Hi All,
a question for the Fair veterans. I have an invitation to the BKK Fair at the moment, but the schools I'm interested in either don't have my area or are not attending the Fair. Is it still worth going, as some of the schools I want to go after will be there? Do jobs ever appear AT the fair, before being put onto the Search database?
Thanks for any advice.
Going to the BKK Fair?
Should I go or should I stay?
This is really early for schools to know their recruiting needs. Most expect their teachers to declare in December at the earliest. My guess is you will see a rush of vacancies between Dec 1 and Dec 15. If you have been offered a place at SEARCH Bangkok, that means your Associate thinks you must have a good chance of scoring a job - otherwise (s)he wouldn't have given you a slot in the first place. Go for it!
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
This discussion brings up some interesting tangential issues.
How common is it that schools hire the second choice at the same fair if their "dream applicant" turns them down? Especially one as early as BKK? Do they generally go for "second choice at BKK" or "new prospects at London/Cambridge?" If my wife and I come away empty from BKK, should we start making plans to head back home? I would really like to hear from recruiters on this one. SA does say something like half of all hirings do come after the fairs...
While I understand Shadowjack's advice in involving a back-up plan, our attending both the Search BKK and the Search London fairs is financially prohibitive. Should we not get hired at BKK we're hoping contacts/positive interactions with recruiters at the fair will help us as January turns to February and March. OK, that could be really naive, but how many job fairs do schools really expect us to attend?
Also, to follow up on the OP's question, if a school is interested in a us but is not attending the BKK fair, how much does it hurt our chances? I would like to think that if an applicant comes up on a school's radar, but is attending a different fair than the applicant, said school would use technology such as Skype in lieu of a F2F interview to give that applicant a chance at the job. Or, am I being naive again?
How common is it that schools hire the second choice at the same fair if their "dream applicant" turns them down? Especially one as early as BKK? Do they generally go for "second choice at BKK" or "new prospects at London/Cambridge?" If my wife and I come away empty from BKK, should we start making plans to head back home? I would really like to hear from recruiters on this one. SA does say something like half of all hirings do come after the fairs...
While I understand Shadowjack's advice in involving a back-up plan, our attending both the Search BKK and the Search London fairs is financially prohibitive. Should we not get hired at BKK we're hoping contacts/positive interactions with recruiters at the fair will help us as January turns to February and March. OK, that could be really naive, but how many job fairs do schools really expect us to attend?
Also, to follow up on the OP's question, if a school is interested in a us but is not attending the BKK fair, how much does it hurt our chances? I would like to think that if an applicant comes up on a school's radar, but is attending a different fair than the applicant, said school would use technology such as Skype in lieu of a F2F interview to give that applicant a chance at the job. Or, am I being naive again?
-
shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Teller, go to the fair. I came away with a job last year, but also had some schools I and Mrs. Shadowjack were very interested in who were not in a position to make hiring decisions yet, but who expressed great interest in me/us. Ultimately, I think I made the right choice, but I had more options after the fair.
And...after that when I returned home, I had three emails from other schools I had applied at who were interested in discussing positions I had applied for earlier.
So go, keep an open mind, and make sure you are applying to a range of schools - we cast a broad net and it paid off. I am loving my fair school that is off the beaten path and wasn't on our radar.
And...after that when I returned home, I had three emails from other schools I had applied at who were interested in discussing positions I had applied for earlier.
So go, keep an open mind, and make sure you are applying to a range of schools - we cast a broad net and it paid off. I am loving my fair school that is off the beaten path and wasn't on our radar.
Thanks Shadowjack. We certainly plan to go to the fair, and we know there is a very real possibility that we will leave without jobs. What makes it worse, and what has been stated in other posts on this forum, is the fact that we don't have a job waiting for us in the Fall. It's quite disconcerting to say the least.
Hopefully those schools that are not going to the BKK fair but are interested in talking with us will use alternatives such as Skype. That, or we'll make enough contacts at BKK that schools will take a second look at us if their top candidates at other fairs choose an alternative position.
Glad to hear you and Mrs. Shadowjack are enjoying your post--also really enjoyed reading about your BKK experience last year--I think a lot of us were living vicariously through you!
Hopefully those schools that are not going to the BKK fair but are interested in talking with us will use alternatives such as Skype. That, or we'll make enough contacts at BKK that schools will take a second look at us if their top candidates at other fairs choose an alternative position.
Glad to hear you and Mrs. Shadowjack are enjoying your post--also really enjoyed reading about your BKK experience last year--I think a lot of us were living vicariously through you!
ISS vs SEARCH BKK
Because of work it is difficult to attend fairs. With that being said I think I can do BKK with ISS for first 3 days... Is ISS BKK less desirable than SEARCH? I hear BKK SEARCH is intense. I am not a part of a team and so if my chances are diminished I will just continue to plug away with sending out resumes and having paid memberships.
So just wondering if it is worth it for me to go to ISS BKK but only for the first 3 days would it be a wast of time?
So just wondering if it is worth it for me to go to ISS BKK but only for the first 3 days would it be a wast of time?
If jobs at ISS fit you, GO!!!
Sending resumes at this time will probably not do much for you. After The main fairs are over, then schools go back and fill in using other techniques.
Do yourself a favor, increase your chances and opportunities, go to the fair. Worst case, you don't get a job, but make contacts, or even open a door for a late season opening.
Sending resumes at this time will probably not do much for you. After The main fairs are over, then schools go back and fill in using other techniques.
Do yourself a favor, increase your chances and opportunities, go to the fair. Worst case, you don't get a job, but make contacts, or even open a door for a late season opening.
[quote="Briz"]If jobs at ISS fit you, GO!!!
Sending resumes at this time will probably not do much for you. After The main fairs are over, then schools go back and fill in using other techniques.
Do yourself a favor, increase your chances and opportunities, go to the fair. Worst case, you don't get a job, but make contacts, or even open a door for a late season opening.[/quote]
Plans have changed I can not attend the fair. And no responses to emails since we are in the middle of the holidays.
Sending resumes at this time will probably not do much for you. After The main fairs are over, then schools go back and fill in using other techniques.
Do yourself a favor, increase your chances and opportunities, go to the fair. Worst case, you don't get a job, but make contacts, or even open a door for a late season opening.[/quote]
Plans have changed I can not attend the fair. And no responses to emails since we are in the middle of the holidays.