The International Schools Review Forum

schrole.com

Is anybody using this site?

It looks to be new. Seems to be another Search type site i.e. wanting confidential references etc. Seems a few of the schools in Asia are using it for recruitment (International School Bangkok, Hong Kong Academy, Canadian Academy Kobe etc).

Not that new. Schools are using Schrole and Search or ISS in my experience.

We got interviews with a school in Macao through Schrole. Seems fine. Takes a bit of work to get all the info up there. I'm hoping the info is all still there the next time we look for jobs.

I find them annoying and intrusive.
The schools that use them, seem to use them exclusively. When an interested . visits the school website, it says "apply here" and the hapless applicant does, never realizing that they are actually signing up for another recruiting agency. To me, the worst part is that applicants aren't informed until after the fact that all the referees they list are automatically contacted and asked to complete reference forms. Not "we'll contact them if we have a serious interest in you", but "you clicked 'submit' so we have now sent requests out, even though we have no idea if you're any sort of a good fit for our school".
Personally I like to be very careful about my relationships with my referees, and I carefully manage the number and manner of requests for them to provide info about me. If I'm signing up for ISS or SA or whatever, or even a couple of them, I contact my referees in advance and pave the way, and I know it's worth their time since ISS etc get my info in front of hundreds of schools. But to get an open letter for an agency I never wanted to sign up for, that is only used by a comparatively small number of schools, and not to be clear in advance that it's an agency and requests are automatic... don't like it.

So Schrole, if you're listening, that's my two cents. Same for schools using Schrole.

While I find it annoying that some schools have lengthy on-line applications and don't just look at what's in an ISS profile, at least those schools don't force teachers into a relationship with an agency, and aren't going to contact referees until after they review an application and decide they have some interest.

Yes, it seems more and more are going down this path.

I tried to go on Council of International Schools recently, which I used to have an account with, but I now notice they are also requesting the same thing i.e. confidential references before they will even activate the account etc. I don't remember CIS requesting that before.

Careful thought is needed as to how many recruitment sites one signs up with to not bombard referees with a multitude of reference requests.

Agree with Expatinasia99 and Sid.

Deleted. Best wishes!

I disagree. If your target is top schools like IS BKK and CIS, HK, why would you shy away from signing up to Schrole? I don't think teachers have the luxury to choose or stick to just Search. I'd rather tell my references ahead of time to kindly save my reference and simply copy and paste it to Schrole. One Schrole profile is enough to apply to multiple schools. I really hope more schools embrace Schrole and Skype and really use it to hire teachers, so that all the stress from pedagogical speed-dating aka recruitment fairs at exorbitant hotels can be done away with as soon as possible.

Personally, I agree with those who believe it's best policy to limit the burden placed on references. I went with Search and intend to use them again next time around. That required my references to only fill out one online recommendation, which will remain stored in Search. When I apply to schools outside of the Search umbrella, I simply leave the names and contact information of those references, but I would be hesitant to ask them to fill out multiple forms. My employment shouldn't become a burdensome activity for those people. I don't think they'd hesitate to fill out more, but it's common curtesy not to ask.

The only way I'd consider "nagging" them for more, is if I felt I had a really strong opportunity to work at a great school in a place I really want to live. Otherwise, I'll stick with Search and my CV/cover letter to schools who aren't affiliated with Search. There aren't many schools who aren't affiliated with Search that I'd want to work for anyway.

I had the same experience as Sid mentioned, not realising that when I entered the details of referees that it would automatically ask for confidential references. It was only when one of my referees mentioned to me that they hadn't had a chance to fill it in yet that I actually realized it was following the ISS/Search confidential reference model.

Interestingly, one of my referees commented later that they preferred the Schrole reference from an Admin perspective as they felt it was much more up-to-date with the types of things they want to know about potential candidates.

My current Admin were happy to fill out the Schrole references, but I will be more careful now not to burden my referees with multiple confidential reference requests from recruiting agents I may not use. It seems a few of the schools I will be targeting are using Schrole as the only means of submitting an application so I'm glad I have it active.

I agree with others that it is bad policy for Schrole to be asking for confidential references. At this point they really don't have a name for themselves and I am sure my past supervisors are going to be annoyed since they just did Search references for me.

Send boxes of chocolates and apologetic thank you notes.

It’s funny how few people actually read instructions when they sign up for things. I just took this from the very first page of the Schrole site- where you are directed once you click on Apply Now. It clearly says referees are going to be contacted.

Welcome to Schrole
You will need to complete a full candidate profile to complete your application. Please have the following items ready before you commence.
• CV in Word or PDF.
• Recent Passport sized photo in jpg or png image format.
• Copy of your teaching registration in PDF (optional).
• Referee details including email addresses and other contact details. Your referees will be contacted to provide a confidential reference. You may wish to let them know an email link will be sent to them, but sometimes this may be sent to the spam folder.
• You will also be asked to complete some questions set by the school. This may take some time as you will need to think carefully about your answers. Please note you can always edit and change details from your own dashboard once the application is complete so you will be able to make changes to questions from there if you want to complete the initial signup process quickly.
The process may take some time to complete, however you can log back in at any time to complete this process. Good luck with your application.
Schrole Admin

I applied for a job through Schrole last year, and just submitted a new application to another Schrole school this year. It was pretty straightforward, and they certainly seem to be getting more schools signed up with them. I quite like the fact that I have to answer some specific questions about each school I apply for so I can decide if I really am a fit for that school.
I think schools like the system as it takes care of everyone who applies to a school- even those who aren’t with Search and ISS.

As for the multitude of reference requests- it is definitely time consuming for administrators. But I doubt things are going to change in a hurry as I don’t see the recruitment companies collaborating on one reference form.

Also- are they a recruitment company? I had a look on their website and see they provide a system to schools, but don’t see anywhere that candidates can join them directly? I know there is an option of a premium account which gives you the opportunity to see and apply for jobs at other Schrole schools, but I don’t actually have a relationship with anyone at Schrole who helps me find a job.

"Also- are they a recruitment company? I had a look on their website and see they provide a system to schools, but don’t see anywhere that candidates can join them directly? I know there is an option of a premium account which gives you the opportunity to see and apply for jobs at other Schrole schools, but I don’t actually have a relationship with anyone at Schrole who helps me find a job."

LOL. By that definition Search is not a recruitment company either. My "associate" has never actually done anything to help me get a job other than cash the check and let me into the database.

And is there a recruitment agency one can sign up with without paying?