The International Schools Review Forum

SO ISS Boston is about to start. some info I have gotten from our principals.

People were really disappointed in Search, some changes made the sign up sessions difficult. This year Search Cambridge was VERY heavy on newbies. With about 20 returning,veteran teachers, meaning over 90% were new teachers. Search changed the sign up process, at fairs with a high concentration of new candidates everyone stands in line, no skipping ahead if you have a slip or invite. At fairs (such as Bangkok) the invite skips the line system will continue to be used.

Many admins did not like the 2 blocks of 2 hour sign up sessions. With such little time many candidates spent it waiting in line for schools in Italy, France, etc. and didn't have time to visit more likely schools. There was a lot of mismatch,in interview slots. The average was 4 interviews per candidate (new) and 9 for experienced educators. A higher percentage (45%) left Search without offers.

Many schools sent their heads to UNI, and there principal to Search. Which of course means if you were at UNI you didn't have to wait for someone to check with someone to get a job offer, which happened a lot at Search.

Do have a reason why their heads went to UNI?

Thanks for the valuable information, PsyGuy. Any idea as to the teacher demographics at UNI? I've applied directly to a few schools, but couldn't attend the fairs this year. I've heard back from one, who presented me with what seemed to be pre-screening interview questions specific to the position. No further reply yet, I'm guessing they're waiting to see what happens at the fairs. With several years of international and North American experience specific to the position, I'm hoping I'm still a competitor!

Also, any information on the ISS fair as it unfolds would be greatly appreciated.

Well a lot of this would be speculation based on only a small amount of info, but SEARCH didnt have the numbers, it was just small this year in term of candidates, AND more importantly very very few experienced candidates. So why pay Search "more" for a newbie teacher that you can get at UNI, cheaper.

ISS so far has been DISMAL, most of the good stuff was gone before SEARCH and what was left got picked pretty clean afterwords. Its not very promising, and the caliber of the candidates at ISS is not impressing anyone.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Well a lot of this would be speculation based on only a small amount of info, but SEARCH didnt have the numbers, it was just small this year in term of candidates, AND more importantly very very few experienced candidates. So why pay Search "more" for a newbie teacher that you can get at UNI, cheaper.

ISS so far has been DISMAL, most of the good stuff was gone before SEARCH and what was left got picked pretty clean afterwords. Its not very promising, and the caliber of the candidates at ISS is not impressing anyone.[/quote]
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@PsyGuy= So does this mean there will be very little openings left now that the Search and UNI fairs are finished ?
What do you mean by ISS has been dismal ?
Does it mean that there are/will be few schools recruiting at ISS ?
Will I still be able to find a position between mid-February and April/May ?
I am hoping to get a position through TIE as I have been able to do so in the past.

@PsyGuy thanks for the input and update. Seems like the US fairs are becoming more 'newbie' venues with Bangkok more for the experienced.

I apologize if I'm being daft and asking something obvious but, when referring to the "newbies" that flooded the fairs this year, are you referring to candidates that are new to teaching in International schools or new to teaching, period.

@Psyguy: Thanks for the info; it's much appreciated!

i too appreciate the update even though i'm not at the fairs.

i also wanted to know if newbie means new to international teaching or just teaching in general.

Newbies means those new to international teaching and too a little lessor extent new to international teaching. Typically those new to teaching with less then two years experienced, are grouped as interns (search Cambridge is usually considered "THE" intern fair, since they cant really get invites too Bangkok, or London).

I think what i heard from one recruiter in germany sums up the sentiment really well" "This cant be all there is?" None of the recruiters have been impressed with many of the candidates. It creates some interesting dynamics. Basically the upper tier schools are giving positions to under experienced teachers teachers they normally wouldnt consider. The reason being the experienced teacher market was very small this year, people just stayed where they are, and didnt want to look for new positions in a depressed economy. A school in germany hired an intern with a full compensation package for a teacher position. Several counselor positions were filled by people with no license or certification.

Some schools are shaking their heads and waiting for later in the year, thinking someone betters got to become available. Some of the higher tier schools are now competing with the lower tier schools for the candidates remaining, and this is the crazy thing. The lower tier schools in asia, india, etc are doing better then the european schools. The reason being 1) Money and savings potential. 2) Being at a school that "really wants me" as opposed to a school that is settling for what they can get.

The ISS and Search fair run back to back. Search is in Cambridge started February 2-5, ISS is across the bridge in Boston and started today the 6th. The recruiters just go from one hotel to another.
The Bangkok fair was always the veteran fair, and Cambridge more the "general" fair and usually the best fair that newbies could get into. This year its just polarized. 96% of Cambridge was newbies.

Does that mean I could have been applying for positions that officially require 2 years post-qualification experience? I've taken the requirement at face value and haven't even been attempting it...

You "could" of been applying anywhere you wanted to. All they could have said was no. Seriously, whats the cost of emailing a school your resume? Zero money and 10 seconds of your time...

A lot of schools are frustrated and were just expecting a better showing of candidates. There was an intern this year at Search Cambridge who was graduating in May, wasnt certified yet who had to choose between a low paid intern position in ITALY and a full salary teaching position in Germany. Zero years experience (he just started student teaching), and a semester away from his degree and certification.The position in Germany was MYP science.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Newbies means those new to international teaching and too a little lessor extent new to international teaching. [/quote]

???
Now I'm really confused...

Ok the International school field doesnt have a standard dictionary.

**Usually when we say "newbies" it means people new to international school teaching.

**Usually we use "intern" when we mean someone whos a new teacher (new to teaching in general).

A lot of information that would apply to newbies though also applies to interns, so it would be repetitive and in many (but not all cases) to make the distinction.

Got it!

Thanks for the explanation. :)

I can understand schools not wanting to hire teachers with very little experience, but why would they prefer to hire a teacher with "international experience"? I am wondering if schools in general are looking more for international experience or total teaching experience?