Fair Prep Bangkok/London/Boston

[b12r]

Asking all the posters who have went went to these fairs. I plan on attending the Bos fair at the end of January but know there are other posters new to the fair process that would love some tips or advice.

As for me, I have my resumes (35) and Ichiro's(60, it is kind of like a business card with my pictures and work experience on it) printed ready to roll. Any other suggestions on what to bring as far as giving to recruiters?

I plan to arrive at noon Thursday so I can get settled into hotel early before the fun begins. Flight departs around 5 Sunday. I chose to share a room with someone at the fair mainly for camaraderie... It is my first fair so I am kind of heading into this thing blindly, like most newbies I would imagine.

As far as pre fair interest, I have not had much. Fingers crossed it picks up over the next few weeks. I have sent out 30+ emails/apps to schools and I have had some basic responses plus one skype interview. I look forward to the whole process thought since it is new to me.

Like I said, any advice is much appreciated. Hope to see a few of you guys in Bos!

[Thames Pirate]

It sounds like you have the obvious covered, but it never hurts to remind people--dress and act professionally (even during the "off" times), have your ducks in a row as far as paperwork, be friendly and proactive, practice your interviewing skills (including things like controlling fidgeting and maintaining eye contact--and a bit of extra reading on body language or interviewing in general across cultures never hurt), be confident, have tissues (nothing worse than sneezing and having a hand full of snot in someone's hotel room during an interview), etc.

One thing we did was a bit of extra research on the schools we were most interested in, particularly ones where we felt we had a realistic chance. We looked over the school website, made note of one or two distinguishing features, made note of the school mission/vision, and put a photo and name of the attending recruiter (wherever possible which was most schools) with it. We put the whole thing into a little cheat sheet to carry in our folders. That way you have a few faces in your head and when you see them around the fair (like in an elevator), you can take a quick peek and immediately say or ask something specific about their school (a question about their theatre program or their green school initiative). Because we ended up being hired pre-fair, we ended up not needing it, but I got my first job by talking to a recruiter in this fashion in an elevator (without the cheat sheet, but I was lucky to remember stuff that time). It's not really advice, just an idea we used. Even making the sheet was helpful because when you start looking at a bunch of mission statements and digging around websites, you can see which schools have a disconnect between the stated mission and the actual values--which might be a red flag or at least an interview question or maybe an opportunity. It was certainly helpful in clarifying what we wanted. I also felt like I was more able to recognise the various recruiters, which also helped me feel more prepared. So take that for what it is.

Also, plan your strategy. If you are new to IT, don't spend the entire signup session in line for one elite school. Know where to target your paperwork. If you like a school, even if they don't have openings just yet, talk to the recruiter anyway; people change their minds, jobs open up mid-fair, or they might know that someone is pregnant but they haven't filed for leave (so they can't post the job). That elevator guy? He hired me unofficially for an unposted maternity cover that led to a full time offer for the following year (and hubby was hired officially). But don't waste energy on those hopes, especially during critical times--focus on where you have the greatest chance for success. Stay positive and energetic, even if you are ready to tear out your hair or just want to sit alone for awhile and recharge.

Also, talk to other teachers. You can learn about their current schools or countries, find out what some of the weirdest or toughest interview questions they faced were, or maybe get a fresh set of eyes to look over a note before you drop it in a recruiter's folder (after writing 10 of them, they start to look the same). You can be encouraging to others, and they will hopefully return the favour--and if not, at least you have made someone else feel good and you can take satisfaction in that.

You will find something great! Good luck!

[shadowjack]

Here is a link to my fair diary of a few years ago...

http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... f=1&t=2915

[b12r]

Thank you Thames and Shadow for the responses. I have definitely made some notes from your suggestions.

Are fair diary's still "allowed"? I would love to make one as a first time IT experience from the pre fair process through the fair process and eventually being hired (staying optimistic haha).

As I said, I plan on attending BOS. I teach in a "niche" area (Sped) and have had mixed results. I am not really picky in my locations, I just do not want to go to a hardship location. I know this somewhat narrows down my search in some ways as well as maybe being picky in some peoples eyes... Credential wise, I have 4 years of teaching on record as well as being department head in each year (I really figured that would have more sway in my search but thus far it seems as though it has not). I have had very minimal interest and have contacted round 40 schools.

