Research on some of the locales in the Middle East might preclude one from ruling it all out. Yes, Saudi Arabia is restrictive; however, Dubai is anything but. Furthermore, it's one of the fastest growing markets in international schools - along with China, of course, so young teachers have a better chance of getting hired there.
Most solid schools build IB training into their budget, so new teachers sign on, get all paid IB training plus a few years experience while saving decent amounts of money and having a pretty nice life style - with clean air (other than the sandstorms) and lovely, year round beaches. And yes, there are plenty of establishments that serve drinks - many right on those nice beaches.

This post led to some reflection on our experiences in 6 international schools at various times in our children's lives and education. For the most part, the answer would be a resounding YES. Memories of an incredibly joyous atmosphere that existed at the elementary division of our school when our oldest son was learning to read; respect for highly professional colleagues and friends who challenged our bright and admittedly difficult adolescent daughter; a colleague within my own dept. who I could not imagine finding a better teacher and mentor for our youngest as he reluctantly moved through the IBD; the teacher who lived down the road and phoned our home one evening to ask our son, "Did you understand what we were doing in Physics today? No? Then get your butt down here and let's go through it again."
Thanks for this question - it has made me happily reflect on how lucky we've been. Yes, they had some bad experiences as well, but in both the international schools they attended and the stateside ones, our children have had far more 'good' teachers than poor ones.

Dubai has over 15 km of beautiful beaches, free of charge. They have all seen and continue to see extensive grooming done in the past few years with a wide variety of facilities (showers, changing rooms, bathrooms, food stalls, exercise equipment, etc.) and clientele. Dubai is a top tourist destination for Europeans in the winter, and they come for the beaches, and they certainly don't wear local dress to tan in. One does not need to go to a hotel or paying beach to wear skimpy swim wear - just ask the Russian tourists! People swim, kayak, paddle board, and use the space as they would anyplace in the world. There are also beaches where nominal fees are charged that offer grills and tables for picnics, extensive playground equipment and fields for athletics, volleyball courts, etc. However, much of this can also be found at the other beaches. The largest paid beach in the city was actually removed for a construction project that will have a - going into the downtown area; the remaining area is being developed into part of the continuous free beach area. In short, if you like going to the beach, Dubai is pretty perfect for it.

If you have accepted a position at a reputable school or even merely a somewhat reputable one, you likely have nothing to worry about. Administrators who are on the road recruiting are extremely busy; they are researching candidates, interviewing, making offers - and during the minimal time in-between those activities, emailing respective administrative assistants or HR depts with your info to get contract sent out. It can take awhile. If you get nervous, send a friendly email - if the administrator is experienced, you'll be met with understanding. In my current position, I was just approaching sending such an email - 2 weeks after verbally accepting (on the phone - fair was over!) when everything came through. The director had been at two other fairs in the meantime, plus all the travel time involved, and checked on everything the minute he got back.

Re: PsyGuy observation #1: Does this remind anyone else of Robin Williams in "Good Morning, Vietnam"? Thanks for the chuckle.

You should designate the city you are most likely to return to as your home of record - school admin. will understand if that is where your family lives and not where you are at the moment. Also, it took me a while to figure out that I didn't always need to designate a major airport closest to my home of record. In fact, my home is several hours and hundreds of miles away from a major airport, but there is a regional airport close by, which I've designated the past two postings without issue, and it sure is nice to have airfare all the way there.
Your qualifications make you a good candidate for most schools overseas. The qualifications you list are ones valued by all schools I know of. If you are attending the UNI fair, I predict offers for you. If you aren't attending a fair, it might take longer to get noticed, but you still have a strong chance. I can't imagine why you would have to limit yourself to a particular region, although sometimes schools in hardship areas prefer candidates who they know have experience adjusting to a tough post. Some schools do state a requirement for candidates with international experience, but they aren't necessarily grouped according to region in the world, and even then they will often consider candidates who meet their needs even without that experience.
Make sure you have a Skype account and Good luck.

