Hi,
My wife and I will be attending the Cambridge job fair this week as a teaching couple with our 3-month old baby. It will be our first time attending a job fair. We will not be able to participate in the interviews together because one of us will have to take care of the baby. We will tell the recruiters about our situation and ask for separate interviews.
We were wondering what kind of other challenges we would face during the fair and how we can prepare for them.
Thank you.
Attending a job fair with a baby
Response
Dont
Get a sitter or child care, or leave the baby at home.
What you are asking a recruiter to do is spend twice as many interview slots out of a very limited and finite number of available slots. What will happen is you will lose opportunities or only one of you will be able to interview. A really motivated recruiter may split the slot with you, but again its just more work, and your conveying the impression to the recruiter right away that your going to require accommodation to deal with your newborn.
The other challenges will essentially be fewer offers, availability and cost of child care vary by region and recruiters are going to see your newborn as a potential complication that makes you less attractive. Your nanny is late on X day so one of you has to miss your first period class, or your AT has to cover the homeroom by themselves. Then its you have to find a western pediatrician and its just more work and complications when there are plenty of baby-less teaching couples and singles. Not saying its all doom and gloom but if there is any way you an avoid the subject and announcement or complications of an infant it would be far better for your marketability and presentation.
Get a sitter or child care, or leave the baby at home.
What you are asking a recruiter to do is spend twice as many interview slots out of a very limited and finite number of available slots. What will happen is you will lose opportunities or only one of you will be able to interview. A really motivated recruiter may split the slot with you, but again its just more work, and your conveying the impression to the recruiter right away that your going to require accommodation to deal with your newborn.
The other challenges will essentially be fewer offers, availability and cost of child care vary by region and recruiters are going to see your newborn as a potential complication that makes you less attractive. Your nanny is late on X day so one of you has to miss your first period class, or your AT has to cover the homeroom by themselves. Then its you have to find a western pediatrician and its just more work and complications when there are plenty of baby-less teaching couples and singles. Not saying its all doom and gloom but if there is any way you an avoid the subject and announcement or complications of an infant it would be far better for your marketability and presentation.
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
PsyGuy,
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, we don't have the option to leave our baby at home with a babysitter. I'm not sure if we will be able to find a sitter in MA in such as short notice.
I didn't think that bringing a baby with you to the fair would have such a negative impact on your marketability but I see your point.
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, we don't have the option to leave our baby at home with a babysitter. I'm not sure if we will be able to find a sitter in MA in such as short notice.
I didn't think that bringing a baby with you to the fair would have such a negative impact on your marketability but I see your point.
Reply
@burthers
Bringing a baby isnt the problem, telling recruiters you have a newborn and need an accommodation just to interview that requires more of their very valuable time is a problem and signals of complications to come.
How would both of you do signup (which is where you get interviews) without both of you participating. Either one of you has to pitch the spouse, or you have to bring the baby, you get child care or you miss half the opportunities. You could do half and half but now you have to do everything in an hour and some lines might take 30 minutes.
It wont be a huge deal though the number of ISs with vacancies for both of you is likely going to be small.
Contact the hotel, the staff in concierge do this every year its not a really big deal but it is pricey. There are plenty of websites that you can hire child care through. You really only need a sitter for first day interviews, most interviews past that are more flexible and you arent really a priority candidate if they wont give you a first day interview.
Bringing a baby isnt the problem, telling recruiters you have a newborn and need an accommodation just to interview that requires more of their very valuable time is a problem and signals of complications to come.
How would both of you do signup (which is where you get interviews) without both of you participating. Either one of you has to pitch the spouse, or you have to bring the baby, you get child care or you miss half the opportunities. You could do half and half but now you have to do everything in an hour and some lines might take 30 minutes.
It wont be a huge deal though the number of ISs with vacancies for both of you is likely going to be small.
Contact the hotel, the staff in concierge do this every year its not a really big deal but it is pricey. There are plenty of websites that you can hire child care through. You really only need a sitter for first day interviews, most interviews past that are more flexible and you arent really a priority candidate if they wont give you a first day interview.
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
Job fairs are exhausting and stressful without a baby. With a baby....
One option is to bring a babysitter with you, so you have full-time help during the fair. I've seen grandparents and aunties thrilled to take on this role, or you can bring your babysitter/nanny from home. Lots of extra expense, but worth it. (As a last resort, you can also arrange a babysitter from the hotel, but from experience this is very hit and miss and generally you just get an off-duty maid who is happy to order room service on your dime. If you know anyone in the city, you could try asking them to recommend a responsible high school student, or loan your their nanny?)
One thing not mentioned yet is the question of how you would go to interview sign-up. That event really needs both of you working the room, for a couple hours, without a Baby Bjorn distracting from your purpose. Not to mention that the jostling and jockeying for position in that room are absolutely not a good place for a baby, from the points of view of safety and baby happiness.
Hiring fairs are one of the most important things you will do professionally. Recruiters will be looking at everything you do, how you present yourself, and drawing conclusions. If you can't attend an interview because of your baby, that leaves open questions about how you will prioritize other professional situations. As a person with a heart and a parent myself, I work with my teachers to ensure they can balance work and family. But as a professional, I also know that for certain days and events I have to put work first. Recruiting is one of those events.
