Bangkok fairs this week…how is it going?

[shadowjack]

Went to BKK 2 years ago with trailing spouse Mrs. Shadowjack - had 2 offers (could have had more coming out of the fair, or if I had fished harder at the fair), with a trailing spouse.

People need to realize that schools' needs change year to year. Some years your subject is the flavour d'anee - other years it is not and there is nothing.

With the global economy slowing, schools are paying more attention to the bottom line - but if you are the right candidate, two kids or no - you will get the offer. If there are multiple candidates at the fair who are similar in what they bring to the table, but who have fewer dependents - then there is more choice and you might not get the offer. Just the way it goes.

That's my two cents.

Shad

[PsyGuy]

@ twoteachers

If you have interviews already lined up and their at schools you are interested in (meaning youd accept an offer) and they are offering you interview time slots, then that is a good thing. A lot of schools will tell anyone who asks "sure wed like to talk to you" and then they get there and there is no interview for you.

How much of a newbie are you? BOS is the entry level fair and internship fair. It splits second tier and third tier schools with a sprinkling of first tier schools. Its the end of the super fairs and the closing of peak recruiting season. Offers do get made at this fear as recruiters have seen everything that they are going to see.

Ive written this many times before, kids are cost, and they will ruin an ITs career. If you have a trailing spouse thats fine add two kids and a trailing spouse or more and forget it, and I disagree it doesnt matter how good you are or what your resume is like, even if your the top of the list if the number 2 or 3 or 10 is cheaper and qualified they will get the offer.

[Amnesiac]

If one were inclined to live and teach in Europe, would the BK or London fair be the best option? I'm thinking ahead to next year and want to put myself in the best position possible to land a great gig. The London fair seems like the best option, but I'm concerned that some of the better European schools will fill their positions at HK. Odds are I'm not a candidate for Europe's truly elite schools, but with an EU passport, IB experience, a couple years abroad and really good references, I think I'm a competitive candidate in the region. Suggestions?

[auntiesocial]

My school principal arrived came back from the Bangkok fair and made some general 'out of interest' comments in our HOD meeting. She said that a theme of chatter amongst administrators was that the quality of candidates was very disappointing in general. Furthermore, she indicated that many administrators have been so disillusioned with the fairs in recent years that they believe the job fair may be on its way out as a primary recruitment tool. Recruiters and admin are starting to explore other more fruitful and cost-effective options for hiring international teachers.

[darwin]

My partner and I were originally planning on attending the Search Bangkok fair. We accepted jobs at a great school in November so headed to Thailand for vacation instead. We had dinner with former colleagues on two different nights and all four of them (one couple and two singles) had multiple job offers from the top schools there. All of these educators are in popular teaching fields. Two of them said that administrators had told them that this was a 'thin' year for highly qualified teachers at the BKK fair.
From my experience this year, many of the 'Tier 1' schools recruiting at BKK were doing Skype interviews and hiring ahead of the fair. I don't think it is too far down the road when these top schools are finishing their recruiting season in Bangkok rather than starting the process there.

[PsyGuy]

@Amnesiac

You may of inteneded to write "BK" not "HK", nothing happens at the HK fair except schools and teachers in HK swapping with each other.

You always go to the best fair you can and thats BKK. IE/IT is a global market your not looking to be recruited locally, and globally, recruiters and heads go to the best fairs to bring the best faculty to them.

An EU passport opens up a lot of doors for you, a number of countries (Spain, etc) cant or wont hire unless you have an EU passport.

@auntiesocial

The fairs arent going away, the agencies need them and in reality the admins want them for one reason or another if they didnt they would vanish overnight.

@darwin

This really was a turning year that tipped the scales towards virtual recruiting, especially for the elite schools who may only be recruiting for a couple of positions when you then have to compete against other schools for the rockstars. The other upper tierof schools though get good value out of being able to interview in person multiple candidates.

[darwin]

@psyguy

This isn't our first go round but definitely a different feel this year. Many of the schools we interviewed with in November and December this year only did their hiring at fairs 4-5 years ago. We were surprised at the urgency we felt coming from these directors. On the other hand, it made us feel good about ourselves and removed the stress much earlier in the year.
In the future, there is no way we would attend a fair...I would advise the same for any teachers who have been on the circuit for awhile and in good schools. I think they are still necessary for those without the experience at well known schools however.

[PsyGuy]

@darwin

This was the first year I didnt and dont plan to go to any of the premium agency fairs.

I would agree, the fairs, the premium agencies are all relics of an era that existed before the internet and before virtual anything. SA started in 1985, and ISS in 1955. Back then advertisements and recruiters was the only way to get an IT job.

A lot of recruiters this year from my reports was that many of them were unprepared, since schools essentially signed a lot of the top talent before the fair even happened, lowering the caliber of the rockstars they had intended on meeting, and by the time they realized it, they were too late. A number of recruiters at the fair spent their evening on virtual interviews with candidates who werent even their, and a much higher percentage of them were offered contracts then years past.
I see the pre-fair (leadership recruitment) before signup becoming the real fair, and candidates will all have their interviews planed out in advance, such that by the time signup comes it will be more a meet and greet.

Of course the BKK fair isnt for entry level teachers, just about everyone by definition is part of a higher class of IT.

[nikkor]

darwin wrote:
> From my experience this year, many of the 'Tier 1' schools recruiting at
> BKK were doing Skype interviews and hiring ahead of the fair. I don't think
> it is too far down the road when these top schools are finishing their
> recruiting season in Bangkok rather than starting the process there.

Agreed, my head and principal say this regularly.

Most of our hires happen before re-sign dates because we get teachers who really aren't looking to move.

[justlooking]

We had a Skype interview with administrators who were at the BKK fair. We wondered why they had the time to take a break from fair interviews to speak with us, but maybe some of these speculations are right- fewer quality candidates at the fair.
We did wind up getting an offer from the Skype interview and will probably wind up not attending the Cambridge fair we had planned on.