After looking at the BOS fair, I am interested in 13 schools that will be in attendance with vacancies at my position. Is this normal? Any of the 13 would be wonderful places to be hired at, not because the location is great, but the schools seem great as well. I am not at the position where it is teach abroad or bust but I would love to begin my IT career in fall of 2017.

Thanks for the insight from you vets!

[Thames Pirate]

Go ahead and apply for vacancies at schools not attending the fair. You might get a Skype interview and even a job. Can't hurt.

[wrldtrvlr123]

b12r wrote:
> Thank you Thames and Shadow for the responses. I have definitely made some
> notes from your suggestions.
>
> Are fair diary's still "allowed"? I would love to make one as a
> first time IT experience from the pre fair process through the fair process
> and eventually being hired (staying optimistic haha).
>
> As I said, I plan on attending BOS. I teach in a "niche" area
> (Sped) and have had mixed results. I am not really picky in my locations, I
> just do not want to go to a hardship location. I know this somewhat narrows
> down my search in some ways as well as maybe being picky in some peoples
> eyes... Credential wise, I have 4 years of teaching on record as well as
> being department head in each year (I really figured that would have more
> sway in my search but thus far it seems as though it has not). I have had
> very minimal interest and have contacted round 40 schools.
>
> After looking at the BOS fair, I am interested in 13 schools that will be
> in attendance with vacancies at my position. Is this normal? Any of the 13
> would be wonderful places to be hired at, not because the location is
> great, but the schools seem great as well. I am not at the position where
> it is teach abroad or bust but I would love to begin my IT career in fall
> of 2017.
>
> Thanks for the insight from you vets!
==================================
I am also in SPED. 13 vacancies at schools/locations you are genuinely interested is a pretty good position to be at going into a fair. We got hired at our first fair when I only had two years of experience and then struck out the next two fairs we attended when I was even better qualified so you never know how it will work out. Ideally you will get more interest from the schools attending with vacancies in your area (even a quick hope to see you at the fair is always nice) but don't despair if it doesn't happen.

Department head in SPED probably doesn't carry that much weight internationally. SPED departments at int'l schools are generally small so unless they are really looking for someone to act in a supervisory capacity and/or rebuild/start up a program, they will mainly care about you being able to do everything required to work with their particular population. This will mostly be students with fairly mild deficits/disabilities so make sure that you are playing up your training experience with push-in/pull-out, inclusion, tutoring, etc.

I would think that fair diaries should still be fine. As long as you aren't naming schools and/or violating other forum rules no one will say neigh about it. Good luck and keep us posted!

[b12r]

Thanks! somewhat feeling better about it. I, of course, am applying to any school of interest at this time... not just attending the fair but even those not.

I will post a fair diary before, during, and after scoping the entire process. I was particularly interested in this process as I was researching IS.

[CountingCarbons]

I'm attending London this week and steadily becoming more nervous. I've only been teaching a few years and I'm relatively young. It suppose that it helps I teach an in demand subject, but my nerves are starting to get to me! Any tips for new teachers? I have no experience in IB, but want to show that I'm willing to learn and move my career in that direction.

The number of schools is kind of limited, though to be expected with my field. I only see about seven that I really want to interview with, but I'm wondering if that is too narrow a focus. Would approaching schools that I know were recently hiring be okay? Primary focus is Europe, especially with my background of living there. I know competition is pretty fierce... I'll probably take a lot of other interviews as it can't hurt to brush up my skills.

[Thames Pirate]

There are young teachers everywhere--even Tier 1 schools. Good teaching is good teaching. Rely on that fact in your interviews. Be prepared, obviously--know the school, know what questions to ask, know what potential problems there are in a school or location so you can clarify, etc. Know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can work off of those to score the interviews and to interview well.

It's okay to be a bit picky, but don't be TOO picky. Our first time out, we said Europe or bust (as non-IB teachers at the London fair). Everyone said it was a pipe dream. We ended up looking at schools we never thought we would want, liking and seriously considering them, and then getting Western Europe after all. But we had never seriously considered certain countries before the fair only to realise there were schools in places we had never considered that we really liked (and, obviously, schools in Europe that were not what we had hoped).

