Hey all, the fair is now over for me, but my brain is too fried right now to give posts that were as thorough and helpful as some of the others on the forum, sorry!

After just one interview yesterday, I knew I was ready to accept the offer that had been made to me the day I left for the fair. This school was my top choice, and I still cannot believe my good fortune. Not only is it a fabulous school, in a fabulous location (Hong Kong), but there is also scope for great opportunities for my partner both within the school and elsewhere. I had a chat with my designated associate and decided no more interviews! Plus, I wanted to try to get back to my friend's apartment before the blizzard got bad. Turns out it actually took me a few hours to compose my acceptance email - my mind was suddenly awash with all the thoughts and feelings that come with realising the significance of accepting it, what it means for me and for my partner. I ended up 'stuck' at the hotel, but it was actually great - I met and spent time with wonderful people, and would not trade last evening for anything.

It has been quite a worldwind!!

Glad that the printing worked out just a smoothly as you expected, SAS. I'll be one of those people bunking up with someone for the night as I'm pretty sure I'll be stuck here. I guess I am also one of the many young ones, I've only be teaching for 5 years. I feel a sense of solidarity with everyone, though - the diversity is nice. Wish you all the best!

Hi! A quick check-in to say that things are well under way and seem to be flowing relatively smoothly, and almost exactly as expected based on all your previous fair reports.

One complication is that the blizzard will be moving in today, so those of us who are not staying at the fair hotel are making contingency plans - the organisers are being quite supportive on this, so I'm pretty sure that one way or another, I'll be safe and warm tonight.

One thing that is a little bit off-putting is the sudden changes in terms of position availability and schools' attendance. There aren't many positions being offered in Music and/or Drama to begin with, at least compared to other subject areas, so after putting in the investment to come, it's a bit of a downer to suddenly find out that a school you were hoping for hasn't even turned up, or their position is no longer open. If I didn't already have an offer, I'd be flipping out right now. It's a little disappointing, but I'm grateful to know I'll have a place one way or the other.

Candidates are really supportive of each other, and that makes the emotional intensity manageable. Even when talking to candidates looking for jobs in the same subject, the spirit is one of information sharing and fact-gathering as opposed to competition.

There are quite a lot of teaching couples, and also candidates with non-teaching spouses, even a couple of kids. I remember someone was asking about trailing spouses coming to interviews, etc. Maybe that was the guy who asked about it last night at orientation :-).

Back to the fray....

Boston is freezing cold and a nor'easter is on it's way, but I'm in good spirits :-). Got a second job offer just before I left for Boston, from one of my very top choices, I'm so tempted to just say yes! I'm definitely going to cut my list of interviews down to absolutely only my highest ranking choices for comparison's sake, but I feel a huge load is off my shoulders. Whatever happens, I'll be somewhere I want to be and that's a great feeling. Feels like I've 'cheated' on the fair 'test' a little bit. Glad though that I can cut loose the back-up schools and hopefully feel less pressure now in the other interviews. Good luck to all the other warriors!

SAS, are you here yet? Anybody else?

2 feet mat be nothing for Boston, but it's something for me! Arrived from the hot and sunny Caribbean last night to this wonderful news. Haven't been in the US for winter in 3 years, as soon as I land I hear there's a nor'easter coming! I'm not staying at the hotel, so getting 'home' on Friday night and/or getting back in on Saturday *might* be an issue, but I'm not far away, so hopefully not. Either way, its a big event for me!

Straight for the prize, baby.

Thanks for the feedback, folks - feels good to know there's some solidarity!

Good point on the QR Code, PsyGuy - the cards give a snapshot of my experience and strengths and also feature some short testimonials. They will be accompanied by my full CV, so my original thinking was that the QR Code gives a recruiter who prefers digital the option of a quick scan in addition to having the print out. I see your point about having it go somewhere else, and I do have an online website and portfolio. I'd consider revising where the code leads, but I don't know if I'll have time! We'll see. Thanks!

I fly out tomorrow - one offer on the table so far, a Skype interview tonight and 1 request for an interview the day before the fair starts, and then the fair! I am relying heavily on my spreadsheet to process all the information and rank schools, also having an official meeting with my partner tonight so he can weigh in on the possibilities. Nerve-wracking but exciting also. I am going to try and squeeze in a picnic lunch at the beach just before my flight so I can take a minute to collect and centre myself before jumping into the fray! Also creating a playlist on my phone in case my nerves need soothing at any point, which I'm sure they will. And I can't remember who recommended it, but I'm bringing along a box of chewy granola bars to stave off hunger between interviews/presentations - I lose my mind when I'm hungry....feeling excited now. Woo hoo!

