contact renewal. What is seen in a bad light is saying number 1 and then actually pursuing number 3.

In regards to the original post, if you are testing the waters, it is absolutely OK to go to your admin and ask for an extension on that contact date of a week or two when they know that you are actually interviewing with a school. They might not grant it, however given that you have let them know early that you would be looking, they might even have posted your job as tentative and have already started to build a list of people that they wish to speak with about your job. Keeping people in the loop makes all of these processes much easier.

Given this process I have described, all contacts for the next school year will have been signed by returning teachers by mid-December. I hope this answers you question about May or June.

[i]If admins valued honesty, they would lbe more honest themselves. Have you even looked at the paid review side of this site? What admins want is to know all your cards while keeping theirs secret. I dont know and have ever experienced an admin that was so with one of their teachers professional lives that they actively advocated for their teachers in the job process at any fair or PTD event. The vastly overwhelming experience I have seen by admins is that as soon as a teacher indicates they are on the way out, the admin wants little if anything to do with them.[/i]

Each time that I have made a move from a school that I have worked at, my administrator has asked what schools I am looking at and what jobs are available. On each occasion, on hearing my response they have offered to contact a person they know at the school to let them know just to keep an eye out for my resume because I am someone that they should be looking at. Many others would have the similar story to tell I’m sure. It’s not guaranteeing you a job, but in the world of ‘who you know, rather than what you know’, I’m sure it helps. If you talk with experienced admin, they will tell you the same thing goes on when they are together for different events. Schools want to recruit good teachers, so why wouldn’t they be interested in hearing about a good teacher who is looking to move from their current school?

In regard to your own overwhelming experience of administrators brushing you off, that may have more to do with your own performance at the school’s you have left. Obviously, admin are going to advocate more for those that they see as strong teachers who would be a welcome addition to any school. Part of that will include some longevity at the school of at least a few years, which I understand is not your strongpoint.

My main point remains the same. Letting your admin know of your thinking, early in the school year, makes for a better process for everyone.

I believe there a few things about the recruiting season that many teachers just don't understand and if they did, it would lessen might stress levels considerably.

Firstly, all schools have a turnover of teachers each year. Some have a higher level than others, but it would be very rare for a school to have none. Turnover comes from things like, retirements, internal moves and restructuring, teachers being moved on and teachers wishing to move on. What this means is that administrators expect there to be changes each year. They also know that it is quite reasonable for teachers coming to the end of their contract to think about their options. A teacher who talks to their admin about this is not unusual.

The second thing is that the move by many schools for the earlier sign-on date before Christmas is actually in many teacher's favor. It means that the recruiting season starts a lot earlier, so there is significantly more contact between schools and prospective teachers before the fairs. What this means is that any teacher who just wants to test the water and apply to a few schools, and they are a sought after candidate, will have a good sense of the level of interest they are attracting, and may even get an offer, before their contracts are due at their current school. On the other hand, if there doesn't seem to be much interest, it might help the teacher make the decision to sign on where they are for another contract.

The third thing is, the IS world is very small, and the admin group are very connected. They attend events like leadership conferences, PTC, and all the recruiting fairs, so many people know each other. So if a resume comes across their desk from a person at a certain school, it's common for them to fire off an email to the person they know working at the school, even if they are not listed as a reference, and ask about the candidate. What becomes awkward then is when the admin person says to the teacher in the school, "Oh I believe you are applying to this school." Then there is embarrassment and concern on the part of teacher if they have not let the school know that they are testing the waters.

The final thing is that now that many schools have a sign-on date before Christmas break, taking the leap of faith and resigning from your current school without an offer on the table from another school is the case for many people. It doesn't mean they are bad teachers, it just means that opportunities have not opened up yet, and they will need to go to the fairs to seek a position. This is the situation for many of the candidates at the fairs. It's a tough situation to be in when you have a family and financial obligations, to take that leap of faith, but it's the process at the moment.

My advice for any teacher is to talk to their administrator early in the new school year that they are considering their options for the next year. There are three reasons why this is important. 1 You gain respect through your honesty. 2 It gives the admin an early idea of what their recruiting needs might be so they can start the recruiting process earlier. 3 As they interact with other admin from other schools, they talk about what their prospective needs might be and not only can they share this information with you about what might be out there, but they can also promote you to other schools.

The last thing I will say is that teachers need to remember that no one is indispensable. If you move on, your job will be filled by someone the very next year. Administrators expect there to be changes each year, or even for teachers to test the waters before contracts are due each year. The earlier you can talk things through with them is better for you and the school.

Hi Micki,

One of the most common conversations you will have with people that have been teaching in international schools for a while is that they will say that they thought they were just coming for two years..... and that was 5, 10, 15 years ago.

Of course, there are those that stick to their two year plan, or others that just don't enjoy the life and miss home, but you will meet many people whose plan changed significantly once they were away.

The reason I'm telling you this because as you are doing your packing, don't think of this as a short term thing. If you and husband enjoy mountain bike riding, don't think that just because you're only going to be gone for a few years it's not worth taking your bikes. If your school is paying for shipping, it absolutely is worth taking them. The place you are moving to will be your home, so you should take things that you really love to have in your home. You are in for some amazing new adventures, and part of that may be doing the things you enjoy at home in a totally different environment with totally different people.

In my case, I made the error of not taking my guitar because it was an expensive one and I thought would be just one more thing to ship around for the the two years I was to be away. My plan was to buy a cheap one for me just to mess around with once I got there. Of course, within a month I'd hooked up with some other teachers and some local guys who had a band and I had to wait until I went home at Christmas to bring my guitar back with me.

Oh, and that was 16 years ago.......

Some topics you might like to consider for questions during interviews:

The challenges that someone moving into this position will face.
Opportunities for professional development.
Process for teacher evaluation.
A typical day for a teacher in this position.
The culture of the school.
Opportunities for coaching or other extra-curricular activities.
The skills and experiences you’re looking for in an ideal candidate.
Opportunities for leadership.
Strategic objectives of the school in the next few years.
The current divisional goals.
Next steps in the interview process.
Any additional information I can provide.

In your cover letter:

"My wife, who is not a teacher, and I are very excited about the prospect of moving to ......"