Cambridge Diary 2015
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twoteachers
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:15 pm
Cambridge Diary 2015
I leave tomorrow, but I've already had a Skype interview yesterday, and have two interviews set up for Friday. I'm getting very excited, but don't want to get my hopes up either. One interview is a school I really want, so I will be rocking that interview with everything I've got. Hope the weather holds for me to actually make it to Boston. Will keep the posts coming.
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
I know everyone says not to have your heart set on a school, but of course I did. We ended up accepting a position in a totally different area, but it still had everything that was important to us (true international student body, wonderful package with support upon entry, yearly flight home) except for close proximity to the ocean. But that's what vacations are for, right? It's a good sign that you've already had Skype contact; we only had acknowledgement emails prior to the UNI Fair. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted!
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twoteachers
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:15 pm
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
Thursday Morning:
My flight is leaving on time... at least Boston didn't get more snow. I got another interview request today from a great school, so I'm feeling optimistic. Considering I didn't sleep last night, adrenaline is keeping me awake. I'm ready to get started....
My flight is leaving on time... at least Boston didn't get more snow. I got another interview request today from a great school, so I'm feeling optimistic. Considering I didn't sleep last night, adrenaline is keeping me awake. I'm ready to get started....
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Climberman
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 7:29 pm
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
@twoteachers
Boston is fine. We just had a couple of inches of snow this morning but it has stopped. It is going to be cold so I hope you brought a warm coat.
Also, there have been some long delays with the T (Boston's subway system) and traffic snarl-ups due to the snow and cold, so plan ahead as you might take longer to get from point A to point B.
I am teaching class now and will leave for the Hyatt around 3:30 by car. I expect no problems as the roads are clear - 2 inches of snow is nothing.
One more thing: predictions are for another major snowstorm here starting around Sunday night and maybe going through late Monday night.
I hope this helps.
Boston is fine. We just had a couple of inches of snow this morning but it has stopped. It is going to be cold so I hope you brought a warm coat.
Also, there have been some long delays with the T (Boston's subway system) and traffic snarl-ups due to the snow and cold, so plan ahead as you might take longer to get from point A to point B.
I am teaching class now and will leave for the Hyatt around 3:30 by car. I expect no problems as the roads are clear - 2 inches of snow is nothing.
One more thing: predictions are for another major snowstorm here starting around Sunday night and maybe going through late Monday night.
I hope this helps.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
Good luck to everybody at the Boston Fair! Hope your dreams land in your laps and you jet off to a new adventure this summer :-)
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
My impression so far:
(A) Holy WOW, there is a serious lack of jobs. At least for us. It seems like most schools just have one or two jobs posted on their signs. That is seriously depressing. Finding schools that had jobs for both of us cut our choices down to almost nothing.
(B) That said, we do have two interviews set up. Yep, only two. But we both really like the people we met from those schools! Everyone here is very friendly and we are having a great time. Just being here is fascinating.
(A) Holy WOW, there is a serious lack of jobs. At least for us. It seems like most schools just have one or two jobs posted on their signs. That is seriously depressing. Finding schools that had jobs for both of us cut our choices down to almost nothing.
(B) That said, we do have two interviews set up. Yep, only two. But we both really like the people we met from those schools! Everyone here is very friendly and we are having a great time. Just being here is fascinating.
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Peregrination
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:16 pm
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
MizMorton: two schools is fine; all you need is one to say yes. I remember reading posts on this forum last year about people having 10-15 interviews at the fairs and feeling discouraged, since we only had a handful. However, we had the majority of those schools offer us jobs.
Good luck to everyone at Cambridge! I had a wonderful time there last year and it completely changed my life. It's a great fair to attend, especially if you're new to the international circuit. Remember to value every connection you make there, regardless of whether to gets you a job or not.
Good luck to everyone at Cambridge! I had a wonderful time there last year and it completely changed my life. It's a great fair to attend, especially if you're new to the international circuit. Remember to value every connection you make there, regardless of whether to gets you a job or not.
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
It's promising that you like the folks from both schools; we only had three interviews but would have been very happy with any of them. Please continue to keep us posted; it is thrilling to be at a fair, isn't it? So inspiring!
