Teachermom -for women, you are going to need more than one outfit over a three day fair, esp considering 2nd interviews. Presenting yourself as polished and confident is the most important thing.

My opinion, bring the suit and the cardi/pencil skirt with a few nice blouses, both heels and flats. Consider tights in other soft colors, unless your jacket/cardi or skirt are black. Mix and match depending on the weather and your feeling for each interview. Studies I have read say the two things that stand out the most are hair and shoes (all other elements being equal) so be certain they are polished and professional.

I will admit, I brought more clothes than I ended up needing to my fair, but having options gave me comfort and confidence -so I wouldn't do it differently!

Best wishes for a successful fair :)

Calipro -the school approached me via email because of my file on the AASSA job fair site. I declined the offer, based on many factors, financial first and foremost.

secondarily, the life style described there doesn't appeal. I am a redhead, would like to eventually find a life partner and terrified of sharks. Also, the school's housing wasn't too easy for me bringing my dog along...

The principal was great, though! And I think it's a small school on the way up under his leadership. Truly visionary 21st century educator and very down to earth.

Shadow gives good advice! And the Skype app on the ipad works great!

AASSA was a great first international educators job fair for me. If anyone wants insight or information about the fair, let me know. Schools were hiring for sure. I received 3 wonderful offers that weekend (2 from fair schools) and 1 via Skype.

Valuable contacts made and supportive atmosphere, I would go again and I think for specialist in general, this early fair is a good one.

Happy to have accepted an offer from American School Foundation Monterrey and be done with the whole job search process for a good long while!

Best wishes to all!

Their table had the longest line (length and duration) at the AASSA fair last week! My feeling was it is a highly competitive school to be hired because they are good.

Kleikm, I am going to and wondering the same thing! I can see 16 positions posted for my area, but wonder how many candidates are attending in hopes of one of those.

Normal to be anxious at this point...I am just trying to focus on other things that I do have control over in these days leading up, like packing!

All will be revealed soon...

Thanks for the pep talk, that was exactly the perspective I needed today! Leaving to fly across the country to the AASSA fair in Atlanta on Thursday. Fingers crossed for an offer! And I will think long term investment and networking as well.

Cheers!

Anyone currently working in:

Mexico
Panama
Chile
Columbia
Peru
Ecuador

Know about income taxes there? I am trying to do as much research pre-fair as I can...and AASSA is next weekend.

Thanks!

Welcome Pirate,

If you use the search function above, you will find several other posts about Monterrey. Also, a few schools there are reviewed on ISR, so I recommend becoming a paid subscriber so you can read those first hand to inform your research.

Well, I had a great interview with the school, but you guys are not painting an appealing picture of life in Recife...

high taxes...sharks...not safe at night...egads!

Thank you, Indogal! I really appreciate the warning about Brazil. I am single and have some student loans (being paid back on income-based repayment plan, so the payment per month will change to a percentage of my gross salary overseas as well)

I need to look very carefully at the financial piece for each location.

I realize Mexico, Latin/South America is not the region known for savings potential...and I know that each place is going have different net income based on many factors. The thing that few schools info sheets talk about is the tax rates. Understanding net income is vitally important.

I am deep into my pre-fair research on different schools and countries attending the AASSA fair in 2 weeks.

It would really help to hear from folks in the know about actual tax rates in different countries...as this impacts my savings potential significantly. And without knowing the tax information, it is hard to evaluation salaries side-by-side, as the net income is really what counts from my view.

An director in Brazil I interviewed with last week told me the rate in Brazil is 27%, although you get 9% back after four years.

With salaries lower than many places (and sometimes cost of living equally lower, sometimes not) the tax piece may well be a deal-breaker for me.

Hope folks in the know can chime in!
thanks

I am a single female...does your enthusiasm change?

The application for AASSA closes Nov 27, and getting accepted isn't an automatic process, you must submit all your documents, a statement and gain confidential letters of recommendation that are uploaded directly to their website.

However, it is only $110 and even if you don't end up attending the fair, if you are serious about South America, getting accepted gives you access to information about every single school that goes to the fair.

salary range
benefits outlined
demographics on students and faculty
hiring preference (single, married, dependents or no)
who to contact for hiring by division
etc, etc

And since one school has contacted me for an interview that hasn't even published the position on the fair site, it is clear recruiters are reading files now and making their lists. some schools may not publish tentative positions until the day of fair, as they are waiting for a Dec 1st resign deadline from current faculty.

My two cents, if you aren't going to a more expensive fair, bite the bullet and at least register with AASSA. It's a treasure trove of info. I was accepted, but didn't go (based on low numbers of SC positions that year) for UNI in Iowa a few years ago, but got the massive packet of info sheets on all the schools that go and am using some as reference for my current search.

Job hunting, regardless of location, takes resources...cost of admission for the process. I too, am trying to spend conservatively in this process (not registered for Search) so I get it. Things do add up and educators aren't rolling in dough!

Best wishes on your search, Inmortus! DCgirl and Shadowjack give good advice. I am thankful for the insights.

I've had two interviews via Skype, schools that are doing 1st interviews prior to the AASSA fair. As this is my first venture into overseas schools, I hope the early interest bodes well for my chances of getting a good job.

I do have 7 years in education (teaching/admin) prior to getting my Master's and becoming a school counselor. Currently in my 3rd year at a private school in the USA with an international boarding program...

I have no idea how competitive I might be as a candidate, but fingers crossed!