Why do they do this? I have heard explanations that this is to process work visas, but when the holding period is for many months, I begin to grow wary. Is this a way to dissuade runners? Control for the sake of it?

Sturgeon's Law states that 90 percent of everything is crap. In the world at large, this might be an overstatement, but I think in the realm of education, this is about correct. The majority of schools are not places we would send our children, nor would we want to work there if given the option to get to a better place. The remaining ten percent of schools, however, are magical places, staffed by remarkable, inspiring people who do this for the right reasons.

In my experience, international school administrators can be some of the most cruel, selfish, manipulative, unethical, dishonest, people I have ever met. They cower to power and have no greater principle than stroking the hand that feeds them. Yes, there are always exceptions but in my experience, they are more the exception than the norm. In your opinion, what it is it about this position that can attract such selfish, unethical individuals? I have wondered if it might be that education, given its relatively low barrier to entry, can be a nest for those with a combination of average talent, low ethical standards and a high need to dominate. But there must be more to it than this....

@Thames Pirate... Yes, I know that there will always be those who fall beyond the broad strokes that I am using in those descriptions, but they may be more the exceptions than the norm. I do think that Psyguy raises a valid point when he suggests that, if you are a career IT in your 50's and you are at that fair, it is probable that you have made some errors in your career decisions and haven't acquired the network to secure a good position independent of the recruitment agencies.

We all know that you CAN, move from contract to contract throughout your career. My point, or at least the conclusion that dawned on me as I sat in the lobby of that London fair, mostly looking around and taking notes, was that just because you can, doesn't mean that it is a sound policy; the "nomad teacher" notion, probably works well in the first half of your career, but it can have real liabilities if carried into into the second half of your career due to issues of retirement (given the number of years of pension contribution required to have anything of substance), and the general problem that at a certain point in a career, if you haven't made it into a top tier school, the door shuts and recruiters assume that if you were a top caliber teacher, you should have arrived at a top tier school by now, thus leading one to these Search fairs, waiting for a cattle bell to ring, sweating in a business suit, a stack of resumes in hand.

Two years ago, at the January London fair, it struck me that IT's fell into two two different age brackets. The 20 and 30 somethings, overall, had an air of ease and confidence to them. Meanwhile, you could sense the tension in the faces and body language of the 40's and 50's set. And it struck me that going forward, it was in my interest to not be one of those people in the second half of their career, showing up at a fair with a fresh stack of resumes trying to impress recruiters.

So my question is, what is your opinion?

Is there a danger in assuming that jumping from contract to contract is a viable career plan for an IT? Should the IT be moving towards a job/location where they finally stay in and no longer move? Does the IT reach an age where their prospects begin to decline as they jump from contract to contract?

Any updates/diaries from people at the London Search fair this weekend?