The International Schools Review Forum

Hi all,

I've got a bit of a strange question here. Over the last few days, I was contacted by a school on Search Associates that stated that they had a position that I may be suited for,

What has been your experiences with schools contacting you directly? Has is been positive, negative or mixed??

Generally speaking, desperation is not a good sign (on a candidates or a school's part). I realize that the school contacting you doesn't necessarily make them desperate but with all we hear about hundreds of applicants for every (halfway decent) position, it doesn't really speak highly about the people that feel the need to cold call teachers.

The fact that they would contact you, then back out when you are actually interested makes them sound like quite the hot mess. I wouldn't worry too much about it or take it personally. The concern about a reference could be legit or just an excuse to cover up a misstep (always easier to blame the candidate). If you are genuinely concerned about it then contact your Search agent and see if they will give you any hint or clue as to whether there is an issue. I have had schools bring up a reference in such a way that it could have only been one school and I had to laugh since I that admin had shared the exact reference form with me and it was all highly positive. People are strange. Good luck with future (hopefully more positive and successful recruiting experiences).

Find out who the reference is. A friend of mine did this by befriending the HR lady and then ask SEARCH to strike it from the record. You have the right to do this as long as you replace it with another reference.

Good Luck

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I currently teach a subject which has some demand (Science/Math) plus I have a little bit of experience (5 years internationally). I've already dealt with the reference and I know that there are not bad (I got my current job and some interviews with top schools with the same references!) so I'm not too worried about it.

I guess I was just interested in peoples experiences as I also got my current job through a school contacting me. My current school is interesting - plus the job is not a great fit thus the reason looking for another job (even though the school wants me to stay longer)....

Any call from an established/elite school means you have done your homework and your CV and bio statement reflect a set of skills that set you apart from the rest. However, they want to make sure if you can consistently walk the talk and this is where they ask some tough questions to you and to your references.

If there are weak spots on your CV, discuss with your associate beforehand. Also, if you can't get enough references from the senior management of your current school, try to get a few from your past schools.

Also, being tactical, than being brutally honest, can do less harm sometimes.