The teacher recruitment season for international schools reaches its peak this month.
Frenzy might be a better word.
Despite the huge advances in telecommunications and the ease of reaching people these days ~~ most recruiters still want to eyeball candidates ~~ or press the flesh as it were.
Organized, professionally run recruitment fairs are the best and most practical way of interviewing and hiring candidates. Fairs now occur from December to June ~~ from Australia to Canada~~ with about 25 stops along the way. Take your pick of 1 ... or 3 ... or 5 ... or... it's not so easy these days.
Let’s do some simple math. No one knows the real numbers (including me who did this for a long time) but here is a guess:
Take 500 international schools seeking new or replacement teachers. Take 8 vacancies on average per school or 500 x 8 = 4,000 placements. That’s big business.
It also makes for big competition.
In the old days it was a gentleman’s game. Recruiters interviewed candidates Friday – Sunday. Reference checking phone calls were made Monday – Wednesday. Offers were made. Candidates were given a week to consider and weigh their options. It was all very decent, civil and orderly.
The scene now:
Hi ~ I’m Ken from Kuwait. Here’s your contract!
Good day ~ I’m Nigel from Norway. Here’s your airline ticket!
Cheers ~ I’m Carla from Chile. Here’s your apartment key!
One of the underlying principles of sound recruitment is “finding the right match” between the candidate and the school … and doing this takes time. Of course, when your competition is scooping up the field it is difficult if not downright impossible to play the gentleman’s game. It’s a fascinating process.
But more on this topic later.
Frenzy might be a better word.
Despite the huge advances in telecommunications and the ease of reaching people these days ~~ most recruiters still want to eyeball candidates ~~ or press the flesh as it were.
Organized, professionally run recruitment fairs are the best and most practical way of interviewing and hiring candidates. Fairs now occur from December to June ~~ from Australia to Canada~~ with about 25 stops along the way. Take your pick of 1 ... or 3 ... or 5 ... or... it's not so easy these days.
Let’s do some simple math. No one knows the real numbers (including me who did this for a long time) but here is a guess:
Take 500 international schools seeking new or replacement teachers. Take 8 vacancies on average per school or 500 x 8 = 4,000 placements. That’s big business.
It also makes for big competition.
In the old days it was a gentleman’s game. Recruiters interviewed candidates Friday – Sunday. Reference checking phone calls were made Monday – Wednesday. Offers were made. Candidates were given a week to consider and weigh their options. It was all very decent, civil and orderly.
The scene now:
Hi ~ I’m Ken from Kuwait. Here’s your contract!
Good day ~ I’m Nigel from Norway. Here’s your airline ticket!
Cheers ~ I’m Carla from Chile. Here’s your apartment key!
One of the underlying principles of sound recruitment is “finding the right match” between the candidate and the school … and doing this takes time. Of course, when your competition is scooping up the field it is difficult if not downright impossible to play the gentleman’s game. It’s a fascinating process.
But more on this topic later.