In terms of the original post, there are multiple reasons why both a school and a candidate might still be searching at this time of year, and it's no doubt a good idea to refrain from generalizations.
And so here I go on my own, vis a vis the recent postings....
While cost of living and savings potential obviously vary vastly according to indivituals, international school teaching does seem to pay far less than when I originally set out. Twenty-five years ago, I earned 1.5 times the amount (gross) I had been earning in the US, plus it was untaxed, plus housing on top of that. In short, not only was such a position exciting and professionally rewarding, but we were compensated for the perceived hardship of being far from home. It seemed to me that was the norm among international schools at the time - although I may have been generalizing....
In my current position, while the tax free status and housing still hold, the gross salary is slightly less than 2/3 of my most recent US gross salary (which wasn't even all the way over on the scale as they didn't count 2/3 of my experience when hiring me as a cost saving measure). And while tax free is swell, stateside one earns credit towards social security and likely a state pension plan as well, so one does give up that - which matters more, for some odd reason, now than it did 25 years ago. The excitement and professional rewards remain, but the question arises, how long can one afford them?
In short, in terms of financial remuneration, I believe that for the majority of international schools in existence today, the number of which has increased vastly in the past decades, the pay ratio as compared to much of the US (maybe not the south) has decreased by a significant amount. For those of us who have bills in the US to consider, this is a huge consideration. One may be able to live gloriously on the local economy with the pay, but if bills in the US that need paying - whether student loans, mortgages, or helping out parents/college aged children - can't be paid, then that position can't be considered.

P.S. However, I give NO excuse to administrators who might not be aware of what their tech dept. is and isn't doing in terms of automated responses, etc. If you have applied for any teaching position in the last decade, one question you were no doubt asked is how you integrated technology into your curriculum. How can an administrator judge that who hasn't kept up with technology? Even if they can't do it themselves, they should be able to instruct others to do it.

Shadowjack -
Please note my post did not reject vetting, it simply supported some sort of preliminary vetting prior to the step of spending 5 hours on multiple essays on topics which teachers (not fly by nighters) don't take lightly, therefore require thought and careful writing.
Consider my colleague who, beyond the standard application letter, personal philosophy statement, reasons for applying and what he could uniquely bring to school, etc., was then asked to fill out 10 answers using less than 400 words each on fairly complex issues and potential problems to apply for a position - and given 2 days to respond. He spent hours on it in the midst of an intense school week, submitted it, then learned through a general announcement one day later (no personal response) that another person had been selected - and it was clear that the job had never really been open at all. The person selected had a past connection with the administrator and had applied PRIOR to the position being opened, and no one else was interviewed.
So why open it up? Why have this lengthy process for people who wouldn't be considered regardless? In my career I've seen similar scenarios happen numerous times, yes, even at top schools by top administrators.
We strive daily to live up to very lofty ideals, mission statements, and philosophies. We keep the IB profile of learning in mind when dealing with our dozens and dozens of students per day, hundreds per week, etc. Simply treat teachers as well as you want them to treat students, that's what I ask of all administrators. I can name numerous administrators from experience who do just that, and for them I have been quite grateful.

No doubt it is easier to see one's own side of this issue, and it is important to realize that there is another perspective. Nonetheless, there are steps all schools can take to improve this process. For example, if an email account is set up to receive applications, then it can also be set to automatically respond that the application has been received, including the disclaimer that only short-listed candidates will be contacted (preferably with a timeline included). Many schools do this. This alleviates applicants from wondering if their submission was received, and perhaps cuts down on emails as they don't send it again.
Expecting onerous online application forms to be filled out to perfection doesn't speak highly of a school's respect for the time of teaching professionals. Expecting this to be done after some sort of preliminary vetting is more reasonable. How can an applicant - one who has the qualities schools are looking for thus is devoting more that 50 hours per week at his/her CURRENT position find the time to do many of these applications? I once spent almost 5 hours on an online application with multiple essay answers required, in addition to physical addresses and home phone numbers of reference writers - which all needed to be looked up, only to discover that while I was completing it, the school had changed their postings, deleting the position.
And don't even get me started on the schools that advertise positions as definite even though they are not so as to attract more applicants. Never mind that if the position doesn't materialize, all those applicants wasted their time.
Here's a personal pet peeve: keeping pay and benefits a mystery. I have gone through several interviews at multiple schools without having the slightest idea of whether it could even be considered due to financial obligations and realities on my end. When a position is offered and this secret finally revealed, only to have to turn it down, then the administrators have also wasted a great deal of time. Yet I've worked for a man who, if a teacher asked about money, he immediately discounted as they were 'in it for the wrong reasons.' Right, because people become teachers to get rich and they don't have the same financial concerns as he did - with his 6 figure salary that he was able to negotiate prior to resigning his previous position.
In brief, thankfully I am careful to never treat the students in my classes the way that some administrators feel free to treat people who might be potential great hires for them. I differentiate. I respond to queries promptly. I give transparent and thorough feedback. I try to keep their perspectives in mind and consider why they approach things the way they do. I don't assign busy work. I make it clear what their rewards will be. If I did to students some of the things I have seen done to teachers, I would - and should - be fired.

