Anyone else hearing crickets?

[MizMorton]

The silence is deafening. Is it normal to just hear NOTHING from schools? It's making me insane. My husband is wondering if we have some sort of flag on our Search profiles, some kind of stink on us that we don't know about. I'm not even getting replies to my PMs here. *tap*tap*tap* is this thing on?

Back to tearing my hair out.

[UnCloudy]

Hey MizMorton, did you ask your recruiter? They can't tell you what is in there, but they can tell you if you have something in there to worry about (I think). I'm sorry you've got the stress :(

[PsyGuy]

No its not normal, well its semi-normal in limited situations. A lot of candidates think the agency and recruiters work for them, but they work for the schools. There may be a note in your file but the only flags are active, and inactive. Candidates get the silent treatment when either their associate has some personal crises, or when the candidate is high maintenance. I know it seems unprofessional but some candidates to an agency rep arent worth personal time and attention. Its called "expired out". At this point they have your money, and you have access to the database, but any personal time and attention is just a financial loss to them, if they place you its a surprising bonus, and if they dump you they would have to give you your money back.

[ffmary]

If you got no leads after a Search Fair, honestly, I think that is bad news. It's also true what PsyGuy is saying about the associates. Mine years ago dropped me like I had gonorrhea when I got an offer and said no to it - I clearly was not in the business of giving her money; I was in the business of finding the right fit for myself - something the associates don't benefit from at all.

[MizMorton]

Well, this is helpful, because it's at least something. My agent is Jessica, Search president and obviously very busy with fairs. Is there something she should be doing for me right now?

[PsyGuy]

Associates arent charities though or public guidance/career counselors. They make their money and pay their bills based on placing you in a school. Usually a candidate gets the silent treatment when initially they express interest in being open to anything, the associate works with them, investing time and then they get to a fair and find out that really the candidates is selective, or has restricted interests (such as only WE or JP). A recruiter/admin/HOS may mention to an associate and get back that a candidate expressed disinterest or was unreceptive. At that point the rep just shelves that candidate and moves on. Reps really want you to take the earliest offer you get, unless you have multiple offers, since they get paid the same and sooner the earlier that happens.

Many schools do not respond to rejected applicants, the ones that due likely send a form letter when a position closes or the school has completed all recruiting at that point.

Its been a week after the fair, if you havent gotten anything by next week its time to start looking at making changes. Either looking at broadening your scoop of regions or going deeper into lower tier schools. Impatience, and frustration will not resolve your marketability.

[jessiejames]

Maybe I misunderstood this thread but I thought MizMorton was commenting on silence from schools, not talking about her associate?

[PsyGuy]

She did but then in the second line she discussed briefly her SA profile. I did respond regarding both.

[jessiejames]

I see. Well, MizMorton sorry to hear your emotions are running high. It might not feel like much consolation but there are still months left before all the - in my opinion - decent jobs dry up, even if some schools you were interested in have filled their vacancies. If I recall it is your first foray into teaching overseas and whilst maybe things didn't work out for you in the January fair, I'm sure you & your husband will be an attractive prospect for recruiters looking later in the season. It is hard not to get tunnel vision when the future feels uncertain but step away from the SA website for a couple of days!

[PsyGuy]

@jessiejames

Thats rainbows and sunshine. You dont know any of that is true. 80% of entering ITs are successful, meaning 1 in 5 isnt.

[jessiejames]

Yes, it's thinking positively. I've seen colleagues strike out and have to stay put before, but I thought as part of a teaching couple package, MM would hopefully not find that is her experience. I just personally think there's nothing beneficial to come from fretting in February.

[PsyGuy]

Fretting in July/August could potentially mean being unemployed. Worry is good if its motivational, and focuses resources and energy.

[jessiejames]

Absolutely - I hope that the OP can find something that would help their job search, but I still advise against tearing their hair out.

[shadowjack]

MizMorton,

Before I went to my last fair I heard from one school. I got a job at the fair, but when I came back I heard from three schools within a week.

You should be sending out CVs still to schools with open positions that match. You should be covering different geographic areas. You should be researching schools, not just looking at Search, so you have a real feel for the country, city and school.

There are still jobs going. The other site I use when I am looking is TIEonline. It is 39 bucks (29 bucks every November for their red star special) and money well-spent IMHO.

Keep looking and don't get too down yet.

shad

[MizMorton]

Thanks everyone, those of you who are being encouraging anyway. I am trying to stay positive, we're widening our search*, and I'm also on TIE. I researched countries well before the fair-- read all the expat blogs, looked at real estate, studied Google Earth, contacted friends, the works, and I'm still going.. I'm definitely still sending out our CVs, in earnest!

*Look, there are some schools about which I've read reviews that say "I'd rather drink poison than work there again," or they're places where people are trying to break their contracts within a few months. I DO want a job, but I'm not desperate enough to go from the frying pan into the fire. The school we're in right now is very cool and understanding (not a frying pan at all really) and they're notorious for not filling vacancies until very late in the summer, so we don't have to give notice now anyway.

It just bothers me that I'm sending out applications, emails, and even just requests for application packets (as with the Portugal jobs that just came up today) and not getting any response. Not an application packet, not "got your e-mail, we'll get back to you," just... silence. I'm trying to remind myself that it is still February, but this is not at all how I thought it would go down, being a teaching couple in two broad subjects with plenty of experience. I feel like a teenage girl waiting for the guy to call, wondering if her phone is working.

ETA: You have to understand that I live outside of Boston and we're about to get our fourth foot of snow. As I said to someone in a PM, this job inactivity + crazy snow makes Jack a dull boy.