I had not heard that expression before. ALL my shoes are for standing (walking, running, hiking, gardening); no "sitting" shoes.

You will be spending a lot of time racing from one interview to another, and will probably find that the stairs are faster than the elevators. There will probably be some sort of social as well, requiring standing.

The best job fair for you is the one that has the schools you are interested in, and those schools have openings you are qualified for. It's no good to go to the "best" fair if there are no openings for you.

Haven't checked deadlines, but UNI might still be available? It's a smaller fair but I found the recruiters hiring, not just fishing.

If you weren't enthusiastic about the school or the package and were just settling, I would say go to Boston. But it sounds like it's just what you wanted, and you're soooo-ooooo lucky your first time out! Sign it, relax, and be happy. There will be plenty of job fairs in your future.

I should think any employer would look favorably on your extracurricular activities. Your question is not selfish at all--while you obviously enjoy and seek out these activities, you are definitely benefiting the students. During interviews, you should ask about extracurricular opportunities* and mention that you enjoy developing and sponsoring various activities.

* I once asked about xc "opportunities" and got a very positive response from the interviewer. He told me later most people use words like "requirements" or "obligations," which sound rather grudging. I think the word opportunity indicates your interest and enthusiasm.

Speaking Spanish is probably not a requirement for most schools. The topic didn't even come up in my interview with my Quito school.

Hi, Nikkor,

I'm sending you a PM to keep this thread on-topic.

There is no crisis in Saudi Arabia. The compounds where you'd be living are far away from the action in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. Being concerned with instability in "the region" is like being fearful of living in the U.S. because of instability in, say, Honduras. I'm so unconcerned that I'm planning a trip to Iran next spring.

Still smells like a troll...

Are you sure it's for getting the visa, or the actual job? Most schools require a minimum of two years, but in some cases that may be a country requirement for working in certain professions. The school should be advising or helping you. If they've hired you, they should certainly know by now how much experience you have and can provide the proof. (Note, I'm not familiar with China specifically, so maybe it does have different requirements.)

This one http://www.aassa.com/ It's one of the earliest fairs, if not the earliest, and recruiters seem more likely to hire rather than simply scout out candidates for future reference. My former school did quite a bit of hiring there, and the SEARCH and UNI fairs were more like mop-up operations for them.

I agree Oman is a great place to live. I absolutely loved my lifestyle in Muscat and miss it quite a bit, but the school I was at was just poorly run although it had been operating for 20 years. I don't want to slam it as there are so many wonderful teachers still there. If you avoid the heavy drinking scene in the hotel bars, you can easily save 50-60% of your income (as I did in the two years I was there). I would have preferred TAISM, but there were no openings in my specialty.

For me, a "top tier" school is the one I really want to work at--location, package, and curric are all aligned with my priorities. I do not subscribe to other people's ideas of a top-tier school, which, while it may be JIS or SAS, would not suit me for various reasons.

I guess that depends on your definition of "international." I've always thought it to mean that the student body are international, not the staff. To me it didn't matter where anyone was from, anyway.

AASSA, American Association of South American Schools, is really the place to go if you're keen on South and Central America. They have a very early fair (early December). I can't speak for a PGCE curriculum; their Website will have info on their member schools so maybe you can have a look at the schools' Websites. Don't be put off by schools using the IB; some will hire and train you themselves.

Speaking Spanish or not is necessarily a deal maker or breaker.

The vast majority of the info I included on the spreadsheet came from Search's database, not from the individual schools' Web sites. And I definitely give no credence to the whiny, hearsay-heavy reviews.