The International Schools Review Forum

Anybody in HK at Search? If so, hope it goes fantastic for you!

I was there, and no luck....not even a single interview. It didn't help that I was only considering HK schools (which attracted by far the most candidates) and that I am relatively inexperienced (2 years A-Level Maths teaching experience).

All of the HK schools I spoke with had a list of short-listed candidates prepared before the fair even started, and if you weren't on their list, they wouldn't spare the time to interview you.

It was a pretty brutal wake up call - realizing how competitive the job market at top schools really is, and how far I have to go before I will be considered for those jobs.

Definitely a smaller fair, Danny. Don't give up though - find that mid-level job, perfect your skills, and who knows?

I would also advise you to find an IB school to do DP maths - having a dual skills set (UK and IB) will open doors at more schools and the British system is not the be-all, end-all (and I have taught in both). There are a lot of overlaps with A levels and GCSEs in IB (but they might disagree a bit!)

Thanks for the encouraging words, Shadowjack.

I'm trying my best to get into an IB school just about anywhere...except the Middle East or Mainland China. The past two years in Mainland China were more than enough for me, and I don't think the Middle East would be very much fun for a single teacher. Unfortunately, it seems like those two regions are the easiest places for entry-level IB positions.

The HK fair is more a swap meet, as you already know its only really competitive for HK teacher looking to switch HK schools (and getting to HK to begin with requires beinga pretty marketable candidates). Interviews are pretty much decided in advance, if you show up with nothing in advance, your going to have nothing.

You really need to reconsider your plans. There will be math positions that open up in the future, but they may not leave you with any better a job then you have now and wont make you more competitive. You really need to consider an ME position or mainland china position if it gets you IB experience.

Psyguy - that pretty much sums up how the HK fair felt like to me. If you weren't already an elite teacher with experience at top-tier schools, then forget about even getting an interview with a HK school. I only wish I'd known that before spending $$$ on flights and accommodation for nothing.

You're probably also right that taking an IB job in the Middle East or Mainland China would be a smart career move - but I can't bring myself to sign a contract in a country I know I'll be miserable in. Maybe as a last resort I'll do it, but I'm still holding out hope - I've already had one Skype interview for an I.B. school in S. America, and have one coming up in S.E. Asia, both in countries I'd be thrilled to live in. How would you rate my chances?

Danny, don't dismiss the ME so readily just because you are single. You seem to be lumping all ME countries in the same basket as Saudi or Iran; they are all quite different from one another. There are many singles, young and not-so-young, at my school, and they lead very active lives. Most are staying past their initial contracts.

You need to research the countries better. Why do you think you would be miserable?

I understand what's being said about the Hong Kong fair being a swap meet for Hong Kong schools. I've heard that Hong Kong is tough before. But if you were really looking to work in Mainland China and didn't have much experience elsewhere then surely this is the fair to go to. There are 14 schools from the mainland on the schools attending list, and none which you could call top tier. In fact, outside the Hong Kong schools I'm not sure there are any top tier schools on the list. If I knew someone who wanted to get their foot in the door of international school teaching and were OK with somewhere in China, then surely that's the fair to go to.

Danny, sorry, I know that information was no good to you. Seriously though, I'll certainly second what heyteach says about not assuming all Middle East countries are the same. Dubai is great for Singles, and Abu Dhabi isn't bad either. There are certainly IB schools there that will give training to new IB teachers.