Gary and Sally

Here I will be posting a description of a typical job fair.

After being accepted to attend a fair you usually get access to a database of schools which have jobs and will be attending the fairs. This varies from one organisation to another, they are usually very good and give you the necessary info.

On arrival at the job fair there is the obligatory registration where you inform the organisers you have arrived and they give you a pack with all the details about the next few days – and a badge to show who you are, where you are currently teaching etc. On the first day there is usually a talk to candidates about how the fair is run and where things are located.

Normally there is a candidates lounge – a room with an area where you can receive and leave messages. this varies from fair to fair, but there is usually a folder with your name on it and any recruiters who would like to contact you will drop you a note. There is also an equivalent version so that you can leave a message for a school you are interested in.

Day 1 : On the first real day of the fair, there is “the signup session” – this is when you are given the opportunity to approach schools and ask for an interview. This again is set up in a pretty standard way – a large conference room, with the recruiters set out in alphabetical order. They have a large sign behind them saying which vacancies are available at their school, and if you see that tehre is a vacancy you are interested in and the school interests you, then ou can approach them (and queue up if necessary), to ask for an interview. Some schools might want specific things eg IBDP experience, they are looking for couples etc and may say no to an interview straightaway.

You have a sheet where you note what interviews you have made and sometimes the organisers of the fair will ask for a copy of this. In the afternoons there are also presentations by each school, both about their school and the country it is located in . These vary greatly and are worth attending if you are seriously interested in the school.

During the afternoon, the school will have interviews in their hotel rooms – it is all a bit surreal, but the recruiters carry out the interviews in their rooms (this is normal procedure!) At the end of this day the schools will then look at the candidates they have interviewed (and if you are one of them) then they will either invite you for a second interview – the next day – or drop a note in your folder to say that they no longer wish to continue seeing you. In some cases – and this has happened to us – some schools will show a lot of interest in you at interview, and be very enthusiastic, but then not inform you either way. It is quite depressing when this happens, but most schools are professional and will let you down easy instead of just ignoring you.

There is often the “shmoosh” – an informal drink in the evening with recruiters and candidates. I feel it is very important to go to this and network – with other candidates as well as recruiters. It can give you the chance to ask a few informal questions of recruiters of a school you are contemplating, and you might even meet a candidate from that school, or who has worked there.

Day 2 : This is the callback day – the recruiters will hopefully have narrowed the field and you will still be in the running. If you are lucky, you will have a second interview. After a second interview one of two things will happen, either the school will offer you the position or they will say that they will get back to you later. If they say the second thing, ask them to give you a definite date. If you are offered a contract, then you sign a preliminary document which is a legally binding agreement to inform the fair organisers that you have accepted a position. Later, when the recruiters return to their schools and countries, they will send you the proper contract to sign.

I describe a job fair as “an emotional roller coaster” as you go from the depths of despair to the heights of elation, usually in the space of a few minutes.

When you return to your country of work or residence you will probably then need to start the visa application as each country has different requirements. The school you are going to should give you advice on this.