Thank you for all of your thoughtful responses. In the end, I registered with ISS. The previous year, I had watched openings on TIEonline, and this was a similar experience, but I appreciated the additional information about each school's salary package available with ISS.

I was contacted directly through ISS by a "Tier 1" Asian school and went through several interviews. In the end, I decided that this probably wasn't the right school for my family at this moment in time, but financially, it seemed viable, and the school wasn't scared off by my dependents.

I was contacted directly by several other schools as well. I believe that responsible administrators are looking carefully at the materials placed online, and if you match a need for their school, they don't hesitate to reach out, even if you have 4 dependents.

I decided to wait for an opening at my top choice European school (which used Schrole). I applied directly, had the interviews, and got the job.

I'm excited to be teaching at a high quality school, and I'm even more excited that my three children will be attending that school.

So, I would argue that if you focus on being the best classroom teacher you can be, that the best schools will recognize this and you will be sought after. I know it also doesn't hurt to teach a sought-after subject. Once you are in, my past experience tells me that networking is key.

I am seeking an international math teaching position for the 2016-17 school year, and I am trying to decide whether I should join ISS or Search Associates or whether I should apply directly to schools when they post their openings online.

In most ways, I am a strong candidate: 13 years overseas, 6 of which at an IASAS school. I worked for the International Baccalaureate writing SL Math exams for five years. I have 21 years of experience teaching math from grade 7 through IB Higher and AP Calculus. I have National Board Certification in the U.S. I have strong student/parent/colleague/administrator recommendations. I have contacts at quite a few schools due to my previous international experience.

I'm worried that my profile might be ignored on a recruiting site, though, because I have 4 dependents: three children and my wife finishing graduate school in nursing (although she would consider some employment at a school if available). I've spent the past eight years teaching in the U.S.- will I still be viewed as an experienced international teacher?

I got jobs at my previous three international schools by applying directly, and I am leaning towards just doing the search myself. As far as the next school, my wife and I are wide open. We have a list, but I imagine a recruiter might help us find a position at a school we would never have considered... Would they?

Thoughts?