One option is to bring a babysitter with you, so you have full-time help during the fair. I've seen grandparents and aunties thrilled to take on this role, or you can bring your babysitter/nanny from home. Lots of extra expense, but worth it. (As a last resort, you can also arrange a babysitter from the hotel, but from experience this is very hit and miss and generally you just get an off-duty maid who is happy to order room service on your dime. If you know anyone in the city, you could try asking them to recommend a responsible high school student, or loan your their nanny?)
One thing not mentioned yet is the question of how you would go to interview sign-up. That event really needs both of you working the room, for a couple hours, without a Baby Bjorn distracting from your purpose. Not to mention that the jostling and jockeying for position in that room are absolutely not a good place for a baby, from the points of view of safety and baby happiness.
Hiring fairs are one of the most important things you will do professionally. Recruiters will be looking at everything you do, how you present yourself, and drawing conclusions. If you can't attend an interview because of your baby, that leaves open questions about how you will prioritize other professional situations. As a person with a heart and a parent myself, I work with my teachers to ensure they can balance work and family. But as a professional, I also know that for certain days and events I have to put work first. Recruiting is one of those events.
Comment
You can try sites like www.care.com
You dont want recruiters seeing you juggle baby, and you dont want to advertise that complication. Most ITs are very indistinct from one another and the ITs at BOS are a subset of that, in most situations the determination of who gets the offer and everyone else is who the recruiter likes better or who is the logistically easiest hire, and some other very trivial factors that wouldnt otherwise be important but in a small pond where everyone is pretty much the same they matter.
You dont want recruiters seeing you juggle baby, and you dont want to advertise that complication. Most ITs are very indistinct from one another and the ITs at BOS are a subset of that, in most situations the determination of who gets the offer and everyone else is who the recruiter likes better or who is the logistically easiest hire, and some other very trivial factors that wouldnt otherwise be important but in a small pond where everyone is pretty much the same they matter.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
Agree with both PG and Sid. Not to sound too harsh, but if you can't handle a fair with a baby, what about real work in a foreign country? That's the question you will be leaving in recruiters' miinds, especially as they will value ingenuity and flexibility. So bring along little sister, auntie, gramma, grampa, to fill the space. Spring for two queen beds and a crib, and suck it up for four days.
The only objective of going to a fair is getting a job. Having only one of you unavailable at any time is like going to shoot a free throw with one hand tied behind your back. You can try, and you might even sink it, but...
Tough decision. Good luck and good luck at the fair!
The only objective of going to a fair is getting a job. Having only one of you unavailable at any time is like going to shoot a free throw with one hand tied behind your back. You can try, and you might even sink it, but...
Tough decision. Good luck and good luck at the fair!
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
I would personally have a hard time concentrating on work if I left my baby with a concierge sitting service--I would be worried and distracted. I know it's expensive to attend the fairs, but if you can, bring someone--a friend or relative--that you can trust. A young baby can be kept pretty close and you can check in on them easily and then really focus on the job search, knowing that your baby is in trusted hands.
If you read Shadowjack's review of his BKK fair experience, that is pretty typical of a "game on" teaching couple that is focused and prepared. I get that it's really hard to leave a baby that young behind, so I'd spring for the $$ and bring someone along if at all possible.
Good luck!
If you read Shadowjack's review of his BKK fair experience, that is pretty typical of a "game on" teaching couple that is focused and prepared. I get that it's really hard to leave a baby that young behind, so I'd spring for the $$ and bring someone along if at all possible.
Good luck!
Discussion
My position was based on the LWs statement they didnt have anyone at home they could leave the baby with and thus didnt have anyone they could reasonably bring with the.
The other issue is the cost. Its going to cost USD$1K to bring someone with basic travel costs, a little less if the four of them share one room. A reasonable and responsible sitter/nanny will cost about USD$250 on the high end beating the travel costs by at least 75%.
The other issue is the cost. Its going to cost USD$1K to bring someone with basic travel costs, a little less if the four of them share one room. A reasonable and responsible sitter/nanny will cost about USD$250 on the high end beating the travel costs by at least 75%.
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
I know how hard it is to leave your baby with someone while attending a job fair. That being said, if you're serious about getting a job overseas, you'll really need to do it. Please consider the fact that if you do go overseas, you're going to need to hire a nanny to stay with your baby while you're at work. If this is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, maybe you might want to wait a few years until your baby is preschool age.
That being said, when our child was around 5-6 months old, we brought her to the Bangkok fair. I researched several babysitting services, found one that was licensed and bonded and had several good reviews from expats and tourists. The company sent me a biography and photograph of the babysitter beforehand and I was able to discuss everything we required with them.
It worked out fine. The babysitter knew what she was doing. We were able to pop in between interviews to check in on our baby while also devoting our time and attention to the very exhausting business of working the fair.
I highly recommend doing this if you're serious about getting a job.
That being said, when our child was around 5-6 months old, we brought her to the Bangkok fair. I researched several babysitting services, found one that was licensed and bonded and had several good reviews from expats and tourists. The company sent me a biography and photograph of the babysitter beforehand and I was able to discuss everything we required with them.
It worked out fine. The babysitter knew what she was doing. We were able to pop in between interviews to check in on our baby while also devoting our time and attention to the very exhausting business of working the fair.
I highly recommend doing this if you're serious about getting a job.
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Attending a job fair with a baby
burthurs,
so how DID you solve the problem? And I hope that you landed great jobs in a place you want to be!
so how DID you solve the problem? And I hope that you landed great jobs in a place you want to be!