What do you teach and what are you looking for in terms of a school? Your post is riddled with questions but little else. Of course there are numerous rock solid schools in Dubia which offer excellent education to their students and good remuneration to their employees. As such, they can afford to be selective in whom they consider for positions. Applicants would do well to keep this in mind.

Deira International School (DIS) is owned by ESOL, and while it's true that it's a for profit school, it's also true that the company that owns it has shown a commitment to quality education and treating its people, for the most part, fairly. I'm not at that school, but know those who are. It's a British/IB curriculum school, does hire people new to international teaching (which is why I focus on it here), and while not the highest paying school in Dubai, you would make at least 12000 monthly with a housing allowance around 70k. There are other decent options that pay even more - Repton comes to mind. Gems has numerous British curriculum schools, a couple of which are consistently ranked "outstanding" by the local govt. agency monitoring education (KHDA), so likely good places to work. Those options would probably mean higher pay, but might be tougher to get a look without international experience.

An earlier post mentioned that you suspect your Search file might contain a poor reference. While Search won't give you access to the references, your rep. can and should advocate for you by letting you know you need another one from an additional source and simply replacing a problematic one.
The London fair is reputably good for IB teachers, but not necessarily for ones wanting to go to China. As other posters said - contact these schools directly. Once their openings are known, you should be able to get Skype interviews prior to any fair. Good luck.

One person's advice: Accept invitation to Bangkok, but go ahead and apply to openings as they occur, especially ones that interest you and feel like a good fit for all. Accept Skype interviews, and if something happens prior to fair, then gracefully bow out of Bangkok. You can make hotel reservations early that can be cancelled if luck prevails, and hold off on airplane tickets for a while, unless you purchase tickets that can be changed. With your credentials and experience, it is likely you will get interest from schools prior to the fair. Search can open up your spots at the fair to others if you cancel as there are always plenty of interested candidates for Bangkok. Not having to make that trip or incur that expense makes the effort of an active, early pursuit of positions worthwhile.

Advanced Placement courses are rigorous, college prep courses in over 30 subjects that offer an external assessment at the end of the year - this assessment is an exam (except for art which is a portfolio I believe) that is offered on the same day in May throughout the world to all students taking it. They are sent to the College Board, which sponsors the program, and marked. Results are sent to colleges students select and your school will also get copies. It is a well respected program with a significant history. Over a million students took at least one AP exam in the United States last year. Check out the "AP Report to the Nation" online for detailed information.You can also get subject specific information on the College Board website.

It is up to the teacher how to arrange the course being taught in order to teach the standards, but the school must have submitted a course syllabus showing how those standards are addressed for approval to the College Board. You will give the students your own grades based on their performance in class, but hopefully as your class is about achieving those standards and you maintain high expectations, your mark will give them some indication on how they are likely to do.

In terms of how colleges and universities view the AP courses, this is like anything else - it depends upon the school. Admission officers look for students who take rigorous courses in high school, so this is an advantage to students. Many schools in the US offer credit for students who manage to score on the exams. Scoring constitutes receiving a 3,4 or 5 out of 5; but some schools may stipulate a 4 or 5 is needed for credit. Some schools might not offer credit but do offer advanced placement in the subject area, allowing students to skip basic courses. I remember many years ago when a student received national recognition for the number of AP courses she took and the 5s received in each one, she went to a top university that gave her no credit at all for any of them - but they did heavily recruit her and give her a full scholarship based on academics. In short, this information can't be generalized.

I enjoy teaching the level of rigor of AP and not having to mess around with someone else's rules for assessments like one does with the IB - the College Board takes care of their assessment and I take care of mine. Of course I do style many assessments after the exam so students are prepared, but I can also weave in creative assignments and fit the work to my students each year. If you will be completely new to the American system - and if the school is truly an American curriculum - there will be new terminology to figure out, a different philosphy about assessment, and a host of ofther adjustments; however, as an experienced teacher you will obviously have the skills to do that, but be prepared for some "huh?" moments.