Congratulations! Thanks for sharing the good news.

Thanks Shad! That was very very detailed and exciting!!

Thanks vernacular. I know the fairs are only part of the job search. For some they are a big part, some a small part, and some no part. I am hoping we can get jobs without going to a fair, yet realistic that a fair may help us.

Shadowjack, I tried looking for your 2013 BKK fair diary. Is there a way I can find that thread?

Thanks for the excellent information. We do not have any "golden tickets". I am K-6 and my husband is K-12 Art and Counseling. He will most likely be the more marketable one. He also has experiential education certification (ropes, challenge courses) and experience building peer counseling and guidance curriculum/programs. He is awesome :) We both have master's degrees and US teaching experience. One dependent.

I will see if we can get an invite to BKK.

Thanks the the responses. Shad, the dates are for Search Associates-we will be signing up with them. Basmad6, thanks for sharing--I was suspecting that may be an issue. I like your strategy and will likely go with that. The Bangkok dates work best for us but I read that it is a huge fair and only experienced IEs are invited.

I am looking ahead and deciding which job fair to shoot for. We are a teaching couple and will most likely be registered with Search. We have no IE experience (although my husband's school is registered with ISS-not sure that will count) The fairs/dates are:

Toronto December 11-13, 2015
Melbourne, Australia Jan 3-6, 2016
Bangkok, Jan 8-10, 2016
Hong Kong, Jan 15-17, 2016
Boston, Jan 28-Feb 1, 2016
San Francisco, Feb 12-15, 2016-This would be the cheapest for us to attend-but I hate to wait so late.

Any info/experience with the fairs? I have read bit and pieces of info on this forum, but thought a one stop fair review would be helpful for many of us.

Thanks!

Psyguy, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your metaphor! "To a tourist teacher IE is a mistress, a distraction, a transitional career phase, a correction to work/life balance. Just like a vacation or holiday is temporary and you can go home anytime." Perfect!!

Okay, I'll bite. So what you're saying is Tourist Teachers are a threat to IE lifers?
You say, "A tourist teacher can savor the memories, the travel, and the experience and then go back home to their domestic school, without consideration or worry about what their short term fleeting experience in IE was."


FWTW, we will be happy going to almost anywhere for two+ years. We are both at prestigious schools right now and are expecting to do our part in the "third tier".

Psyguy,
So what is the difference between you and I? Have you been at the same school 5+ years, or do you change every few? I'm fine with what ever label you want to put on me.

Also, I KNOW all of the negatives--I started this thread to see if anyone has actually been hired to teach in Italy. So far, only one person has (ffmary).

Psyguy,
So what is the difference between you and I? Have you been at the same school 5+ years, or do you change every few? I'm fine with what ever label you want to put on me. Here in Hawaii, "tourist" is not a dirty word!

Psyguy, Just rereading your response. What is the difference between a teacher and a tourist teacher? Just want to clarify that my husband and I are teachers, we are educators, and we take our responsibility seriously. We are committed to our roles as educators AND we want to have a bit of a challenge and new experience. We are not going to accept a position just to see the sights.

Thanks Psyguy and ffmary.

We do not have EU passports. We have a friend who graduated from TASIS Switzerland and raves about it. So that would definitely be ideal! We are planning for the 2016-17 school year.

Aloha All,
I'm just curious if anyone here has worked in Italy. I know Italy (and Europe) are a far reach for my husband and I however just how out of reach is it? We are willing to go just about anywhere but Italy is our first choice. Anyone?

Aloha threeplustwo,
Let's keep in touch! We are planning on starting our international teaching experience SY 2016-17. How about you?

Joan

Thank so much for all of the advice!