The International Schools Review Forum

Hej all,

although I was not expecting it, I got a notification of a school in the Americas about their possible interest in my profile.

They would like me to send over all my information, including three letters of references.

I was wondering; should I ask the people writing the references to write one specifically for that school, or to write a more general one which I can possibly use in a later stage? I would not like to bother them on a frequent scale about this matter..

Thanks in advance!

None of the veteran teachers here as any idea?

I also wanted to ask if it is common that schools approach candidates through TIE? Are they having difficulties filling the position, or is it normal for schools to 'poke' potential candidates that they find via TIE?

Thanks a bunch!

Only ask once. You are more likely to get it quickly if you provide in your request if there is anything you want stressed. What student activities have you run? What PD have you done pr committees?

Does that help?

Thanks Overseasvet!

I already thought so indeed, so I kindly asked them to write a recommandation that is a bit more general, so I can use it in the (near) future.

Any thoughts on my second question with regards to being approached by a school via TIE?

I was contacted for my current job via TIE. School recruiters use every method available rather than relying solely on fairs. Our school attends 2 or 3 fairs each year, but also contacts candidates directly through the agencies. In my own case, attending a fair was out of the question so i was interviewed via Skype and by telephone.

Thanks Tdaley!

Maybe an odd question, but I will just go on and ask:

Should I get my hopes up? Or is it common for schools to approach hundereds of candidates in this way? Or is it more selective?

Schools do not contact hundreds of candidates through TIE. I would contact the candidates who had the experience and background I was looking for, although most top tier schools rely on the closed references from Search and ISS given that confidential references are have much more credibility than open letters of references.

You should take it as a positive sign.