The Bangkok Administrative Recruitment Fair...

The fair began on Tuesday morning with check-in. The Search Associates staff was very friendly and provided a nice orientation to the process at the check-in table. They guided Peter to the mail boxes for the participating schools. At the job fair, both candidates and schools have mailboxes. These are essentially hanging file folders with the names of candidates and schools. It is customary to make initial contact with schools you are interested in by dropping off your materials in the their boxes.

In addition, the staff showed Peter where the candidate lounge was located. In the lounge schools post their current vacancies and potential interview questions. The lounge has free WiFi and it is a place for candidates to hang out between interviews. The lounge had an interesting culture. Everyone was very nice, however it was also apparent that many of us were competing for the same positions. There was considerable jockeying for position. Candidates generally exchanged questions to evaluate each others candidacy. Some candidates were friends and enjoyed conversation. As someone completely outside the system the lounge was somewhat intimidating, however it was a useful place to gain information even by just listening to other people talk.

The fair started with an orientation session. The information provided during the session was very useful and attendance at the session is a must for any fair goer. The presentation lasted 1 hour and it provided a sequence of events for the next three days. Essentially the schedule was a combination of school presentations and administrative advice/leadership training. Lunch was a networking opportunity and the candidates would be seated by the positions they sought. High school folks in one area, elementary in another, and central office in another. The schools with vacancies in specific areas would be seated in the same areas. The first day would be concluded with an interview sign-up session followed by another networking opportunity during a cocktail hour. The following day would be all interviews as scheduled during the interview sign-ups or via other methods such as boxes, email, or networking.

Peter initially felt very uncomfortable with the process. It was very "salesman" like. You need to schmooze with people and make small talk. You had to make sure you created opportunities to meet people. It was very strategic. Nothing like in the states where you blindly submit a resume and then go to a formal interview. This process was largely informal, especially during initial contact. In addition, Peter did not feel comfortable with his qualifications. He was confident in his resume and accomplishments when seeking stateside jobs, however without international experience he was unsure of how viable his candidacy would be.

Peter discovered that the recruiters want to get to know you before they decide if they want to interview you. He did the best he could and participated in all the networking sessions. He made sure to bump into people and make small talk. He tried to circulate the informal session and he often asked for guidance from experienced international educators. As the afternoon ended, Peter was not sure how well it went. It was definitely uncomfortable and he had second thoughts about if this was the right system for him. He now awaited the interview sign up session.

The interview sign-up session was frenzied. Everyone moving to make contact with the same schools. Peter made contact with schools from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and China. In addition, he had talks with a few European schools just to gather their opinions and solicit interest. He was pleased to find that he was able to arrange interviews with four of the five schools he contacted. Peter's schedule was set for the next day and he was at ease. This allowed him to enjoy the cocktail hour and informally interact. 

The best piece of advice he can give is go to the fair relaxed. Once the interviews were scheduled, Peter was able to let down and then the networking occur naturally. He was able to joke with some of the recruiters and candidates. They sought him out as well. After some initial trepidation and concern, the first day was enlightening and successful.

Avoiding the flood and traveling to a job fair...

What we discovered upto this point made the opportunity to go abroad look to good to be true.  Peter and Roberta felt it was time to take the next step in the journey and attend a recruitment fair.  Search Associates was holding their first annual Administrative Recruitment fair in Bangkok on the back of the EARCOS (East Asian Regional Council of Schools) Conference.  The event was advertised as the premier recruitment event and over 80 schools were scheduled to attend.  We decided that in order to gain first hand knowledge about international schools and to measure the viability of our candidacy that Peter would need to attend the fair.

Peter contacted Michael Williams and requested an invitation to attend the fair.  He responded very quickly and we made arrangements in August to attend the fair the first week of November.  As November approached the wet season in Thailand was the worst they had experienced in thirty years and there was a threat that Bangkok would be flooded.  Peter contacted Michael and he assured him that the fair would go on as scheduled.  He stated that international educators are adventurous people and the rainy season was something people in the region were used to.

