Recruiting agencies...Which is best?

[PsyGuy]

@Nutella

There has already been a lot written on this topic. Of the two premium agencies SA (Search Associates) is the general market agency (think H&M). You dont get a lot of attention and they are large with a much more concentrated number of bottom and lower tier ISs, but everyone pretty much gets treated more or less the same. ISS (International School Services) is more like a boutique, either you are a high valued client and you get more attention than you eveer would from SA, or you arent worth anything to them and they ignore you. They have fewer ISs but their lower tier ISs are not as concentrated.

I disagree with @SJ, the peak recruiting fairs tend to be bigger, but SA has a lot of fairs after the peak recruiting cycle that are very small (dump fairs) and some of them such as the HK fair really are only marketable to ITs that are in that region (essentially swap meets). The later the fair the more likely it is your just paying to travel to talk with ISs you could as easily get interviews with on Skype.

CIS is free, and has a mega fair with LON (SA), their process is similar to SA/ISS. TIE is just a jobs database but you can store a resume and confidential references with them at a very reasonable $39/year. Joy jobs is another low fee jobs database. They are an option but I cant really disagree with @SJ, ITs either swear by them or are baffled why anyone would use them. Daves ESL Cafe is a resource for really low/bottom tier ISs on occasion, its free as well.
I disagree with @SJ in regard to Teach Horizon, they mostly slot ITs into vacancies at lower tier ISs to fill classrooms with warm bodies.

If you are new to IT and below a professional classed IT on the PGASS then SA is the better option, if your a professional or master class IT ISS will be better, but once you hit master class IT and are approaching superstar IT class you dont need a premium agency anymore.

[Thames Pirate]

It depends, among other things, on where you want to end up. You are unlikely to get a job in Europe through ISS, for example. ESL organisations are going to concentrate on specific regions or even just China.

Fair choice depends a bit on what you want and where your strengths are. PsyGuy would tell everyone to go to the best fair they can get into. Some people say go to the one with the most jobs--the problem with that is that you don't know what jobs will be available as this changes in the days and hours before the fair, and the information is unlikely to be available when you are making your plans. I say go to the one with the most schools you want and are likely to get a job. If you have 2 years domestic experience with no IB, you are not going to be super-competitive at BKK or LON. That said, if you interview well and/or teach a tough-to-fill subject, you can be a bit more aggressive. For example, there was only one teacher at SA-LON this year who had IB Econ experience. So if you teach AP Econ, you can go to London without IB experience and still be competitive.

If you are a phenomenal networker with charisma and interpersonal and interview skills, very strong references, and a few solid years of domestic experience, you can get a job in LON or BKK--but there is a bit of luck and your odds are lower. If you are introverted, in a competitive field, and pretty new, then you would do better at a smaller fair. PsyGuy calls them dump fairs because the top schools go to BKK and LON, but if you are new to IE, you likely aren't aiming for those schools anyway. BOS is probably your best choice in that case, though of course that one is also somewhat competitive.

So keep in mind geography, where you are competitively (both in terms of subject area and experience), and short and long term goals when choosing a fair. We did an exploratory ISS fair (see what it's about, maybe we'll get lucky, no pressure) at SFO as newbies (4 years non-IB domestic experience). Had we been willing to go to certain places, we could have walked away with jobs easily enough. We went home empty handed but content and wiser. The following year, with nothing but one additional year on our resume, we went to SA-LON and walked away with IB jobs in Western Europe (our goal) despite being told we had no chance and not teaching marketable subjects. That said, we are both good networkers and interview well--especially Mr. Thames--and have top notch references. Several people on here have done the same as newbies--attended a fair that everyone said was a waste and walked away with great jobs. Lots of other people go to fairs where they have great chances and then end up empty handed.

The point is that there is no one right answer. Your own goals, preferences, strengths, and resumes will determine what is best for you. We can give feedback based on resume generics to a point, but only you know if you are a good interviewer, a good teacher, or have great references.

So it really depends on what you want.

[Nutella]

@shadowjack,
Thanks! I did TIE and TeacherHorizons this year and it's not looking like we're going to get any offers. I figure next year we will go with a big agency and a fair. It's going to be hard to save for the trip to the fair so I want to get an idea of which would give the biggest bang for our bucks.

