The International Schools Review Forum

Is it just me or is it eerily quiet this October compared to previous recruiting seasons? Why would this be the case?

It seems pretty active from my perspective. Lots of jobs posted already, so just transferred from an August 2021 start date to an August 2022 start, so some schools clearly giving up on filling positions this year and just limping along to next.

Economic and pandemic-related uncertainty means enrollment numbers are up in the air. In some countries, visa rules keep changing, which means problems for enrollment and for welcoming new hires. There are lots of good candidates looking for jobs, so it is less advantageous for schools to hire early. Breaking contracts is less taboo, so when schools do hire early it is still a gamble for all involved.

Pandemic mostly, so much is still volatile. ISs are trying to cover as many options as possible but they arent going to be pulling the trigger just yet in most cases as we are barely moving into the peak recruiting push. There just isnt anything to get excited about from the ISs perspective if they dont know what they can do and what they really are going to need.

Does anyone expect for the job market (from the teachers’ perspective) to worsen in 2023-24 school year compared to the upcoming school year?
Of course it’s hard to predict the pandemic situation, but from the worsening situation between the West and China.
Some of my colleagues are trying to decide whether to accept financial incentives from their schools early on and to commit to one more year or to try and go somewhere else while they can.
They also think that it’s awfully quiet this year. I’m not experienced enough to know.

I predict it’ll be a mess for at least a couple years. Countries and schools are on disparate timelines for recovery and consolidation. Quiet in one place will be balanced with crazy in another.

I expect the IE recruiting field to be substantially better in 23-24.

Quiet is a relative term. If you teach AP/IB Math or Physics, there is a ton jobs and you can easily afford the risk of moving to another country. Even if you hate your new job, you can start looking in the following year without having to worry about job security. Not so much for humanities and other subjects. It's just the state of affairs.

Agree with all of the above--it REALLY depends. There seems to be some serious consolidation in many places. I think most schools saw numbers fluctuate wildly from patterns as people were less likely to move on to the next posting last year. Just like many international teachers, many international workers decided to return home or were recalled--and as things went digital, I think the demand for moving overseas may temporarily shrink. Travel restrictions made people realise the value of being close to home. So yes, I think the field will shrink slightly. It will take a few years--I am thinking four or more--to really rebound to pre-Covid demand for ITs globally.

In terms of movement within those already in IT, I think it is going to also take a few years to settle. Last year people wanted to stay put because of the uncertainty. There was probably less movement over this past summer than in previous years. As things loosen, those who had itchy feet but were hunkering down may want to start moving--but of course there has to be somewhere for them to go.

What I wonder most is how the timeline of recruiting will change. The creep of getting earlier and earlier was troubling in my view. There seems to be a push from some schools to start earlier and earlier--but is this sustainable? And if the trend becomes that you line up your position a full year before moving--say the summer/early fall of the year before you move--will that make people in good schools gun shy? And when new leadership comes in, how hard will it be for them to make decisions on who stays or goes--and how will that impact their ability to attract and retain good staff? Will the timeline spread out regionally? Or could it consolidate back to the Jan-Mar window that used to be the norm? Obviously, visa processes will play a role here.

And of course there are the pockets of lots of movement that can create opportunities for some teachers to move into schools where they might not have formerly been considered, which might have a trickle down effect years down the line ("Oh, you taught at X?"--even if the teacher was awful at X and they were just grateful to have a warm body, they are now competitive on paper).

Anyway, not really a clear answer. Just some musings.

What's your point, TP? Teachers and schools are the most resistant groups to change. In a year or two, they will go back to their old ways. Even administrators are dinosaurs and they don't learn any new skills on the job, but still use the same old bag of tricks and play the same politics. K-12 education isn't tech or the valley, where you either evolve or perish. It's an obsolete model that just gets by using arts and sport as a shimmering screensaver. Academic rigour is an after-thought for most of these folks.

it’s interesting to observe what’s happening with several schools where some of my friends work in Asian countries that went on a serious lockdown. A couple of schools are asking their teachers to renew contracts now (mid October).
I’m just wondering how in the world these schools are not even considering that this may encourage contract breaking when the teachers see much better opportunities during the peak season.

Concur with @fine dude.
Creep only effects early recruiting and notice of intent timing. Regular, Peak, and Spring recruiting have remained the norm and will continue to do so.

Thats panic. The crystal ball isnt working and they rationalize that doing something is better than doing nothing, even if the something has potentially negative consequences.
Their strategy is hope. Hope that ITs that renew this early wont jeopardize their reference for a better appointment that they could ghost and explain away as pandemic.

Like I said, it was mostly musings--but I guess the takeaway is that the answer is "it depends." I fully agree about teaching and admin being reactive and the whole system being an obsolete model, though that was never anything I addressed or about the topic of recruiting peaks and valleys. I was more musing on the "quiet" being about the shifts in the timeline. I do think, however, that it will take a few more years to "normalise"--whether that's the old model or something different.