Has Winter Break Already Started?

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shawanda
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:47 pm

Has Winter Break Already Started?

Post by shawanda »

I have noticed a big drop in interview/outreach activity from schools in the last week. Not just to me, but to other teachers I am close to/work with. Are winter break festivities distracting admin this time of year and for those like me is it just a "to be continued" situation until school is back in January? I was hoping to finally get a contract before winter break, but seems not in the cards again this time around. Related, have any of you gotten offers between December 10 and December 25 before? And similarly, when do the heads start offering again in the new year? The second week or do they just wait until the fairs now that they've gotten this far? Good Lawd! I can't believe I may have to go to a fair again. I don't want to end up like Whitney in the bathtub at that fair hotel with no offer. :-( :-\
SofaKing
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:32 pm

Re: Has Winter Break Already Started?

Post by SofaKing »

I know that my school have collected a number of CVs but are basically holding off until after the break as they are going to job fairs around the world and expect to do most of their hiring there.
shadowjack
Posts: 2138
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am

Re: Has Winter Break Already Started?

Post by shadowjack »

shawanda, this is an incredibly busy time at international schools. They are trying to (a) wrap up before holiday matters, which might include exams); (b) firm and wrap up preparations for after holiday matters, which might or might not include exams; (c) get ready for peak recruiting, where windows narrow and candidates commit, which changes the pieces of the puzzle; (d) plan their own holidays; (e) plan budgets - by this time preliminaries have started with the Board finance committees so that staff can know budgeting for the coming school year; (f) deal with staff illness and issues at this time of year; and finally (g) everything else on their plate.

So yeah, it's not that contracts are not going, but the pace picks up dramatically in January. When Mrs Shadowjack and I recruited 3 years ago, we were applying in August through October, started interviews in October, and were done before Christmas. But we have the luxury of being a specialized couple - and even then we were turned down by some of the schools that seemed promising initially.

Don't panic, keep applying, and good luck!
MusicTravel30
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 8:52 am

Re: Has Winter Break Already Started?

Post by MusicTravel30 »

I got a job offer about a week ago Not in your Dec 10-Dec 25 range, but close. I accepted and go in just two weeks or so.

On the other hand, at another school and after my third interview, the person interviewing me told me they would recommend me to HR (HR was my first interview and they recommended me to the PYP coordinator, my second interview who recommended me to my third interview) and I never heard anything back. That was maybe two weeks ago. Well, a week ago I emailed HR asking if I was still under consideration and she said I would be hearing back from her shortly. Well, that was a week ago and I do not think a week is "shortly".

No bother, I still got a job offer.
PsyGuy
Posts: 10789
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

This Friday the 13th is pretty much the last day for ISs some ITs/Leaders will kick around until the 16th/17th but all the end of term housekeeping (as @SJ described) has varying priorities ahead of HR and leadership dont generally do HR very well to begin with.
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