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
It is SO thrilling! I love it! We were just approached by a school that we wouldn't have considered otherwise. Great school, good reviews, very very nice administration, fantastic package... Tough place to live. But we're going to talk to them tomorrow. Even if nothing comes of this fair, it's great fun and getting me so excited for next year!
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justlooking
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:02 am
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
MisMorton,
Your description sounds like a school we were close on this season. Bangladesh by chance? If so, PM me if you'd like. I have A LOT of information from the research.
Your description sounds like a school we were close on this season. Bangladesh by chance? If so, PM me if you'd like. I have A LOT of information from the research.
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twoteachers
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:15 pm
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
I'm having a completely different experience . I have twelve interviews, and the one from today wants me back tomorrow. There are tons of openings for elementary, and most people Ive met are getting offers. My feet are killing me though!!!! My husband teaching partner isn't here with me and it's not affecting things at all. Most are willing to Skype him in the conversation.... All that worry for nothing.... I'll keep you posted....
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
So what is the latest update ?
Is everyone exhausted by now ?
Good Luck !!
Is everyone exhausted by now ?
Good Luck !!
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
All of you people who are getting interviews and offers:
What kind of schools are you getting the offers from?
It's pretty easy for any teacher to get interviews and maybe even offers from fifth rate schools.
I always got at least half a dozen interview requests from these "schools" and a couple of offers, but in my mind they didn't count.
So at least fess up and tell us the countries your schools are in.
What kind of schools are you getting the offers from?
It's pretty easy for any teacher to get interviews and maybe even offers from fifth rate schools.
I always got at least half a dozen interview requests from these "schools" and a couple of offers, but in my mind they didn't count.
So at least fess up and tell us the countries your schools are in.
Discussion
@senator
I agree, getting interviews and offers at the BOS fair, as most of the attending schools are lower tier schools. Youve got the two Italian schools, one french school, ISB (Brussels), a couple German schools, about 6-8 Chinese schools (of which AISG is the best of the bunch), then you have on the far right wall some UK schools (of which ASL is the best) you have one school from Japan, SAS (from Singapore) Aramco on the ME side that always gets a long line, and the rest are low tier S.A, ME, and Asian schools. A number of those schools basically send invites to everyone who attends. Theres a handful of good schools and the rest are what the fair is entry level places where you accept some hardship in exchange for getting to move up in two years.
I agree, getting interviews and offers at the BOS fair, as most of the attending schools are lower tier schools. Youve got the two Italian schools, one french school, ISB (Brussels), a couple German schools, about 6-8 Chinese schools (of which AISG is the best of the bunch), then you have on the far right wall some UK schools (of which ASL is the best) you have one school from Japan, SAS (from Singapore) Aramco on the ME side that always gets a long line, and the rest are low tier S.A, ME, and Asian schools. A number of those schools basically send invites to everyone who attends. Theres a handful of good schools and the rest are what the fair is entry level places where you accept some hardship in exchange for getting to move up in two years.
Re: Cambridge Diary 2015
Ugh. Nothing.
Our three interviews were scheduled on Saturday, conveniently, in order of preference for us. School #1 was our dream school, our top choice long before we went to the fair! School #2 was in a place we hadn't considered, but we clicked with the director immediately. School #3 was the Great School/Tough Place (it's in India) where the admins actually contacted us first.
Friday night, we got two e-mails. School #2 only has a certain number of spots for teachers' kids, and they just filled another position that took those two spots. So unless we wanted to fork over 1/3 of our very small salary for our kids' tuition... Boo. We loved that director and the school seemed like a lot of fun. It also seemed like we would have had those jobs in the bag, but then again... he did schedule us for Second-String Saturday.
The other e-mail was from India, School #3. Since we'd talked to them, the position had changed a little and now some upper-level AP was needed, which I'm not qualified to do, so we were out of the running. I do want to keep in touch with the three admins though. Every one of them was great, someone I'd love to work for.