Tips?

--Research, research, research. Know a lot about the 7 schools you want (including recognising their recruiter). I have used a cheat sheet model (school mission, pic with name of recruiter, a few highlights about the school for each of my top picks)--even putting it together was incredibly valuable, and while we ended up hired before the fair, we were prepared to throw a quick glance at it while in an elevator or in line at signups or whatnot. We did it for our top picks with vacancies and without just in case.

--Confidence. I know PsyGuy will say I believe in confidence over competence. No. I believe in confidence IN your competence. If you are good, schools can tell, even if you are young or relatively green. If you aren't good, schools will know and you will bounce around until you move up the ladder by luck, no matter how confident you are. So trust that good teaching is good teaching while IB can be taught relatively easily. In other words, have faith in what you know and be humble about what you don't. With that should also come thick skin. No matter how good you are, someone will reject you based on some unknown quality missing from your CV or whatever. Don't let it get to you.

--Networking and cold applications. Spend your energy on schools that have openings, but as signups dwindle, take a few minutes to introduce yourself to recruiters at schools you like if possible ("Hi, I'm CC, and I teach X. I know you don't have any vacancies atm, but I like your school because of Y and was hoping you could keep me in mind for future vacancies"--maybe throw in a question or two). Talk to people all the time--be on your A game always. I got my first job for an as-yet-unposted vacancy through a conversation like that in an elevator. Often there are vacancies or potential openings that cannot be filled yet (director knows someone is pregnant, but can't fill the position until they officially request leave or knows someone is thinking seriously of leaving but can't post the job until they declare, which they might not do until the fair is over and they have a new job). Also, talk to the other teachers. Sometimes you can get insight into a school by talking to a teacher leaving there, learn something about how a director interviews by listening to previous interviewees, or even learn about those unposted vacancies. Obviously, focus your energy on actual jobs vs. wishful thinking, but if you broaden your horizons beyond the posters on the wall, you can find stuff, too.

--Broaden your search. If you go in only looking at 7 schools, it might end badly, particularly if 4 hire before the fair. If you go in focusing on 7 but open to 27, you might find yourself at one of the 7 or you might not--but at least you won't go away feeling like it was a giant waste. Even if you get 27 rejections, you are likely to at least learn a lot about the process and have a few interviews along the way. As you said, take the interviews. Don't rule out lots of other places, especially if they might end up as stepping stones to Europe.

--Contact before the fair. I am assuming you have done this, but I will say it just in case. You might get that pre-fair interview. You won't get it if you wait until signups! Also, even if you applied and haven't heard, go ahead and introduce yourself to the recruiter at your earliest convenience. The HR department may have given the recruiter a stack of "top picks" who get notes in the box and binned you, but the recruiter at the fair might not even know you have applied. However, if they like you, they may pick you ahead of that stack the HR person gave them as "top picks."

--Go to presentations. It is another chance to network or just show your face to recruiters. Try to ask at least one question at the presentation (remember the research?) so that the recruiter remembers you--if before the signups it might help you get the interview--if after the interview, it might help show the recruiter that you are absolutely serious about the job and that it is your top pick (recruiters like that, even if it isn't true). Go to as many as you can, even if you are exhausted and your brain is full and you weren't really considering the school. Again, we wound up considering schools we never otherwise would have.

Nerves are normal. But everyone is nervous, so don't worry about it. You will find something great! Good luck!

[joe30]

Goodness me, I can't think of many things worse in a work context than having to attend a fair, forced to do a bunch of interviews one after the other, and have to be on your guard regarding what you say and do for two whole days. Not to mention the expense of it all - unless you happen to live in London or Bangkok already, that's not going to be cheap.

Skype all day and every day. In this era of technology, these fairs just seem redundant. There's nothing you can ask someone face to face that you can't do over Skype, and they'll know what you look like as soon as you set up the video call, for schools that care about that sort of thing.

Parading about and having to be friendly to those that are your direct competition...ugh, no thanks, count me out - now and forever.

