Some of my friends use Home Away or AirBnB because you can stay for an extended time for essentially what you'd pay for rent.

tamartalin wrote:
> Oops. I mean that the rules specify that you'd need to be there all day Friday and
> Saturday, not Saturday and Sunday.

there aren't any rules that specify that you need to be there the entire time. I did Boston this year, it was an overwhelming but valuable experience. well worth it for me as someone who is entering international teaching for the first time. the job I ended up taking didn't come from the fair but I do think having all those interviews helped me hone my skills in a really short period of time. I'm generally a pretty good interviewer but as with any industry, there are specific questions that get asked over and over that you should be aware of. plus a lot of information can be gained from just being around that many people in the same boat as you

I did Thursday afternoon through early Sunday afternoon. I was luckily able to schedule my interviews so that I only had a two left Sunday morning (just follow ups) before getting to the airport. nothing happens until Thursday evening (unless you're interviewing for a leadership position), and even that orientation bit can be skipped if you've been to a fair before.
like the other posters have mentioned, I would say it's totally pointless unless you're there all day Friday and all day Saturday. and by all day Friday I mean you should be like ready to go at 6 am...which in my mind would mean being there from the night before.

it's already a stressful situation, don't make it worse by having to rush and feel like you missed things. take the days so you can be the best you for those interviews.

saving money-wise, maybe try an air b&B instead of a hotel. there's public transportation close to the hotel so that shouldn't be an issue. personally I chose to stay in the hotel because I didn't want to have to lug my stuff back and forth, but that's an option

I like the "teacher resume" set up.

section 1: name, contact info

section 2: teaching subject area (elementary education teacher, special education teacher, geography teacher, etc)
that "heading" is followed by a short almost vision statement

section 3: qualifications summary so basically all your special skills, curriculum expertise, etc

section 4: education and certifications

section 5: related job history

Ok! This conversation got super specific and I love it lol. Thanks a lot guys, very helpful

Thanks Teller!

I will be in Indonesia.
The school does have a list of suggested items (I pretty much have all of those covered), and in a month or so they will be assigning a "buddy" that I can annoy with all my questions lol, but I'm getting anxious!

I guess I also wanted some thoughts about those one off items that people forget to include on the general lists

I'm sure this topic has been discussed here in some capacity but I can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for (lots on shipping though so that's helpful)...and it's April so a combination of exhaustion and anxiety is setting in. I will be moving to southeast Asia. This will be only be the second time in my adult life having to pack and move (not counting college). I will luckily be moving into a furnished apartment. I don't have a lot of stuff in general so I likely won't go the shipping route and just pay for the extra bag(s) at the airport.

What do I bring with me? What do I leave behind? What do I just buy when I get there?

Aside from clothes and shoes, I already know that I will be bringing a year's worth of medication (OTC and prescription), hair and beauty products (including toothpaste, deodorant), and copies of all my important documents. That's it! I'm on the fence about everything else.

Do I bring bedding, pots/pans/cutlery, seasoning (someone suggested this and I see the logic behind it), electronics (personal printer, plug adapter), workout equipment (dumbbells etc)? I know I should bring some teaching supplies, but what?

Thanks

peachestotulips wrote:
> chanidee wrote:
>
> > I just said a bunch of negative stuff, but I wanted to give you a clear
> > picture, since you are literally the first person I've seen on this forum
> > discuss race and how it affects you when overseas and during the job
> > search.
>
> Actually there's an entire section of this site dedicated to non-Caucasian international
> teachers. It's been discussed, but overall minorities are still a minority in the
> world of international education.
> https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -overseas/


never stumbled upon that before. thanks!

nomcommun:
Regarding looking at places in the middle east and race relations, my best friend has been teaching in Doha for the past few years with his wife and now daughter. he doesn't love it there but it's livable, they have a life, friends, etc and are making/saving a good amount of money...no more than a good amount, a substantial amount. obviously they have two incomes so it would be a little different for you
societal stigma aside, if you are somewhere like Qatar, Oman, or the UAE, there's nothing you have to worry about legally being a single mother, since the child is already here (if you were pregnant that would be an issue)
re: race relations, due to the high number of migrant workers from Africa, there is quite a bit of discrimination. however, once they realize you're American, in general it's no longer a problem and you're treated with a certain level of respect. I don't think it's just because you're American but more so because you're American and not from ...fill in the blank African country
my friend got called the Arabic word for slave last year by one of his students. I don't really buy into the whole "they didn't know any better" thing when it comes to racist incidents like that one, but he felt that the child didn't particularly understand the gravity of what he was saying. coupled with the fact that it really is almost like living in a caste system there and teachers are maybe a step or so above the nannies and drivers. it was still hurtful though

I just said a bunch of negative stuff, but I wanted to give you a clear picture, since you are literally the first person I've seen on this forum discuss race and how it affects you when overseas and during the job search. but with that being said, I don't think you should count out the Middle East as an option. my friend's daughter is in an absolutely amazing (and expensive) nursery school where she is developing at a much faster rate than I think she would here in the US.

and btw I employed the same tactic of searching websites for faculty pictures before I applied to a school. if there were no minorities, I just didn't bother applying. in this huge world, if you somehow manage to have not a single person of color at your school, it's deliberate.

I would have to agree with what everyone has said so far. I got offered three jobs at three different schools in Kuwait and after doing my research, I turned down all of them. I had a family member that lived there for the past 2 years (albeit in the military) and I took a lot of what she said to heart. I also spoke in depth to a number of people at the Cambridge fair about their experiences there, even those working at the "better" schools didn't have much positive to say about it -- the schools and the country.
Example, during one of my interviews with what I'm assuming is considered the "top" schools, one of the selling points was that you can order food from a delivery app and "if you want fries from Burger King and pizza from Pizza Hut they pick it all up and bring it to you". ...yea
with that being said, you can make/save a substantial amount of money