We were monitoring the situation very closely the last week in October.  The floods had reached Bangkok, but we were assured that the city center was safe.  The EARCOS conference was canceled due to the flood so we thought that the fair may be canceled as well.  We checked with the airline to confirm Peter's flight and they stated it would not be canceled.  Michael sent all the candidates an email to assure us that the fair would be held, however he noted that since the conference was canceled many schools had decided not to attend.  He was working to confirm attendance of the remaining schools.

Internally Peter was having second thoughts about going.  He had never traveled to Asia before and the thought of flying into a natural disaster did not seem safe.  Roberta was far more encouraging.  She insisted that Michael would not put himself in harms way if it were not safe.  In addition, she felt that many of the candidates would also cancel allowing me more one-on-one time with the recruiters.

On Thursday before a Sunday departure, Michael confirmed that 23 schools would be in attendance. While this was down significantly from the 80 originally scheduled, 14 of the 23 schools were on our list of potential employers.  He also confirmed that it was indeed dry in Bangkok and that it was safe to travel. If it were not for Michael's continued communication and Roberta's encouragement, Peter probably would not have attended.  However knowing that things were safe and high interest schools would be present, Peter decided to attend.

As promised Peter's arrival in Bangkok went without worry.  The flights were on time and there was no sign of flooding at the airport.  The airport was clean, the people were friendly, and he was in a taxi within thirty minutes of landing.  As the taxi made its way to the city center there were signs of flooding as people had parked their cars on the raised express way and many building entrances were lined with sandbags.  However, the entire drive to the hotel Peter did not see one flooded area.

Peter arrived in Bangkok one day ahead of the fair to accommodate potential jet lag and prepare for the fair.  He made email contact with Michael Williams once he arrived and Michael responded immediately.  The day prior to the fair Peter arranged for a site seeing tour and some shopping.  In addition, he prepared his materials for the fair.  Search Associates had arranged for use of the business center.  Peter took advantage of this service to print his resume and prepare documents.  

Peter discovered his first snag in the international journey. When he opened his documents on the business center computer the formatting was not correct.  He discovered that the majority of the rest of the world uses A4 paper, not the traditional 8 1/2 x 11 that we use in the states.  The A4 paper significantly altered the presentation of his resume.  The important lesson learned is that either plan for the country you are visiting or print your materials prior to departure.  After some 45 minutes of format changes, the crisis was averted and the documents were ready.  The next day he would attend the fair.

Applying for International Jobs...

Applying for international jobs is similar to applying for state side positions.  However there are a few differences that may impact your job prospects.

First, it is important to place a picture on your resume/vitae.  Since much of the work is done virtually, potential employers like to know what you look like.  This may feel odd at first, but it is standard practice for international schools.

Second, make sure you have a good educational philosophy statement.  Many educators in the states have only written one as part of their certification program. In international education philosophy matters.  Make sure yours is honest and transparent so you can find the right fit.  If you are applying for a leadership position, make sure you have an articulated leadership style/philosophy.  This is equally important to an educational philosophy and you may be required to submit both.

Third, half the battle is about fit and networking.  Make sure you address your letter of interest to the key decision makers and that everything is personalize.  If you are attending a fair, make sure you contact the school in advance with your materials and see if you can arrange a meeting while at the fair.

Finally, be persistent.  Do not be offended if you feel well qualified and you get no response.  The system is a lot about fit and comfort.  If a school does not feel you fit, even if you are highly qualified and accomplished, you will not be contacted.

Search Associates...

We had a great experience with Search Associates so we felt compelled to share it.  In signing up with Search Associates, you receive unlimited access to their database and job information for three years.  In addition, you may attend one job fair annually.  these serves are all included for the application fee ($200 at the time we went through it).  If you want to attend an additional fair, it is a minimal cost ($50).  All travel expenses to the fair are absorbed by the candidate, however Search Associates does secure a discounted hotel rates within the hosting hotel.  We found the service and support to be excellent.

