A Few Helpful Hints

Timing is important. Start to plan your strategy in the autumn. Are you going to register with an agency? If so, which one? Remember, the screening process for registration takes time, so get in touch with them early. Before you commit yourself to that agency, make sure you are aware of the cost of registration, and any other costs like a "finders fee" for procuring you a placement. Which careers fairs do you hope to attend? Do you have copies of your resume and any written references ready to send out if needed. A large number of international posts are advertised shortly after Christmas, so be prepared for a flurry of activity at that time.

Where do you want to teach? If you have a specific city or country in mind, it might be worth your while finding out the names and addresses of any schools in that area. One place to look is the ECIS directory (you can either buy a copy from them, or you can view their on-line directory - see my WWW resources page for a link). You can then send speculative CVs and application letters to the administrators of those schools you are interested in. Also, clip adverts from schools which you would be interested in applying to in future years - if they don't have a vacancy this year, perhaps they may do next year.

Knowing where to look for job openings is also important. The International Educator and the Times Educational Supplement are probably the best known newspapers for carrying advertisements for international schools. However, some schools recruit only through agencies. Others will advertise in TIE, but interview at one of the job fairs. The important thing is to keep on looking for possible opportunities (Good Biblical principle here from Matthew ch.7 v.7).

Some schools will advertise locally at first. If you particularly want to work somewhere, and you have a local contact there, ask them to keep an eye open for advertisements in the local press (If anyone wants to know of job openings in the Bahamas, I regularly post up details of vacancies that appear in the newspapers here. See my Educational Vacancy Exchange pages for more details.

How flexible are you? What other subjects could you teach or would you be prepared to teach? Remember, many international schools are quite small, so a teacher who has expertise in a number of areas can be very useful to an administrator.

What experience have you had of teaching students from a variety of cultures? If you have taught in one of the UK's inner city schools, you might already have a wealth of useful experience of teaching students from a multitude of different ethnic backgrouds. Be prepared to give specific examples at interview.

When was the last time you re-wrote your resume (curriculum vitae)? Perhaps I should post mine up on the web to give you a few extra ideas to improve the layout of yours.

What does your application letter look like? Again, perhaps I should post some examples up for you to look at.

Before you send that letter, or go to that interview, do your homework. Read up as much as possible about the country you hope to teach in. Find some useful questions to ask at the interview to show that you have thought carefully about the implications of living and working in that culture.

Keep any correspondence you receive from schools in a file (even the rejection letters). You never know when it might come in useful.

Have you considered putting an advert of your own in the "Jobs Wanted" section of TIE or TES? I've no idea how successful these adverts are, but you never know.....

• Don't forget, it's an exhilarating feeling to sit down with the latest copy of TES or TIE with the thought "where in the world shall I apply to today?"

• Your stamp collection will never be the same again! A plea to school administrators: when you send out rejection letters, please affix some bright and colourful stamps to the envelope instead of putting it through the franking machine - at least that will bring some cheer to the life of the hapless recipient ;->

• Some schools have pretty impressive stationery - others use really cheap-looking stuff. I'm thinking of starting a league table. Any comments?

• Sometimes you will receive a letter from someone whose first language is apparently not English. Occasionally, you will receive an entire letter in a foreign language. Then, there will be the letter which refers to a non-existent enclosure, or which tells you that the vacancy didn't actually exist! Just tell yourself, "I didn't really want to work for somewhere as disorganised at that!"

• Remember, the administrator who writes back saying "we will keep your application on file for future reference" might actually mean what they say. It happened to me! That's why you keep a file marked "Rejection letters from around the World". Also, please take seriously any messages that appear on your answerphone on April 1st!

• The more important a piece of mail is, the more likely it will get lost or delayed somewhere. This is a fact of life which you may as well accept. It will cause you less heartache in the long run.

• The principal of a school halfway round the world will phone you at half past midnight when you need to get up early the next day for an interview elsewhere!

• Alternatitivley, the day after you sign your contract, you will receive a phone call from another principal offering you an interview.

Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of hints. If you can think of something I've missed, email me at dhellam@geocities.com.