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Welcome to Search Associates:
Nick Kendell Branch
August 2018
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Welcome to the beginning of the new recruiting year for 2018/2019 positions!
International school enrolments continue to grow and great teachers are in high demand around the world. August 16th marks the beginning of the Search Associates activation period for those teachers looking to make a change.
Re-registering teachers:
Log onto your dashboard to make a reactivation request.
From time to time there may be updates to the candidate profile forms. If you see any red tabs, please update as needed and take a moment to check the following:
- Date of availability (go to your dashboard and click "My Profile" to make changes).
- Experience (please include your most recent experience).
- Your most recent CV.
"Areas you are seeking." More recruiters will see your file
if you select interest in more regions of the world.
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If you have a teaching partner, your files both need to be ready. It is our policy that candidates who are part of a "teaching couple" activate together so that recruiters can see you both at the same time.
In order to comply with the International Child Protection Task Force's clear recommendations on best recruiting practices, we strongly encourage you to upload a background check (eg teacher registration card/document/police check) on your Search Associates profile (in the documents section) and any proof of teaching certification such as transcripts and certifications. This is not mandatory (at the moment), but will make your application more streamlined for recruiters.
Police Background Checks: (for those working and living outside of their country of origin)
These should be obtained from any country in which you have previously worked. Obtaining these checks after leaving a country is generally not possible; therefore, it is a good practice to obtain these prior to leaving the country where you are presently employed and continue to do so in countries where you will be employed in the future
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Expect your file to be moved to 'Active' status on August 16th,
if it is ready to go. Please check and update your file if required.
This is the time of year when international schools are starting a new school year. Many schools have unexpected openings or are still looking to fill positions.
Please follow the daily updates and contact all schools of interest.
Your profile takes around 30 - 40 minutes to complete. Receiving completed references usually take longer! Please be mindful of your supervisors schedule and ask for these ASAP.
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COBIS report on international teacher movement.
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Nick and Paula Kendell have been involved in
the world of international education for
25 years. In their time as overseas educators, they often wondered about the percentage of teachers who went on an adventure for an initial contract and returned home, compared to those who st
ayed in the same position overseas for a longer time and/or worked in other locations.
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A warm welcome to Deidre who officially joins our office this year.
Deidre brings a wealth of experience as an educator for students and adults, and as a former Head of Pre-School to Grade 12 International Schools, including -
- Director of the International School of Ulaanbataar (Mongolia),
- Superintendent of Cebu International School (Philippines) and
- Interim Head for Bali International School (Indonesia).
Deidre has lived and worked in various countries - Indonesia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Cambodia, Japan, Thailand, India, PR China, Hong Kong, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore etc
She regularly presents at conferences, and most of her work is with school leadership/management and Board training, including being one of the few selected IB workshop leaders world-wide who delivers the IB Leadership series for Heads/Senior Leaders of IB Schools.
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JOB FAIR INFORMATION
Every year Search Associates holds job fairs across the globe, to bring international school recruiters and candidates together.
These fairs account for approximately 40% of total Search placements. In a world where you can use the internet, Skype, and Search Associates' comprehensive website and database, you might ask yourself why you should attend a job fair. The answer: There is nothing comparable to the in-person opportunity to experience one of the 11 unique and exciting international job fairs hosted by Search Associates around the world!
Candidates need to be fully registered with Search Associates and ensure their file is up to date, before an invitation can be issued.
A check-mark next to the box "fairs I might be interested in", is NOT a request for an invitation.
Fair invitation requests can be made after August 16th. Please email Nick for information on which fair is best for you. He offers unbiased advice based on years of experience.
A request for an invitation may be declined if the fair organiser's criteria are not fulfilled, primarily so that teachers do not waste their time or money attending a fair, which may not suit their qualifications/circumstances or result in an interview.
Please be aware that the Singapore fair is only for teachers experienced with the IB curriculum.
Late applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Spring fairs (March) in Bangkok and London are open to any active teachers.
If you accept a place at the fair and cancel
within 2 weeks of the fair date, that will be considered as a fair attendance.
Please make sure to inform both the fair organiser and ourselves asap if you no longer need to attend a fair you have signed up for.
