Get a countdown app and plan something fun for each weekend. You can do it. Good luck and all the best for your next position.

You're nervous because you've just arrived and that's natural. But other staff are yet to arrive and you'll find once they are around things usually get rolling pretty fast. As you can already see there people who have already extended a warm welcome to you, which is great!. Accept the invitations that are coming your way and pursue your interests within the community. Other staff (both the foreign and local admin) are usually happy to help you ease into your new post. If there are other international schools you can tap into that or other expat groups. Don't lock yourself up at home, get out there!

I agree with MedellinHeel regarding improving your Spanish skills. Making an effort to learn a language, even if you struggle at first, goes a long way with making local contacts. Some great advice right there and with the internet you have so many free resources. You're in the ideal setting to learn because you can practice on a daily basis outside of school. Jump in. You might feel shy about making mistakes but people appreciate it when foreigners speak their language. It shows respect, flexibility and a desire to connect. People warm up to that. Having local friends is wonderful because you get great insights into the culture and they have the inside scoop on everything.

Learning new languages has opened a lot of doors for me throughout my life when it came to making friends or getting interviews. I once had an interview that started in English but when the recruiter saw I had Spanish on my resume, the conversation switched and resulted in a job offer. Though I didn't end up taking the job, a few days after I turned them down the recruiter told me she was impressed by how good my Spanish was and to get in touch if I was ever considering SA in the future. And Spanish was a fourth language, which I learned late! Friends have gotten lots of interviews because of their language skills.

Don't be frustrated if it is slow going at first. After all, you didn't learn your first language in year. You learned gradually- imitating, experimenting, making mistakes, and going through the formal stuff at school. What's cool about learning as an adult is the sustained focus you bring to learning a language. If you want it enough, it will happen. MedellinHeel's suggestions are good for starting off. Visual dictionaries are great and there are a ton of online resources available to you. If your school offers free lessons take them and if they don't you can try a language school or private tutoring. Spanish is a fun language.

I'm learning a new language at the moment for my new job. I've thrown myself into it. I'm thrilled that I can now read the newspaper in my target language and have the functional stuff down to get around, shop, and express opinions. Sure, I still find the pronunciation challenging at times but my local friends have been encouraging. They even let me record them saying the words or phrases I find tricky, as well help improve my grammar. I've also met more people through them. The tricks that have worked for me are the visual dictionaries I mentioned earlier, getting a good reference book for grammar and common words/phrases (as recommended by MH), and the physical act of typing or writing new things learned. It just makes things stick. Reading articles on topics that interest you or listening to shows with subtitles help you build your vocabulary and improve listening skills.

If all you just want are the basics then pick up a little book for Spanish for tourists.

All the best!

Finally set up with a teaching position!

I initially thought the fair was a bust but everything worked out in the end. Rollercoaster ride for sure! I turned down a couple of offers at the fair (mostly due to a nagging feeling it would be a bad fit or not feeling right about the location). There is a lot of pressure to make a quick decision and a few times I wondered if I had been too hasty about moving on.

I ended up landing a job with a school I interviewed with at the Cambridge fair a couple of weeks later.

Funnily enough, I got a couple of other offers post fair from both schools I had met at the fair and schools that had looked up my profile.

Reflecting further on the whole Cambridge experience- it was a good time but I would rather not go to another fair in the future. I kept it together (some acquaintances suffered meltdowns at the fair) but found it both mentally and physically exhausting. I'm not sure it is worth the money. I was close to $3,000 USD out once I added up costs (plan ticket, hotel, meals, print costs, suit) and it felt absolutely nutty to take such a big risk.

One old boss of mine told me that although the fair experience is expensive (incredibly so if you end up hitting more than one) he felt it was worth it. Friends at a Tier 1 said I would be fine even if I didn't hit a fair because so many people land positions via Skype.

Another friend who attended the fair ( and promptly found a job there) decided to go when all the Skype interviews turned up nothing. She had done more than a dozen Skype interviews and sent out heaps of cold applications.

One of the recruiters I interviewed with said that although a lot of schools try to get their hiring done by October and November a lot of the European schools open up in Jan/Feb/March.

I actually thought Cambridge had a lot of candidates with no international experience. My friends who went to Bangkok said competition there was extremely tough but they landed good jobs despite having less than 4 years experience. A few friends who went to UNI (normally easier) came home empty handed.

Best bet is to start your job search super early = be ready to go by September/October and have a fair fund (and a rainy day fund if there is a big gap between leaving the old job and starting the new one). That is what I would do differently the next time around.

But has anyone worked at the American International School of Jeddah? Is it any good?

Wow! Appreciate all the info and will pass it on.

Someone said AISJ had problems with getting the visas but we really don't know how true that is.

My friends are Southeast Asian- they have concerns about facing discrimination in Saudi? Is this a valid concern for them?

Thanks Shadowjack, that's helpful. I'm not considering a position here but some friends are. They don't really know anyone with more recent experience with AISJ.

I think Middle East is interesting but not an area I am keen to live in, no matter the package or school reputation. It's probably different with a family.

