Fav positions are being deleted :-(

[Fraisinette]

As we approach the Cambridge job fair, I feel less and less optimistic about landing a favorable job. What are the odds that more posts will open in late winter / spring? I'm a Newbie - any long timers out there with their two cents? TIA

[PsyGuy]

Whats your definition of favorable? The upper tier schools do their planing in advance and when they do have a last minute hire the top tier school use a supply agency or they recruit only locally (since they dont have time to secure visas, etc). Second and third tier schools recruit throughout the year the Bethesda fair (the summer shuffle) is essentially nothing but bottom tier schools.

Schools will have some adjustments in staffing as summer approaches and some people stay and unexpected departures. The issue is going to be that the ones with significant openings or a lot of turnover arent going to be the types of schools youd want to work at.

[wntriscoming]

I would guess that 80-90% of jobs are filled by March. I know that all the schools I've worked at have done the majority of their hiring by February, and they all started the process of hiring in November. There's some shuffling late in the spring, as there might be sudden changes of plans by teachers who were planning on staying, but had some emergency that required them to go home. This can lead to late openings, but not many.

[shadowjack]

No Bethesda fair anymore - at least I don't see it on Search Associates website listing all the fairs.

[Fraisinette]

Thank you for your replies. It sounds like I should be optimistic about the Cambridge Fair then. :-)

[PsyGuy]

@Fraisinette

Being pessimistic wont serve you well, but healthy realism is important. Understand that of the candidates do get offers this year will be about 30% on site with another 45% after the fair (and a handful of people the night before), so while a lot of people will be frustrated (people have cried and had breakdowns) undertsand that your actions at the fair will last well past it.

@shadowjack

Its going to depend if they have the interest by then. They are going to Columbia this year as a new fair. The feeling has been that with virtual interviews and the season so late that the bottom tier schools get better or just as good of candidates as they would get at the fair, and the candidate number have been VERY low.

@wntriscoming

More like 80% by April, but thats with a very restricted range a lot more schools that dont even make the fair or premium agency circuit dont even start looking until Spring.

[Fraisinette]

"@Fraisinette

Being pessimistic wont serve you well, but healthy realism is important. Understand that of the candidates do get offers this year will be about 30% on site with another 45% after the fair (and a handful of people the night before), so while a lot of people will be frustrated (people have cried and had breakdowns) undertsand that your actions at the fair will last well past it."

@shadowjack

Thank you for providing the facts :-) I guess the lesson here is to grin and bear it. I definitely don't want to make a bad impression.

[Q8Sobieski]

Did you find anything in Cambridge?

I am going to Bangkok and Dubai. There are just a couple jobs that I actually want but I am sure other positions will open up or just be posted at the fair.

There is indeed no Bethesda Fair this year. That's a shame. I was actually thinking of going to that one just as a way of boosting my self-esteem.

[PsyGuy]

The Bethesda fair was the summer scramble lots of people would get contracts and offers after 5 minute interviews, all the ITs and all the ISs knew that each other were desperate. They may bring it back as summer approaches if there is demand, it was always a hit or miss fair.

[PsyGuy]

The Bethesda fair was the summer scramble lots of people would get contracts and offers after 5 minute interviews, all the ITs and all the ISs knew that each other were desperate. They may bring it back as summer approaches if there is demand, it was always a hit or miss fair.

[Q8Sobieski]

My Head Master calls Bethesda a meeting of the "dateless and the desperate." I suspect it had a lot of 3rd Tier Chinese schools and a bunch of GCC/ME schools. But that's fine because I know I am neither good enough or independently wealthy enough to work at a lot of the posh European schools.

[PsyGuy]

Thats not far off, I like that description. It was more a lot of third tier ME schools with some Asian and S.A. schools.