[CountingCarbons]

So much information! I feel like I put a lot off as I had a lot of things going on over Christmas break.

Currently I'm sitting here and emailing all of the schools I've previously emailed just saying, "Hey, I'll see you there!" Looking at the list and a lot of the WE and EE schools don't even have any positions open at all (Those previously mentioned "Cold applications") yet they are attending. Why might that be? I think I'll spend the rest of the day sending in some emails to them and putting those on my contact on the last day list.

[Thames Pirate]

Joe, many schools prefer that face to face for either finalising their choices (final meet and greet or picking the one of their three choices) or for narrowing down their list and doing second interviews over Skype. Some schools are all about Skype, etc. Others are all about the in-person. Some do both.

It is demanding, so I can see why it isn't your thing. However, it is also educational and interesting.

CC, it isn't uncommon for fairs to be partly about speculation--collecting applications for positions they think will open up (is Smith going to retire? Is Jones actually pregnant? Will Johnson end up with a job? Miller's spouse is unhappy--will he/she convince him to leave? Brown's health hasn't been good--we may need a replacement on short notice). They may not have posted notices online yet or at all, partly because some schools were on break through this weekend, meaning many teachers may just be giving word now. There is probably some politicking going on with pre-fair recruiting, etc.

Good luck!

[joe30]

Some schools might prefer it, but I'm questioning 'why'. What exactly can be gained from a face to face interview that can't be done over Skype?

Plus it goes without saying Skype is a lot easier, since you can have a list of info about the school in front of you (but out of webcam view) and can prepare answers to common questions beforehand so there's less having to think on the spot. Means your interview prep can be a lot shorter.

[Thames Pirate]

Skype is easier and cheaper for the interviewee, but for the recruiter, setting up numerous Skype interviews scattered across a longer timeframe is inconvenient. It is tricky to compare them effectively and requires a fair bit of coordination (especially when dealing with timezones--both recruiters and teachers have stories of getting up at 3 am and conducting Skype interviews, for example. It's a pain when it's more than once, as it would be for a recruiter. Having a bunch of candidates easily available in one place in one time with backups also around is handy. This is especially true for schools who want to do follow up interviews.

Also, they don't want you to have a cheatsheet beside you. They gain precisely that--the ability to see you. Often a "vibe" doesn't come across in Skype the way it would in person, both for better and for worse, so schools like to feel candidates out. They eliminate the "cheat sheet" element and get your honest, not-from-a-script answers. Yes, those are better for you, but they aren't for the recruiter. Remember, they aren't in it for your convenience, but for their own and the school's. Besides, why would you need a cheat sheet to answer common questions?

If you want to limit yourself to those schools who only hire via Skype, that's certainly your choice. It works out for a lot of people and schools. However, if the school you are applying to is attending a fair, you are going to be hard pressed to beat out candidates they meet in real life unless you have a killer resume. If the school has a choice between two otherwise equal candidates but can meet A in person and B only via Skype, A has a HUGE edge.

[joe30]

It must cost a lot for the schools to attend these fairs too. The recruiter isn't paying his own airfare out there after all, plus there's the cost of the hotel. It costs everyone a lot of money - money that could be saved by using Skype.

I doubt a few interviews at poor times is more inconvenient than having to fly to a different country and stay there for a few days. More to the point though, it's certainly not more convenient for the employee.

The reason one has a cheatsheet is because it enables better answers. You can relate your answers to precise info about the school. When the interviewer asks the inevitable 'have you any questions for me?' you can have a pre-prepared list already made. Else much of interviewing is a memory test as you try and recall specific info about this school (extra difficult if you're interviewing many times on the same day). Didn't you say you had a similar cheatsheet when you went to fairs? So the only difference is when on Skype, you can actually have it in front of you, rather than try to remember it all.

Most of all though my criticism of fairs comes from the toxic atmosphere that is in places like this. Having to watch what you say. Never being sure who you can trust. Not being able to even have a drink at the hotel bar in case some recruiter takes offence. The rushing around. The highly competetive cut-throat vibe. 2 days of this. I'd liken it to 'assessment days' that large companies sometimes use to recruit staff. Those suck too, big time.