[Nutella]

@Psyguy and @ThamesPirate, thank you both.

We are experienced domestic teachers (8-9 years experience) but no IB. We're experienced and credentialed in several subjects, which lets us apply to more schools. Mr. Nutella wants to eventually teach IB history but he would teach other social studies subjects depending on what. I have an MA in history but I also am credentialed in English, drama (9 years experience), and French, and have experience teaching psychology. I got certified to teach AP psych but haven't had the opportunity to do so yet. So we are new to IT but we do have good references and such. Our end goal is southern Europe but we're looking all over before then (I'm the one who posted the question re: small children in Africa). I think if I could choose I'd pick a South American country to cut our teeth on (Uruguay, for instance) because we both have a little Spanish. Is UNI the best for South America?

I've been thinking we should register with Search. We're in the Pacific Northwest and saving up for a trip is going to be something of a challenge. Should we be aiming for Boston, then?

[cms989]

@Thames Pirate to your point, I met the bare minimum requirements to sign up for Search in a very competitive subject. I sent out 100 applications and got 3-4 requests to interview, to give you an idea. I got an invite to BKK. In late December. I don't think it's as prestigious to get into as some of other members suggest or as maybe it used to be. I decided not to attend for exactly the reason to said, which is I was not competitive with those schools attending.

I'm just squaring this to what I've seen on this board saying you need to get an invite early, you need to hope you get invited, etc. . it didn't seem to me to be very difficult.

@Nutella I saw an international school in Uruguay (if I got the name right) had a social studies open on TIE online recently

[Nutella]

@cms Yeah, we applied, but as we are a teaching couple and they only have the one position, no dice. I was disappointed!

[Thames Pirate]

I actually don't think it's hard to get an invite either. We got an invite to BKK our first time out with SA, and we asked to go to London instead. They discouraged us, saying we didn't have IB experience, but we dug in our heels a bit and they gave us an invite (as I said, we got jobs). This time around we originally planned to go to BKK, but WAY more schools (including our dream school) had dropped BKK in favour of LON--at least for our interests, which were primarily in Europe. So we went to London again and got the dream school.

So I would actually agree with you, @cms989. Also, don't wait for an invite--request (and push for) the one you want.

@Nutella, if either of you can do econ, especially if you can get some experience, it is the golden ticket of the humanities. Drama is also excellent, and you are both flexible enough that something will turn up. While one income is not ideal, note that it can be done even with kiddos in a number of locations (including WE, though it's tight), and often subbing and/or filling in a late vacancy can happen. So keep it in mind.

Good luck!

[PsyGuy]

I disagree with @Thames Pirate, you are more likely to get a position in the EU with ISS than with SA. EU ISs comprise about 15% of their IS database, ISSs is larger. Really, if the EU is your destination CIS is a better option than SA.

Dump fairs arent dump fairs because they have low tier ISs 9though they do) they are dump fairs because there are many more associates than there are the mega recruiting fairs, so the dump fairs are literally fairs that associates try to "dump" candidates into so that its actually a fair, otherwise if its just recruiters than its a conference. Some of the dump fairs, such as HK are essentially swap fairs for ITs and ISs in the region to move among regional ISs.
The practical issues of dump fairs are that the ISs that attend them will and would just as likely hire or appoint too vacancies without the cost and expense of having to travel.

The reason the rule is to go to the best fair you can get an invite too, is because the other componet of fairs is the networking, and those fairs might be the only opportunity to get face time to those recruiters. Not all interactions involve signup and a formal interview, that networking is invaluable if you make a strong and positive impression.

@Nutella

Consider CIS over SA or ISS.

The EU and SE is one of the most difficult markets to get into, everyone in the EU dreams of France and Italy.

UNI or AASSA are the easiest options for LCSA, but its not difficult to get into that region using TIE and virtual interviews.
If you are looking at a premium agency, and cost is a considerable factor, I would recommend SA and attending the SF fair as opposed to the BOS fair.