Has anyone worked at the American International School of Jeddah? Or do you know someone who teaches there?

I'd really appreciate some info about the school and life in Saudi Arabia.

And the interviews continue...

I want to say thank you to everyone for being supportive. I appreciate it. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Keeping you all in my thoughts...hang in there and don't doubt that you are damn good at your job and anyone would be lucky to have you.

It's rough, I'm feeling it too and I don't have as much experience as most of you.

ALSO- CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO LANDED JOBS AT CAMBRIDGE ALREADY!

Yesterday was a blur- up at 6:30 for interviews and then finished fourteen hours later.

Yes, you read that correctly...FOURTEEN HOURS LATER.

So...a couple more interviews left for later today. I am ready to go home.

Reflecting on the whole fair experience at this point:

The good news is that every recruiter mentioned that my references were strong (thank you supervisors!) and having IB experience helped remove a lot of the sign up obstacles.

The bad news? Haven't locked anything down, despite going into second and third round interviews. I got to the fair and realised there was no country or school I really wanted to go to but this meant I was up for anything. One friend said to focus only on your top favourites otherwise it's just unnecessary expenditure of energy on posts you probably don't really want. However I am not a math/science teacher and do not have the luxury of being that picky. Should I ever be forced to marry to improve my chances at the international school lottery clearly the way to go is to pair up with someone in the math/science subject area, preferably someone who teaches both (and at the very least should have a double science, preference for candidates with chem and physics over bio) with DP and IGCSE experience. Hahaha! Just kidding. The sad thing is that lots of arts couples are having a very difficult time here. English-English is the kiss of death, as is the lack of DP experience for most. It's a little ridiculous for sure as there are so many amazing and experienced teachers getting scratched off the list for DP.

I had to tell some schools no when their positions changed from HS to MS positions. That was hard because the part of me that just wanted something secure to hold on to was going "What is wrong with you?!?! Take it!" But two years of middle school? Oh my word! Bless their hearts- middle school kids are adorable but just not my cup of tea!

I'm not sure how I feel right now. Part of me is anxious and frustrated, as attending a fair is expensive and emotionally/physically exhausting. Part of me remains hopeful that something might turn up post fair.

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the support!

Day 2:

Dream school #1 said no right at the sign ups because they wanted a couple more years of DP experience. This was tough (it was the second table I approached) but I managed to shake it off and walked away with 20 interviews scheduled, 8 of those from invites and the rest coming in completely cold.

Tired!!!! There is barely any time to eat or drink. Don't skip the social- the food was awesome.

No weird interview questions so far but some schools are upfront about saying that they like you but would prefer to hire a teaching couple. I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the schools I interviewed- many of which were not on my radar. I originally planned to only approach IB schools and go for HS positions but thought I should get as much practice as possible so I'm interviewing for MS positions as well. Met a candidate who told me they cried in their interview and another that was having a complete meltdown. Not good. Loads of lovely and amazing candidates though.

Had about a fourth of the interviews I snagged at signups today with 4 requests for a second round.

Some of the recruiters are great but some of them are rather unpleasant. I'm happy to instantly know I don't want to work with them or I'm incredibly glad I passed on their school during the sign up sessions. My old boss wrote me a nice message of encouragement- really grateful to have worked with such a fantastic guy. You can't underestimate the impact of a caring administration.

Hahaha- "desperate season"! Sigh.

Survived Day 1!

Tally: 8 invite notes in mail room, 1 early interview, and 1 Skype interview.

I wrote 2 notes and popped off a copy of my resume to my top 2 schools. Cross your fingers for me!

I am super beat...tomorrow should be interesting.

Haha! I stand corrected! Some of you are indeed looking extra sharp.

I didn't luck out with a view of the river but the hotel is fine. I like that it has a pool and gym to work off stress.

I'm nervous but I'm relatively happy. A couple of people are raging pessimists and the negative energy is draining.

This is for everyone who was wondering about the fair experience (we've already read some excellent one on this forum!)...

Just arrived in Cambridge (cold!!!) and the hotel is already buzzing with activity. I met a couple of other teachers and I'm a little surprised to see that not everyone is looking that sharp. However, everyone in formal attire looks great. I should say that the fair has not officially kicked off so I understand the need to stay comfortable until absolutely necessary. Everything is neatly laid out with candidates already making good use of the lounge. Thoughtful touch on SA's part- the complimentary chocolates...that little bit of sugar seems to perk up my tired colleagues.

Checked the mail room to find a couple of invites and open my inbox to a couple more, with 2 schools wanting to talk this afternoon. I don't feel ready to interview just yet but I know I probably should- maybe it will help with the nerves? I should say that all the interest I have received are from schools from regions I have no real inclination to go to but I know it is best to be open minded. So far so good. I'm still a wreck though. Just ran into some friends who had a pre-fair interview at my hotel- several people have made early arrangements and when I had a snack at the hotel restaurant it seemed like there were several couples being interviewed by recruiters. Interesting.

If you're at Cambridge with me- good luck!