The International Schools Review Forum

I am registered with Search & would really like to work in Europe. I know it is highly competitive, but I have done my time in Asia & Africa, both at top tier schools.

I would be attending the job fair as a single. Which job fair would afford me the best chance of being hired at an international school in Europe?

SEARCH London and/or CIS are your alternatives. Sounds like you have good experience, but for a lot of schools your passport may drive the recruiter's decision. It's not impossible for international schools to get a working visa for non-Europeans, but it sure makes life easier for them if you are an EU citizen.

Thanks for the reply Walter. But actually, I as interested in schools that specifically will hire people with US passports- American School of the Hague, American School of London, American International School of Budapest, International School of Prague, etc.

I know I could go to Search London but since it is in January will all those schools know of their available positions at that time? I thought employees of schools in Europe sometimes had a little more time to decide if they were leaving. Could some of these schools be recruiting at Cambridge as well? or is that too late in the season?

Schools with "American" in their name or with an avowedly "American" culture, as well as long-standing international schools who can claim that teacher diversity is a vital part of their make up, can have sufficient pull with their immigration departments to allow them to hire from outside the EU. All of that said, you will have to be a good teacher to score a job as a non-European at one of those schools.
It is still worthwhile going to the January London fairs, even though not all jobs have been declared by then. Schools will tell you if jobs are "definite" or "tentative" at the fairs, and there will certainly be opportunities at that time. Your best plan, though, is to get your applications in early to these schools, since more and more of them are hiring if they can before the fairs. If you know someone who is already working in one of your target schools (and if they will vouch for you!), use that person to advocate for you with head and principal.

Most despite what is in their name have to follow the same immigration laws as other schools. Some of the more establish top tier "american" schools do have better relationships with the labor and immigration ministry but just as those school may be easier to get a visa through, they are also much more competitive.

The rule is you go to the earliest fair you can get into and for the 3 big super fairs that means Bangkok, there will just be more schools their, and some of those schools are going to be WE schools and some of those schools will close/fill their positions at that fair. This means they arent available for later.

However I agree with Walter that the largest concentration of WE schools is going to be at CIS or SA London and really if you dont know your probably not marketable to those WE schools that will close out in BKK.