[quote="climbergirl"]Thanks for all of the feedback! DCgirl, do your kids like being overseas?[/quote]

They are very happy here. I have been so pleased with their adjustment. We had a few rough patches at the start and they miss their friends but they have never expressed regret about moving.

I can only think of one instance in which I have met kids that REALLY wanted to return home and even then it is nothing extreme. My parents said they were so surprised when after our summer visit to the US, the kids happily went to the airport and waved goodbye.

I am committed to staying abroad until they finish school. The general environment is so much healthier for them. With the exception of the HK pollution. lol

I would guess that your chances are extremely slim to none.

One of the most important factors is the need to be open. Targeting one school (or even country) is too limiting. Especially with your particular situation. You would need to be prepared to go anywhere in the world that would take you.

4 children is a huge issue. You're not a certified teacher. That's 5 dependents. The only way that you'd be able to swing that is to go to QSI or something similar. Even if you became a teacher, your options are severely limited. This is probably a deal breaker.

No IB experience (not just training) is a negative but probably not a deal breaker.

A school like ISM will have several candidates with better qualifications-even in those high needs areas. They also attend many of the fairs and will probably look at those candidates first.

[quote="sonder117"]

* I guess what I'm looking for is more of a clear cut "cost of living scale" that I can keep in mind when applying to schools there.

* What is considered poor? Just enough? Comfortable? Living it up?

* Where would, say, 30,000 Hong Kong Dollars per month fall on that scale?

Thanks again for your expertise continued luck and fortune to all.[/quote]


Absolutely not living it up. You're talking about $4000 US a month. Hong Kong is expensive. A lot in HK depends on your housing. I use a general rule of your housing should be about 1/3 of your salary. Above that and you start to experience financial difficulties. It's nothing to spend 30k per month on just an apartment in HK. A lot depends on your needs. You can do anything from share an apartment or rent a modern place in the middle of the action. I don't know your circumstances. I spend 19K.

Food is relatively inexpensive but I pay a lot more than I would in the US. Eating out can get pricey. There are so many options and temptations. Transportation is relatively inexpensive. You can get by without a car using taxi, bus, ferry and MTR.

Look on the Asia xpat forum (Hong Kong). There are many people who have asked the same type of question about what salary would be sufficient to live. Also take a look at a real estate site like squarefoot.com.hk and see how the prices are running for something that you'd be interested in.

COL=cost of living

I'm sure they're avoiding buyer's remorse. Once you accept a job the search is over. They're just helping to make sure of it. It's annoying but I can only imagine how many more broken contracts there would be if people could keep on looking after they've already accepted a position.

Single mom of 2 here. I've met several of us along the way. It definitely isn't an added benefit in hiring, but there are plenty of schools that will work with you. Even schools that state that they don't prefer or don't hire singles with dep's. On my about me sheet, I also included a cute pic of my family (all smiles and hugs) so they definitely know what they're getting. That actually seemed to go over pretty well. Good luck!

I hope that it all works out for you and that you're able to seal the deal at UNI. I've now been to 4 different fairs including UNI and Search Cambridge. They're different in that Search has associates available and is in a nicer hotel but they basically work the same.

I wouldn't do it. I've been in the same position-scheduled for both Search Cambridge and San Francisco. I was able to cancel hotel rooms without penalty. I got a credit for the air ticket.

I don't think people will be that excited to network with someone who already has a job from another fair. To interview would be to waste the time of the recruiter as well as the other people who can legitimately take the job. I think your associate might even be more annoyed that you're there taking up time when you're not trying to get a job. It would look like you're still fishing around.

That being said, I know a couple who did what you mentioned and enjoyed their time in Cambridge. They just treated it as a vacation.

So, if you do get lucky and seal a job early and then go to Cambridge, tread lightly.

Don't go rogue. It just takes one time getting caught and your name is mud.

