The International Schools Review Forum

I was considering possibly attending the UNI overseas recruiting fair, but was wondering what my chances are of obtaining employment if I were to just apply directly and possibly interview via Skype. I would love to teach in Thailand specifically as this is where I worked for several years as a TEFL teacher, it is where my wife is from, and we have friends and family there as well. If I am unable to obtain employment in Thailand, then I am content with my current job at a public school here in the US. I have noticed that there are just two international schools in Thailand registered for the job fair and was not sure if it was worth the time and money to attend if I could simply apply directly to the schools. Any thoughts on this?

I'm not sure if things have changed at UNI but...when I attended 5 years ago I think there were only 2 schools from Thailand there, and they were not exactly the type of schools that you would want to work at. I remember taking a look at the payscale from Thai-Chinese IS there and having a good laugh. If you are focused solely on Thailand I would not bother freezing my ass off in Iowa for 3 days for a chance to talk to that caliber of school.

It also depends on what you teach. Senior math? Chem/physics? Apply to ISB or Regents or one of the other good ones. Primary? English teacher? Harder sell? Technology? Easier if you have lots of current experience.Married to a non-teaching spouse? A negative.

You are better off contacting schools directly than going to UNI if you are only looking at Thailand.

Concur with the previous contributors, if Thailand is the only location you are considering UNI is not the fair for you. There are a couple of bottom tier ISs and thats all. You would be far better off spending your money and time trying to get into the BKK fair one of the other SA and ISS fairs. I would start by applying directly to those ISs in Thailand and seeing what interests they have in you.

In general fairs are a benefit if you have a broad job search, if your much more focused or restricted than a direct application is a better use of your time and resources. There is little reason to join a premium agency if all you are going to do is monitor a half dozen ISs and apply for their vacancies.