Search Fair for 4 Days?

[wilcoman]

I might try to go to the Boston/Cambridge Search Fair next year, but the fact that it is 4 days seems difficult with missing work/hotel expenses. Does anyone know the normal schedule for this fair and if teachers should/have to attend all four days?

Thanks

[shadowjack]

Wilcoman,

all depends. Some people get hired before the fair, as late as the night before. Others get hired on the last day. Others in between. Still others because of the contact/interviews from the fair.

So, I think it is worth it. However, others might disagree.

[Nomads]

Wilcoman,

For candidates, it is generally a two and half day event. It is good if you can be there on the Thursday for early interviews, but not absolutely necessary. Most candidates, who do not live locally, travel on Thursday and get to the hotel by mid to late afternoon on Thursday. If you live close enough, you can catch a late flight after work on Thursday.

The key days are Friday and Saturday. You definitely want to the be there for the sign-ups on Friday morning. Interviews will take place Friday afternoon and Saturday. You can leave on Sunday early afternoon or even morning if needed to get back home for work on Monday.

[martalin]

Depending on where you live, you could only take off Friday. At the most, Thursday and Friday. You'll need to be there by early evening on Thursday to register (this year registration closed at 6pm). The fair guidelines state that "if you cannot arrive prior to the end of registration and stay all day on Saturday and Sunday you will not be able to participate in the fair." On Sunday the fair officially ends in the late afternoon (this year it ended at 4pm), but you are really free to leave whenever you want that day as long as you realize that you are cutting off possible interviews.

Accommodations in Cambridge can be quite expensive, especially the fair hotel itself, but you will want to stay in Cambridge versus other parts of Boston to be close to the fair. I'd recommend booking a refundable room early on. There were some very affordable small inns and rooms listed at airBnBs that were within walking distance of the fair this year.

[martalin]

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

[buffalofan]

If you are going to go the fair, go all in and stay the 4 days. Beware bailing early, I got my first real international school gig on the last day of the fair in a late afternoon interview. I did not have much experience at the time, but schools become much more flexible in this area if they are still interviewing on the last day.

Also, if a winter storm blows through (not uncommon at this fair) you are not going anywhere regardless.

[PsyGuy]

It is unlikely you would need all four days. Thursday night is when "first night" and leadership interviews take place. These are ITs who have already discussed the position, and the interview is just a meet and greet, hand shaking formality. They are usually signed and done before signup. The morning of the first full day is signup, and its imperative that you are there (the rest of the fair takes place in recruiters hotel rooms). Signup lasts a few hours and then its interviews. First day interview slots are the most encouraging. It means a recruiter really wants to talk to you and youre a priority candidate. Recruiters will make an offer to a first day slot candidate with a deadline of that evening. If the candidate accepts the offer, then they can cancel interviews for that vacancy and schedule additional candidates for unfilled vacancies for the second day interview slots. Second day interview slots arent as encouraging, but the process repeats. Most recruiting is completed the evening of the third day, which is also the social and the last opportunity to network and secure a potential interview and offer. The fourth day is really depressing, its ITs who havent been offered contracts and ISs no on has accepted contracts for.

Most ITs are done by some time on day 2 (Saturday), and if you dont have an advance first night interview, you could cut the fair down to 2 days/nights. Friday (you want to be there in the morning for signup) and either leave Saturday evening (checkout Saturday morning,and keep your bag in the candidate room) or leave Sunday morning.
There are a number of candidates that come in for only one day. They have a first night interview that they intend to sign with or they are either only interested in a small number of regional ISs and they have advance interviews all on day one or they only intend to signup with a small number of regional ISs at signup and they either get them or dont. I know ITs that came to interview for only 1 or 2 ISs and those ISs filled their vacancies in first night recruiting, and the candidates left and didnt participate in signup. Others have a EU or bust focus, they go to signup and none of the EU IS extend them interviews so they leave.

[reisgio]

If you can't afford to go for four days, you should ask yourself if you chose the right career path. If you are that poor and/or poor at planning time off then maybe you should work as a bank teller before those jobs are completely turned over to computers. At least you could rest your brain for a while and make a bit more money. Yet, Search depends on just such people to fill the hotel rooms and ballrooms at their fairs. These are the ones who believe the speech of Don Vito Corleone and his daughter and their assembled band who remind you to "keep an open mind as to where you will end up." After all, $20,000/year in Casablanca can't be that bad. You will have an enriching experience, if not a financially enriching one. Ha! My offers never came at fairs, they came in the days right after only after I plugged away all four fair days networking and networking and networking some more. I always left pissed that I had no job but pleased that I wasn't leaving after taking one face to face made by a philanderer looking for a dupe to sign right away in Dubai, Kuwait, China, or the Caribbean or else lose all chances until next recruiting season. Don't put up with that BS!

[Dredge]

Geez...someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or is drunk posting.

[reisgio]

It's sad when having a strong opinion gets one labeled as a drunk poster. Take on my argument, not me.

[PsyGuy]

@reisgio

Ad hominem attacks are usually an indication that the oppositions position is too weak to withstand debate. That said your claims express mostly opinions of preference, and bias for your own experience. There is nothing wrong with that, when recognized for what it is, but your positions and claims are akin to debating the superiority or rightness of vanilla ice cream of strawberry ice cream and is not generally a productive argument.

[chanidee]

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