After submitting our application, we were contacted by our regional representative Michael Williams.  He introduced us to the search process and welcomed us to the company.  He provided us with his personal contact information so he could help if we had any questions.  He also gave us a quick tutorial on the webstie and things to look for as we did research.  


Search Associate representatives are assigned a region of the US.  Depending on where you live, you will be assigned a representative who will manage your search.  Since we were on the west coast Michael was assigned to use as we were in his territory.  In addition, each search representative also is assigned a region of the world.  The representatives work well together and get you any information about potential schools, even if your representative is not assigned to that region.

The research we did on the different agencies was accurate.  Search Associates is very personable, helpful, and encouraging.  They made us feel welcome and provided enough information to steer us in the right direction.

Factors we considered for a future placement...

Peter and Roberta had to think about what situation would be suitable for their family.  Making a full family move with young children can be intimidating and exhilarating at the same time.  Many factors have to be considered.  Here were the focal points of our conversations, in no particular order of importance.

1)  Safety - We agreed that safety had to be a primary consideration as we were traveling with young children.  We used the US State Department Website and the CIA World Factbook  as our guides.  This meant that countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and even some parts of Mexico were not viable options for our family.
2)  Quality of Life - We wanted to go to an area where we would have a somewhat similar quality of life in terms of public services (internet, water quality, transportation, etc.).  This eliminated many countries in Africa and some in Central and South America.
3)  Quality of Education - We wanted to go to a school where our kids would gain a premier education.  It was our desire for them to go to a high achieving, successful school. This was not such a limiting factor as most international schools are fairly high achieving.
4)  Language - We did not limit our search by the percentage of English spoken.  It was our desire to learn a new language.  However, what did matter to us was the power that language would give our children in the future. We felt that being able to speak Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese would provide strategic advantages to our children so we targeted countries that spoke those languages.
5)  Savings - The amount that could be saved was also a large consideration.  We had debt that we would be leaving in the states, had to account for retirement and college savings, as well as we wanted the move to place us in a position to be debt free by the end of our first job placement (roughly 3 years).

These rough guidelines allowed us to create a list of schools we would pursue.  The list was quite extensive and included over 120 schools in 60+ countries.  While not very limiting, the process allowed us to get on the same page in terms of expectations and what we felt would be good for our family.


We found this process to be very personal and the criteria we used were unique to our situation.  Others we talked to wanted a more rustic experience or the opportunity to work in an impoverished nation where they felt they would be making a difference for the locals.  Everyone's situation is different.  We share this only to emphasize that a thoughtful process is important especially when multiple people are involved.

General information discovered during our search...

Peter has to analytically evaluate everything he does and he decided that he needed to conduct a year of research before he would feel comfortable moving forward with a move abroad.  Since we had applied to Search Associates we now gained access to the database of positions and the international school profiles.  We were open to all of the continents and almost every option.  We had a lot of homework to do.  Here is a list of general trends we found during our search.

1)  You can not compare salaries between schools in different regions.  There are far to many economic variables to just simply compare salaries.  Things such as currency exchange rate, cost of living, if the school provides housing or does not, significantly impact the value of the salary.  Instead, Search Associates provides the amount of money that can be saved annually as a point of comparison.
2)  Not all international schools are expat schools.  There are many schools that hold US accreditation but serve predominately foreign national students. You have to research the student demographics to determine the school composition and make a decision about what type of experience you want.
3)  The ownership structure of international schools vary.  There are international schools which are not for profit and others that are privately held for profit.  The employment experience can differ greatly between the schools so it is important to know the ownership structure.
4)  The more geographically flexible you are the more likely you are to get a position.  We discovered that many educators desire western nations and as result placement in those nations is very competitive.  To enter the system you may want to be more flexible and then seek your "dream" placement during the second search.
5)  Turnover is not an indicator of instability at a school.  Many international educators live in a region for a short period of time and then move to another nation.  Turnover is not uncommon.  Lack of turnover may indicate an ideal situation, but large turnover does not illuminate a bad situation.

Other factors also played a part in our decision, however those will be provided in another post.