Hey there hmmmm, fellow first-timer here. I thought about Thursday's dress code for exactly the same reason. I think I'll go with slacks and a decent blouse/cardigan - I figure I'd keep the dressier stuff for interviews, but of course recruiters et al will still be around, so I still want to be professionally dressed.

I'm doing my printing at home tonight and tomorrow. I think it's best to get it out of the way before arrival. There will be so much to process once you get there, it'll be one less thing to worry about. Imagine the extra stress if something goes wrong with your plan. If you don't have a personal printer, I'd say put in the effort to figure out where to get it done. Can you look one up in a directory or get a recommendation? Also, official printers aren't the only option - friends? Family? Your current workplace?

Mini-update:

I've been getting a couple more nibbles in the form of 'cold-contacts', which seem to be evenly split between schools which will be at the fair and schools which won't - I think the latter are mostly schools which attended earlier fairs this season but still have their Music/Drama positions open. Cold-contacts are a little flattering to be honest, but mostly they are schools I saw in the database and didn't contact for good reason, so with the exception of 1 school, I don't think I'll waste my or their time by scheduling an interview. I hope I'm not being overly confident about the schools I *do* want to go to!

Should be having another Skype interview early this week, just before the fair, with a school currently tied for first choice on my list. It's nice going into the fair with a sense that there are options.

I'll be spending the rest of the day prepping - printed a mock-up of interview request and thank you cards, but not sure I'm satisfied so I'm heading back to the drawing board. I'm including a QR Code which leads to a PDF of my full CV - not sure that many of the recruiters will be savvy enough to take advantage of it, but it makes me feel like a cool cat and hopefully will impress someone :-). Will print my double-sided CVs on card-stock.

Also getting my hair done today and nails done tomorrow - don't think it will make any difference to recruiters, but it'll make me feel great!

Great tips, especially water/snacks, and a get-away spot. Will keep those in mind! And congrats!

I googled it too! :-)

Thanks for the info, durianfan.

Hi there. I'll be at the fair as well, but I'm not staying at the hotel. My sources in Boston tell me that since I'm landing after midnight, the best bet is a cab (which will cost me about $30).

The 'T' is easily accessible from the airport, and it seems the closest stops to the Hyatt are Chinatown on the Orange line and Boylston on the green line, at $2.50 a ride. I think there is also a bus....

Folks who know the Boston area well may have more reliable info, but you can also check out the MBTA: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/

Thanks for sharing, Eden.

Just one question - is 'Ichiros' a typo, or ....? Have no clue what that is....

Hi Pippa - your posts on London were great! I'm certainly basing some of my prep on your info. I didn't realise you taught Drama. I'm currently teaching both Music and Drama. I love the Caribbean, really I do. The greatness of the weather goes without saying, the quality of life is quite high (even though the salary isn't). Folks are super friendly, love the outdoors and the beach :-) But it's time to move on professionally.

Hello all :-)

I'm relatively new to the forum side of ISR, and I've found all of your posts so helpful. I thought I'd share my experience trying to find a post through Search Associates in case it's helpful to anyone (and to get some support along the way too). I haven't read too much from Music/Drama/other Arts teachers, so I'm also reaching out to any others out there.

My background:
US degree, US certified in Music K-12
2 years in US schools, now in my 3rd year at an IB World School in the Caribbean
1 full year of PYP, 2 years of MYP and 2 years of DP

Family status: Long-term unmarried partnership

This is my first year being registered with Search Associates, and it is my main source for job opportunities so far. I've reached out to schools which appear solid academically, strong arts programme with good savings potential. It's a bonus if the country's immigration and/or job market is conducive to my unmarried partnership - while this is a bonus, this is not necessarily a deal-breaker. I have no intentions of rushing to marry for immigration benefits and am willing to be creative with this piece of the puzzle.

I will be attending the Cambridge fair next week and will gladly post daily updates (provided anyone is interested!)

So far, I've had a couple schools reply showing interest in interviewing me at the fair. I've Skype-interviewed with one school not attending the fair, and will have another e-interview early next week with a school which attended the London fair, and is now filling the spots they have left. School#1 seems fabulous, only drawback is no real chance of local opportunities for my partner, so will see what else I can find. Looking forward to interview with School #2 - they are ideal in every way.

It seems the fair will be hectic and potentially overwhelming, so I'm trying to prep as best as I can! Will be working on printing CVs and Note cards this weekend. And also on assembling daily outfits. I figure I should definitely take care of everything I can do/plan ahead of time so that I have head-space to spare for decision-making!

Until I have any updates to share, I would be happy to hear about the experiences of any other Music/Arts teachers, and also the challenges of unmarried partnerships.

Thanks in advance![/list]