@cms989

True but you didnt attend despite receiving an invitation, you may very well have been one of the sizable group of candidates who walked away without anything. You could also have attended and been fortunate and received an offer(s). This is why the rule is always go to the best fair you can get into.

[Thames Pirate]

Oy. EU schools generally don't recruit through ISS, even if they are listed in the database. They actively recruit through SA and CIS.

Networking is great and can be done at any fair. The purpose of a fair is finding a job, so go to the fair at which you are most likely to find a job you want and network there.

Lots of new ITs get into WE. Sure, it's less likely, but don't buy the myth that you have to pay your dues in China or the ME. Many do, but many more do not. Heck, my former student teacher spent the first two years of her career--straight out of student teaching--in Madrid at a semi-independent school (and she spoke limited Spanish). I was the first choice for a school in Italy as a new IT before I backed out. It happens a lot.

[PsyGuy]

This is false ISs actively recruit using ISS.

I disagree with @Thames Pirate, you wont meet every recruiter leadership at every fair, those ISs at BKK will be finished after that fair and simply wont attend other fairs. The rule is you go to the most competitive fair you can get an invite too.

@Thames Pirate is incorrect, significantly fewer entry class ITs get into the EU compared to other regions. The pattern is reverse far fewer ITs get into the EU than less desirable regions.

@Thames Pirate

At IE camp we learned that no one gets into Spain directly after field experience.

[Thames Pirate]

You wasted your money on IE camp!

What is your evidence that EU ISs recruit actively through ISS? Because you say so?

I have offered my recruiter anecdote, fair attendance (which supports the anecdote), and the hiring practices of the two ISs in WE at which we have worked. The only ISS hires are from years ago. Our current school combed the SA database for a specific position we had. They did not look at ISS. They ended up filling the position through CIS.

My former student teacher enjoyed her time in Spain very much, even if she was new to the field. So did my former colleague, whose only IT experience was also in Spain (years ago). Sure, it's harder, as I said, to get into IT in WE than. China or the ME, but it happens all the time. I worked in a department in which 3/5 had never worked in any IE before that school (tier 2 in WE) and the other two had returned to Europe independently and were local hires. It's not as uncommon as PsyGuy seems to think.

I do agree that more ITs get into IT in less desirable regions, mainly because there are more schools there.

I also agree that you meet more leadership at some fairs than others simply because there are more schools at those fairs. By that standard, London should be the goal as it is the biggest. And no fair hosts all of them! Choose the fair based on ability to get a job you want.

[PsyGuy]

@Thames Pirate

No more a waste than your never ending stream of "one friends".
I only post from personal experience and trusted resources.
Yes, your "one recruiter" and your "one IS". I can not reconcile your experience with mine.

Its not nearly as common as @Thames Pirate believes.

LON isnt the biggest BOS is the largest its the flagship fair.

No, the rule is you go to the most competitive fair you can get an invite to.

[Thames Pirate]

Your experience is being blackballed from SA, from what I understand. So no, you can't reconcile your experience with mine.

Boston is the flagship because it was first, not biggest.

[PsyGuy]

@Thames Pirate

Again your understanding is in error.

[Walter]

@Dave "LON isnt the biggest BOS is the largest its the flagship fair." Dave, I can't believe you wrote such tosh. SEARCH London has between 600 and 650 candidates and is the largest of the SEARCH fairs. SEARCH Bangkok is between 500 and 550. SEARCH Cambridge has between 450 and 480 candidates. It is the third largest fair.

@Dave "At IE camp we learned that no one gets into Spain directly after field experience." You refer to IE camp periodically. Can you explain what you mean by this. AISH Summer Seminar? ECIS Spring Heads Conference? EARCOS Spring Heads Conference? Whichever of these three you're talking about, I know that you have never attended. As for getting into schools in Spain, there is no such rule. There are 185 so-called international schools in Madrid alone. While the top tier schools may be able to pick and choose, many of the others don't.

@Dave "I disagree with @Thames Pirate, you are more likely to get a position in the EU with ISS than with SA." This is even more foolish than your other comments. SEARCH London is full of European schools looking for new hires. ISS Bangkok had none and precious few at ISS SF.

I understand your antipathy toward SEARCH but please don't make stupid statements to "get your own back".