The International Schools Review Forum

I'm going to be going to the Search Bangkok fair and knowing it is competitive, I want to do the best to make my Search profile attractive.

I was wondering how much parent confidential references count? I already have one from my previous school (I only just obtained it, so it had no impact on me getting my current job). But I was thinking of getting a couple from my current school.

I can see it causing gossip that I am leaving amongst the student body.

So are these sorts of references worth getting?

Its a good idea to get the parent references after the term or at the end of it.

There value depends who youre talking too. At some ISs students and parents play a role in the recruiting process, even having an interview with them. At some ISs ownership is comprised of parents and they may well make appointments and review application materials. At most ISs where recruiting is primarily leadership driven, they dont count for much. Recruiters know you wont ask a parent for a reference who you arent tight with, or havent been particularly influential with their child.

What should you do if you have a lot of admin writing recs, and some of them are also parents of kids you teach? Should you ask them to do a parent or admin rec? Or would it look bad if a parent rec noted that they also worked at the school?

Admin definitely carry more weight. It's probably better for you if you get just one glowing reference from them as an admin rather than as a parent and admin reference from the same person (IMHO).

In general glowing parent references are nice to have but more in the sense that if you had NONE it could come across as a red flag that you didn't have any parents of students that were willing to do it.

Leadership refs carry much more wait than a parent reference. I concur with @WT123, parent refs are something that if you didnt have any it might possibly be an issue.

I think this is a crazy thing to ask for because you of course are going to ask a parent who loves you and gives you gifts, etc. Quid pro quo big time. Don't recruiters understand that?

@reisgio

Yes, but recruiters answer to ownership, and if ownership wants a parent ref, thats how it is.