The International Schools Review Forum

Hello,

I have friends in the Boston area (from living there for six years) and I was wondering if it would be a smarter choice to stay at the Cambridge Hyatt to be closer to the action, or drive 15-20 minutes each morning to save a little money. Please keep in mind that I don't have much money.

It's my first job fair, so I don't want any disadvantages that can be avoided, but I also don't like spending money unnecessarily. Tentatively, I am planning on arriving Thursday and staying at the Hyatt Thursday and Friday nights, interviewing (if necessary) on Saturday, and staying with friends Saturday night, and then returning to interview on Sunday, if it comes down to that.

Any thoughts?

The last time I checked, the Hyatt was full. Unless they have released more rooms or there were cancellations, your decision may have been made for you :)

I booked my room already. I'm just wondering if I should cancel.

I think it is better to stay at the hotel. It gets very intense and you want to have a place to go to regroup before the interviews. Also teachers' lounges tend to get so stressfull that having your own space might help you to interview better.

Thanks for the response!

Plus, you will be able to meet interviewers informally in the elevators or chatting in the coffee shop. Just remember you will always be on view and never know who is watching so conduct yourself professionally. Carry a few copies of your resume to hand out in passing if the other person sounds interested in you.

Great tips! Keep em coming...

The Cambridge fair was my first fair and to save money, I stayed with friends. I appreciated being able to remove myself from the fair at the end of every evening. It was as intense experience and it was nice to have some peace and quiet to think about what had happened during the day. I don't think staying away from the hotel had any negative effect on my ability to get a job.

We always found it best to stay at the hotel. When we wanted to get away from the craziness, we could go to our room and relax. Otherwise, we had lots of opportunity to network with other teachers and didn't feel like we had to schlep our stuff all over. Think, too, about possible weather implications. It's a personal choice but we've always elected to stay on site and found it beneficial.