Hello @blinky,

A colleague mentioned that as well (that the number of schools have declined).

As for the value of the site, for me it was an investment on our part as a teaching couple with dependents. We needed to go through the vetting process to show that we are qualified to teach internationally as non-native English speakers. Though I cannot personally attest to the decline in numbers, we needed SA in order to apply to other ISs we didn't have access to a few years ago. I guess it all boils down to what's the best fit for you.

As much as I want to visit different schools, we cannot afford to take that gamble (unless it's pretty close or I get a personal invite. I know, doubtful).

Btw, we still have access to TIE and TES, but use SA primarily for job hunting. Comparing TIE and SA, SA has the more comprehensive information on-hand, which help us with our application.

Hello @newbieabroad (love the handle, btw)!

I just wanted to clarify: did you just put the "ichiro" in the recruiters' folders without the resume? When do you hand out the resumes? Newbie with the fair as well.

Congratulations on the job placement! Thanks for the insight. It is truly helpful.

@Thames @PsyGuy

Of course, who wouldn't want to be accepted in an elite school? I said "great" school, but not necessarily tier 1 or elite. I prefer to be in a school, even if they're small, based on what @Thames said in the prior post. I am quite realistic with what we can get, and I know that it is very competitive. I also know that we may not get the best teaching job there is out there, but for me, whatever works best for family will be more than enough. Before I went overseas, I didn't know we could get this job, but we did.

Well, we still have a lot to do, but thanks to you both for showing me both side of the coin. I appreciate the help.

@Thames: You've done it again! Thanks again for your feedback. I really appreciate your advice. They're very specific and it really helps clarify what we need to do, or what we should do. It might not be possible to make that move to the secondary though, but I have been quite interested to do MYP (though am not sure if the school is open to that because I only have a year left). I will hold off on the bookings unless we are absolutely sure. We are not picky with our destinations so long as the school is a great school to work in and aligns with our teaching philosophies.

@PG: As for the ichiro, I do plan to have it just in case we need them, but still have copies of our individual resumes on hand. I will look into specializations as well. Does being part of the IBEN count? Just throwing it out there. Thanks!

@Gmanrex: Thanks for the info. That will really help us decide to prepare for it.

Thames Pirate wrote:
> We also didn't do an Ichiro in the traditional sense, but one poster on here mentioned
> a side-by-side CV. That was a good one to slip into a box or even email that allowed
> recruiters to do a quick look at photos, degrees, experience, etc. for both of us.
> We got positive feedback on that, and the flexible formatting allowed us to highlight
> our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses in a way traditional CVs didn't.

Such great advice! I am thinking about the side-by-side resume as our ichiro and how to format it in such a way that it is not cumbersome. I also like the document idea about the schools and their admins. We sometimes have trouble with names. Thanks for your positive spin on things!

PsyGuy wrote:

> 3) You arent westerners and based on your description your voice inflection likely
> sounds foreign. This is a weakness to many recruiters. You likely sell yourselves
> better in person, but in interviews and signup your just going to sound alien in
> a room of westerners or after hearing many candidates in interviews who speak natural
> English. A significant number of ISs want nothing to do with non-western candidates.
> They wont even get you in front of a recruiter once the screener confirms you arent
> westerners. They will ask for a copy of your passport and if it isnt US/UK/CAN/AUS
> its going to be rejected.

Just because I said I'm Asian, doesn't mean I sound foreign. This is why we are thinking of attending the fair. If you, just by reading my posts, are already thinking that I have an inflection, then you are mistaken. I don't sound alien, and I do have a better grasp of English idioms and expressions. I also have "natural" English (whatever that means). From my experience, ISs do post whether or not they want a native speaker as the candidate. We will stay clear of them.

> I would advise that you begin application for Primary vacancies early and attend
> the fair if you can secure a number of interviews in advance. By securing an interview
> you need a commitment to an interview slot by a recruiter, not an invitation to
> stop by their table during signup or contact them once your at the fair.

This is something we plan to do, already look into possible schools way ahead of our planned fair. We will do our best to contact them ahead so we can schedule an interview with them. That's why we are working on our applications now so we can hit the ground running come recruitment time next school year.

> You have some time, so I would strongly consider one or both of you diversifying
> your credentials. Adding your native language as a FL or if you have an academic
> background in a field not identified as primary would make you a much more marketable
> couple.

My teaching license is up to secondary, but I do not have experience. Doesn't SA discourage placing choices you don't have experience teaching?

Thanks, @Thames and @PG! What you shared were really helpful. We will do our best to prepare if and when we do decide to attend a fair.

Thank you, @Thames! Our husbands are the same when it comes to networking. He's so great at it! But me, on the other hand, is better with the interview.

We are already saving up for the trip, so I think money is less of a problem than finding the right jobs. Being Asian in IE can be difficult when we compete with native speakers tbh, so I feel that we need to show up to put our best foot forward. We will do our best to be prepared for the fair that's why we applied early to SA.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. -flipfuntasia

I was wondering about whether or not to attend the fair next year (2017). My husband and I have just registered for SA and we are already looking at which fairs to attend (BKK or London). I am still very hesitant as they are expensive and we could end up not getting a job offer. On the other hand, I have consulted with my colleagues and said that we would have a bigger chance of finding jobs because we would make a better impression in person than on paper.
A background on us:
- We have PYP training and experience. We are on our first stint teaching overseas in a PYP school and just renewed our contract.
- We have taught in an IS back home as local hires, but was a homeroom teacher then. All together, I have 8 years experience teaching in an IS at present, but husband has less.
- We're Asians, so we are non-native speakers and non-holders of a US/EU passport.
- We have 3 dependents.
- No advanced degrees
I want to plan ahead and prepare for whatever decision we may have. Thanks in advance!