The International Schools Review Forum

I have had several requests to interview from schools I never applied to. They accessed my information from the recruitment agency website. I did not apply to these schools for various reasons. However I am always open to possibilities and interview practice! For the schools I am most interested in, I applied and I imagine so did hoards of other people! So my question is to find out if my gut instinct is correct: the schools that found me on the recruitment website and contacted me are probably less desirable schools to everyone and so they didn't get as many qualified applicants. So they have to go find them for themselves. Accurate or not?

For the most part thats pretty accurate. The majority of schools that go after candidates, simply dont get the applications that the "better" schools get, and the reason is that they are usually 3rd tier schools or in very undesirable places teachers dont want to work.

The exception to that is very hard to fill find teaching areas and the real "all star" teachers. Things like chemistry, physics, math, etc are usually very hard to fill, so even tier 2 and sometimes tier 1 schools have to take the initiative when pursuing those candidates.

Im betting most of the schools that contacted you are in the middle east, africa, or rural areas of asia.

Western Europe, Middle East, Asia. All actually are in very desirable locations - to me anyway. Two I think are 2nd tier schools, and one I'm not sure about but based on ISR reviews isn't too high! I know none are tier 1 schools! Probably because my position is more specialized has something to do with it.

A real specialized field would do it. I know one teacher who is UN/DOS certified in half a dozen languages, who usually gets a job offer in 2 weeks every time hes looking for one. So yeah a specialized field would attract recruiters to you.

[quote="PsyGuy"]A real specialized field would do it. I know one teacher who is UN/DOS certified in half a dozen languages, who usually gets a job offer in 2 weeks every time hes looking for one. So yeah a specialized field would attract recruiters to you.[/quote]

I've also received quite a few unsolicited contacts this year. Most have been schools/places I hadn't really considered. A few have been from apparently very good schools (at least the best school in their city/country). I haven't agreed to interview at this point, but I have politely responded and said that currently we are looking to stay in Asia, but would reach out if that changed.

I've gotten about 28 invites, but only 2 I'd interview with.

Being contacted by a school does not mean they are necessarily 2nd tier or 3rd tier or in 'undesirable' locations. Do your research and find out more about the school. I was contacted by schools in HK and other regions in Asia with good reputations a couple of weeks before the fair. I am a specialist though, so my position is harder to fill. It probably means you have good references coupled with a desirable specialist. You will notice this contact increases right before the fair. Good-luck!

Exactly. I would definitely keep an open mind regarding these schools; it's quite possible they prefer to find candidates via the agency's data base (isn't that what it's for??) rather than attending fairs. Personally I don't see much difference between them contacting you this way, and slipping a note in your job fair folder requesting an interview.

I wasnt trying to rub anything in anyones face. I just have a lot of certifications so I come up a lot when recruiters do a search. Its just a numbers phenomenon (an increased presence, equals increased attention). As i said most of the schools (all but 2) I wouldnt even interview with.

Almost every school I know sends out invitations to people they're interested in. All tiers.
Take it as a compliment, do a little research, and figure out how you feel about the school and location.
The few schools I know who don't bother, are a couple with such fantastic locations that they will be inundated with eager candidates. The line at Paris's table is always silly long, and it's not because the school has such a great reputation. Still, I think it's shortsighted of them not to invite. If nothing else, they should be scouring the candidate lists and prioritizing who they find most compelling - it'll save them time sifting through the long line of everyone who ever dreamt of living in Paris.

Thank you everyone. Your responses are truly appreciated!

Are you a psychologist? I am a school psychologist in the USA. I am interviewing with International School in Hamburg (ISH) for a counselor position, but they need someone experienced with assessment/testing. Can you give me any advice on working for ISH or Germany? What about as a counselor/psychologist?

Are you a psychologist Psyguy? I am a school psychologist in the USA. I am interviewing with International School in Hamburg (ISH) for a counselor position, but they need someone experienced with assessment/testing. Can you give me any advice on working for ISH or Germany? What about as a counselor/psychologist?

[quote="PsyGuy"]I wasnt trying to rub anything in anyones face. I just have a lot of certifications so I come up a lot when recruiters do a search. Its just a numbers phenomenon (an increased presence, equals increased attention). As i said most of the schools (all but 2) I wouldnt even interview with.[/quote]

Im not a psychologist, my doctorate is in Social Science.