The International Schools Review Forum

@Thames Pirate

They were notified verbally upon comment/inquiry. Many ITs including those repped by premium agencies are not aware of ISR, etc. Making an announcement would inform those ITs of the existence of social media options to potentially publish negative information.

The 'policy' can be interpreted as strictly as the agency wants, and prior/advance notice isnt necessary. An agency can drop a candidate for any number of general and vague causes. Candidates have been dropped as members in the past at fairs at the request of recruiters.

"There was a hard pitch that it was prohibited and could lead to a contract being rescinded and a soft pitch that it could potentially identify the IT. The comments were not specific to ISR but online publication in general."
Becomes:
"They were notified verbally upon comment/inquiry. Many ITs including those repped by premium agencies are not aware of ISR, etc. Making an announcement would inform those ITs of the existence of social media options to potentially publish negative information."
And then when you are challenged:
"You are ignoring the "trusted sources portion of the previous response. I do not disclose personal sources."
Oh Dave, you're such an old fraud! You love to pretend that you are in the know about all aspects of recruitment and have secret sources to keep you informed. Why, you even pretend that you have a PhD!
Innocent readers out there please take Dave Psyguy's advice with a huge sack of salt.

I guess since I never asked about it and was never notified, nor was I made aware of any policies prohibiting postings, it can't be much of a policy. I can see the agency not wanting to look bad and discouraging disparaging remarks about the fairs or the schools, but honestly, to me most fair diaries are so vague that they don't offer much insight at all. I also don't find most negative comments--critiques such as the locations of the mail folders or the level of wifi--that off-putting. As long as they aren't really disparaging about the company, what's the problem? People have said far worse about individual schools, both on here and elsewhere, than anything I have ever read on a fair diary, as those are generally vague.

I guess I just don't understand why this is a thing and how people are supposed to know it's a thing if they aren't told.

> @WT123
>
> You are ignoring the "trusted sources portion of the previous
> response. I do not disclose personal sources.
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I didn't ignore it. I noted it and filed it with other similar illuminating and valid statements like, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain". In other words, BS' less attractive, less bright and virtually useless sibling.

@Thames Pirate

Its not a problem, until its a problem. The threshold of whats negative is much lower for ISs and recruiters than it is ITs, there is no such idea as a neutral comment, its either positive or its negative, and they want to control every aspect of their image.

If that's true (and it wouldn't surprise me), shouldn't they make their policy known to the candidates? It would be more effective that way.

@Thames Pirate

No, an announcement would indicate that there were social media sites (such as ISR) that candidates could post negative information, and that such sites exist. There are many ITs and candidates that have no idea that ISR, etc. exists. Announcing such a policy would at some point down that course compel the agencies to make a stand between themselves and sites like ISR, at some point you would see a revision to the contract stating to the effect they resolve to drop you as a candidate if you participate in ISR or other social media review, etc. Agencies and ISs would have a very difficult time enforcing and policing that policy. They recently modified their contact to include language that if you break contract they can use various forms of collection enforcement to collect their placement fee from you.