Identifying a placement agency...

Once we decided we wanted to pursue international education we conducted significant research on how to enter the international education system.  The initial data gathering provided us with two clear options.  First, we could pursue education in a Department of Defense (DoD) school.  This option would allow us to work predominantly with American military personnel and their children.  The second option was to pursue International schools that are largely private and serve expatriate families.  In our case we decided that we wanted to have an international experience and thus we focused on international expat schools and eliminated the DoD schools as an option.

In researching international school placement agencies, we discovered that two agencies do the majority of the placements:  Search Associates and International School Services (ISS).  These two agencies charge a placement fee for their service.  A third organization, the Council of International Schools, does placement without a fee, but they were not as responsive to my inquiries as the other two agencies.  

Since Peter was looking for a principal position, and Roberta was looking for a teaching position, our search criteria were quite unique.  We discussed our options with several people.  The consensus about the agencies was that for first time international job seekers, Search Associates would be a better fit because they are more welcoming and provide consultation/advice during the search.  All people said that the agencies are the same in regards to position announcements and the breadth of opportunities, but that ISS is more business like and targets the experienced international educator.

Based on this advice we started an application with Search Associates and began to investigate international schools.

Why did we pursue international education?

Roberta gets the credit for the initial inspiration to travel abroad and work in international schools.  While she was in graduate school she ran into her 5th grade teacher, Ms. Smith, at a local Chinese restaurant.  In their conversation, Ms. Smith shared that she had transitioned to working in international schools.  She had worked in China and Australia.  This conversation inspired Roberta to pursue international education.  She held the desire to educate internationally close to her heart and after several years of working in the US public school system, we both decided that we should pursue future international opportunities.

As with everything in life, many choices are dictated by timing and circumstance.  Our case was no different.  Many things were going on in our life personally and professionally that made us feel that time was right to transition abroad.  Peter held a position of principal of a school with 2,500 students for three years.  The work was all consuming and our entire family was invested in the school.  Although the school made significant progress under his leaderhship, there was a constant feeling of push-pull between all the stakeholders.  Some teachers were burned out.  The tenure system protected poor educators.  The responsibilities kept piling up.  Even though 99% of the things were going well, the 1% that did not was the most discussed. Each year more was added to Peter's plate and nothing was taken off.  Then the economic recession hit and the work became more consuming.  More pressure, less support, and more work!  Peter held a deep passion for education, but thought there had to be a better way than what he was currenlty experiencing.

Roberta was working at a high poverty, high needs middle school.  She found her teaching experience really rewarding and had a lot of success with her students.  She gained leadership positions in the school as department head and an instructional coach.  She often reflected that the students forced her to become a better teacher.  Roberta would often come home and share her success, but she also desired to do more.  There were so many skill gaps the students possessed and the system did not possess the same sense of urgency to build the students academic skills.  In addition, the work was draining.  She would often come home totally fatigued by the days events.  She was very successful yet she still felt that there was something else she could be doing to improve education.  

The thing that created the final push to move abroad were our children.  After researching international schools, it was clear that we could provide our children with amazing educational and cultural opportunities if we made the move.  International schools rival the most prestigious private schools in the US in academic performance.  They provide a rich education that includes opportunities to study music, art, language, as well as the traditional subjects.  The schools are filled with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.  In addition, living in another country would allow them to grow from daily experiences, learn an additional language, and gain a sensitivity for other people's perspectives.  People talk about globalization and how small the world has become.  We wanted our kids to be proud of their American heritage but view themselves as citizens of the world.  All combined, we felt the time was right to explore options outside of the US.

The first posts... Background knowledge.

Our firsts posts will provide background knowledge about the first year in our journey dating to June 2011. This is when we decided that we wanted to pursue international education. The posts will take you through our thought processes, experiences, and transition from the states. The posts will become live as soon as possible, but in order to follow our thought processes and key events, we felt it was best keep the blog in chronological order. We will post a message indicating when we are posting in real time. We will catch up as soon as possible.