I think people have been discussing these conversations on the forum. At Search Bangkok they were checking nametags like hawks. I also overheard a conversation about schools that weren't registered that put things in teacher's boxes.

Apparently teacher's weren't afraid of the old-snitches get stitches. People will tell on you if they find out. The associates were definitely ready to take further action.

Ask if you can still attend. If the answer is no, ask again later. If the answer is still no-try to attend a later fair. If you can't, then put a good portfolio together and wait until after Cambridge and start selling yourself. People get hired without going to fairs.

I think that most of the better schools want you to have a certification and experience. But it's not a hard rule. Especially if you're part of a couple. Lot of learning support and ESL positions go to a teaching partner if they want the other half to fill a position badly enough.

I would have agreed with you before the fair but these are the lessons that I've learned. The 2 schools that came after me the hardest, didn't contact me before the fair. I mean found me in person outside of the sessions, asked their boards to change policy to hire me type of thing. I also heard one candidate say that he would never have thought about a school before the fair and now he was accepting an offer and the recruiter (from a Tier 1 school) said the exact same thing happens to me with a candidate.

I had 3 pre-fair interviews. One school twice. And didn't get the jobs. Last fair the pre-interview landed me a position in the first slot of interview sign-ups. Will probably never know why. But I did make a friend later on who worked at the school and gave me her opinion on why-and it made sense. I also met people who told me what had happened to my first choice positions that had disappeared before the fair.

I do make good friends at each fair. Real friends. The kind that I visit with during the year and visit me. I'm on Skype with one now. At this particular fair I talked sat for hours talking with a group and it turned out that a woman that I was chatting with worked at one of my top schools. I had already interviewed with them twice with no word. She later told me that she had gone to them and told them that I was the kind of person that they wanted at the fair. And hours later, they came to me and said just that. They wanted me at their school. It didn't work out because of another reason but it happened and I didn't doubt the school or the other candidate. So, you don't count on something like that but it can happen. There's a lot that you can learn about a person over the course of hours or days. So, no, I would never ask someone to vouch for me but if you're genuine and open then all types of things can happen.

Even though the fair was intense, I didn't view anyone as competition. I think people were sharing valuable information and cheering other candidates up and on-even in their old field. Teachers are kind of like that.

I luckily was welcomed to keep my current position. I felt confident that something would have worked out later in the season, but decided that it was best to stay in place right now.

My Lessons from Bangkok
1. These are the top international teachers. This is the first fair. Schools will hire but they are also willing to walk away and go to London and Cambridge.
2. Schools care about where you’ve been, how long you’ve been there, what you’ve taught, and what you can teach.
3. Network. Meet other teachers. They can put a word in for you or give you good information about positions past and present.
4. Even if they don’t have your position listed, if you’re interested in a school introduce yourself at a time outside of a busy sign-up session.
5. Schools notice if you attend their information session. If you’re really interested, show up. Schedule it like you would an interview.
6. It’s okay not to stay at the host hotel. You meet a lot of people in the candidate’s lounge. Make sure it’s easy to access the hotel. It’s also nice to stay at the host hotel.
7. I will continue to only interview with schools that I’m interested in after doing research. No need to waste anyone’s time and it hurts other serious candidates chances.
8. Just because the profile says so, doesn’t mean it is. Ask questions. Don’t hire dependants with children doesn’t mean it is so if they really want you.
9. Don’t worry about not hearing anything before the fair. Meaningful contact happens at the fair.
10. Creating a brochure or something snappy and colorful is a good idea.

No, the schools put notes in the boxes of candidates that they are seeking out. It's not at all reliant on you sending them a note. Hopefully along the way there is a meeting of schools that want you and schools that you want. Good luck.

I would not bother with another email. I would just put a note in their box expressing interest in meeting with them once you get there.

A combination. A lot of schools were willing to wait until London and Cambridge. The websites and Search database are not updated. I was looking at positions today that I know were filled at Search Bangkok.