Roller coaster is probably the best way to describe what the 2012 Boston International Recruiting Fair was like for me. There were twists and turns and a wide variety of characters who entered the scene. Maybe it was more like a very strange movie. By the time I was able to reflect it was Wednesday, February 8th, but the fair started for me on Monday. Things were winding down, so I was able to unwind my brain.
Offers were being made, people were either excited or heartbroken. According to some of the administrators who I had interviewed with there were tears, but not from me. While I didn't know what to expect going in to this experience, I developed a strategy pretty early on. One of the best pieces of advice I could possibly give is to do your homework. Like an athlete you need to train for this event. I took on the role of the interviewer for schools and not the other way around. I knew which schools I wanted to target, and I didn't waste time on schools I knew I didn't want.
The morning of the first day is very intimidating. It consists of waiting in line to enter a very large room lined with tables of school representatives ready to sign up only their top candidates for interviews. Yes, that's right, just because you have made it there doesn't mean you are guaranteed even one interview. I thought that it was first come, first served in terms of interview times. Schools chose who they wanted. They have access to a database ahead of time, and they choose their favorite candidates.
So there I was, waiting in line, talking to other nervous candidates. Some were older couples looking for a place to retire, others were straight out of college looking for an adventure. Then there was me, ten years into my career looking for a change. My strategy was to start at the beginning of the alphabet and stop at all of the European schools. With each stop I had less than a minute to convince the administrator or director that they wanted to interview me for a position at their school. I had my speil down noting important experiences and training. It worked. I got every interview that I wanted. This was not the case for many I spoke to. There was one girl I spoke to who was hanging all of her hope on one interview. I had choices, and I was beginning to realize that I was among the lucky few.
I was also unprepared to find that each school and candidate has a "mailbox" where notes can be deposited. This can be anything from a school brochure, an invitation to interview, or a job offer. I was happy to see that my mailbox was consistently filled with notes, but I soon learned that this was not the norm. Experience, particularly with the IB is very important and can quickly place you at the top of any school's list. It is also helpful if you are willing to sponsor after school activities or sports. While this may be a thrilling new adventure for you, it is a business deal for the school.
The interviews took place in the hotel rooms of the administrators. This was another thing I was unprepared for. It was intimidating to say the least. Other than that, the interviews are just like any others. After the first one, everything became a blur. Interview after interview I tried to keep all of the information straight and process everything logically. It's not possible. I went back to my sister's apartment that night and tried to sort everything out. I had more interviews the next morning, and I knew offers would come. I had to be ready. The truth way, there was nothing I could have done to be ready. I had to go with my gut.
If they like you, they offer you a second interview. Sometimes that second interview is the same day. Then the tricky part really kicks in. Schools won't offer you a position unless they are pretty sure you are going to say yes. They may also put a time limit on your decision. Some of the best advice I got was from a school director I interviewed with. She told me that I shouldn't feel pressured and that I should play my cards close to my chest. Doing that, I was able to see which schools were desperate and which schools were more confident. This whole experience is something like a chess match with rules that can change on the fly. You have to be flexible and poised at all times; it was quite a ride. After weighing my offers and possibilities, I went with what felt like the right decision. I was moving to Amsterdam.
After talking to many other fellow teachers after arriving at my new home in Amsterdam, I quickly realized that my experience was the norm. So if you are truly ready to change your life completely in the period of a couple days, take the plunge and experience an international teaching job fair.
Lessons Learned:
1. Do your homework: make a prioritized list of schools you are interested in, and contact them prior to the fair.
2. Be ready to make life altering decisions at the blink of an eye.
3. Have someone on call to run decisions by before you commit to anything.
4. Sometimes things don't work out the way you expect, no matter how much planning you have done.
5. The international community is a small one.
No comments:
Post a Comment