So we prepared for our only interview with the #1 SCHOOL. There were two positions open for each of our subject, which we thought doubled our odds. We drilled each other on possible interview questions, quizzed each other on the school's philosophy and mission. I white-stripped my teeth. Texted our parents. I add all this detail because it makes what happen next all the more sad. We showed up ten minutes early for the interview, feeling so confident that we had this. The director walked out to greet us and said that unfortunately, he had just filled the positions. All four of them. We were so numb that we took it in stride, but even as I type this now I can feel my face burning with disappointment.
We spent the rest of the day going to presentations, which was a great idea because we got to meet a few admins. For me, the most valuable part of the fair was finding out what the admins were like in person. There were two schools I really had my heart set on, which looked perfect for us on paper. I met the director of one, and he was so... I will just say that we had no chemistry, and I was so put off by him that I almost physically recoiled. Until he leaves that school I will not be looking at it again. The director of the other one was a sweet man, but we just didn't seem to be speaking the same language. Again, no chemistry. I'd talk to him and he'd give me a slightly befuddled look, and then sort of look past me. I mentioned a job that's offered on his school's page and he said he didn't know what I was talking about. So... not a good fit. We went to a presentation for a top school-- one of the best in the world (yes PsyGuy, there were a few of those there)-- and there was exactly one guy sitting in the audience. So we got to chat informally with the two admins for a half hour! That was fantastic.
Moving forward, I am confident we'll find something. As the first string is hired, they have to leave their jobs, so those will be open. The real bummer is not being able to feel out the bosses in person. I hate doing things by e-mail.
Senator, I hope you get home okay. And for what it's worth, I had done a ton of research on all of these schools, so I didn't bother with the ones that were super-crappy just for the sake of racking up interviews.
Our three interviews were scheduled on Saturday, conveniently, in order of preference for us. School #1 was our dream school, our top choice long before we went to the fair! School #2 was in a place we hadn't considered, but we clicked with the director immediately. School #3 was the Great School/Tough Place (it's in India) where the admins actually contacted us first.
Friday night, we got two e-mails. School #2 only has a certain number of spots for teachers' kids, and they just filled another position that took those two spots. So unless we wanted to fork over 1/3 of our very small salary for our kids' tuition... Boo. We loved that director and the school seemed like a lot of fun. It also seemed like we would have had those jobs in the bag, but then again... he did schedule us for Second-String Saturday.
The other e-mail was from India, School #3. Since we'd talked to them, the position had changed a little and now some upper-level AP was needed, which I'm not qualified to do, so we were out of the running. I do want to keep in touch with the three admins though. Every one of them was great, someone I'd love to work for.
So we prepared for our only interview with the #1 SCHOOL. There were two positions open for each of our subject, which we thought doubled our odds. We drilled each other on possible interview questions, quizzed each other on the school's philosophy and mission. I white-stripped my teeth. Texted our parents. I add all this detail because it makes what happen next all the more sad. We showed up ten minutes early for the interview, feeling so confident that we had this. The director walked out to greet us and said that unfortunately, he had just filled the positions. All four of them. We were so numb that we took it in stride, but even as I type this now I can feel my face burning with disappointment.
We spent the rest of the day going to presentations, which was a great idea because we got to meet a few admins. For me, the most valuable part of the fair was finding out what the admins were like in person. There were two schools I really had my heart set on, which looked perfect for us on paper. I met the director of one, and he was so... I will just say that we had no chemistry, and I was so put off by him that I almost physically recoiled. Until he leaves that school I will not be looking at it again. The director of the other one was a sweet man, but we just didn't seem to be speaking the same language. Again, no chemistry. I'd talk to him and he'd give me a slightly befuddled look, and then sort of look past me. I mentioned a job that's offered on his school's page and he said he didn't know what I was talking about. So... not a good fit. We went to a presentation for a top school-- one of the best in the world (yes PsyGuy, there were a few of those there)-- and there was exactly one guy sitting in the audience. So we got to chat informally with the two admins for a half hour! That was fantastic.
Moving forward, I am confident we'll find something. As the first string is hired, they have to leave their jobs, so those will be open. The real bummer is not being able to feel out the bosses in person. I hate doing things by e-mail.
Senator, I hope you get home okay. And for what it's worth, I had done a ton of research on all of these schools, so I didn't bother with the ones that were super-crappy just for the sake of racking up interviews.