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When you register with Search Associates you are allocated an associate based on your locality or interest in a job fair.
As
sociates live in various locations and work with candidates across the globe. Nick Kendell lives in Australia and assists teachers world wide who are interested in attending either his Melbourne or Bangkok Fairs. He has experience teaching Australia, American, IB and British curriculums and schools. Nick is available anytime via email, or can Skype by appointment.
When you join Search Associates you access the following -
Registration for 3 years, or until you find a job internationally, with or without Search Associates.
Database access, giving information on over 700 International schools worldwide.
One invitation to a job fair. (Please be aware that there is a USD$75 charge for each subsequent fair attendance).
Support through the process. We are here to answer questions and offer advice where we can. We are unable to contact schools on your behalf, but certainly will put your name forward if schools ask us for recommendations.
Help with choosing the right school for you. If you are offered a position and are unsure - we can usually answer any questions you may have about the school. If we are not sure, we can contact one of the other associates for some first-hand information. Collectively the Search Associates have either worked in the schools on our database; know the administrators; have visited the schools or know their reputations. We rely on repeat business - so we try to make sure that the school is the right fit for you. We want you to be happy!
Advice if a school has contacted you and requested an interview. We are here to help.
Access to thoroughly screened schools. You have a much better chance of finding a quality school through a recruiting organisation, such as Search Associates. We have made it a company goal to only accept new schools that meet our high standards. Schools wishing to recruit through Search Associates must undergo a rigorous screening process that can take up to several weeks.
"We have turned down many schools that other recruiting agencies have accepted. It is not our goal to have the largest school database but to have a database that is filled with schools who will take care of our candidates, both personally and professionally."
- President Jessica Magagna
You receive daily updates
which allow you to find out what jobs are available for your particular area of expertise.
Schools can search for you.
Schools can look at your details online once you become fully registered and you in turn, are able to contact them through our system.
Lastly, but most importantly, you have the association with the Search Associates name which gives credibility to your applications. Recruiters know that you and your information have been thoroughly vetted.
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Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Application
It is our job to make sure your "profile" is as strong as it can be. If we see ways of improving your profile (i.e. better photo, more references, rewriting your bio notes) we will let you know.
As we begin this new recruiting season, please take a moment to make sure that your file is the best it can be.
Make sure EVERYTHING is
up to date
. Most important is your date of availability, your most recent
experience,
and having
two
current supervisors' references.
If you have a teaching partner who has not logged on for a month, their file will be automatically archived and recruiters will not be able to access their file. We cannot make one half of a teaching couple active until BOTH files are complete. Recruiters need to see both files at the same time so partners need to be activated together.
Your photo creates an immediate impression. Make sure it is a head and shoulders shot with a plain background in great lighting and wear professional work clothes.
Let us know if you are available for short-term placements and we will add your name and subject areas to our books. We often have schools write to us to ask for teachers to fill in with little notice.
Search Associates is committed to ensuring that candidates registered with us have been thoroughly evaluated not just for quality of teaching but for a background clear of actual or suspicious misbehaviour around children. Although we are not requiring candidates to provide copies (at the moment) of their background checks, certification, and college transcripts, we are STRONGLY encouraging candidates to upload these documents to their Search Associates candidate file on the "DOCUMENTS" tab. Candidates providing this information will be MORE competitive in the eyes of international schools. Details of the documents we are suggesting can be found on your "DOCUMENTS" tab on your candidate application. For overseas candidates we advise requesting a police clearance as soon as you know you will be leaving a country.
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Nick's Facebook group for active teachers
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Nick Kendell Office
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| Facebook Group · 34 members |
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| This group is actively maintained by Senior Associate Nick Kendell and his partner, Paula Kendell for Search Associates candidates and teachers intere... |
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Nick's Facebook group for teachers moving back home
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Nick Kendell Office
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| Facebook Group · 9 members |
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| For those who are moving home, finding a new job or picking up an old one, re-establishing relationships, adjusting to life back home, traveling again. |
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Thinking about trying something new next year? There are many exciting opportunities available around the world for adventurous teachers.
We can help you find a great job in an international school in a few different ways. You can:
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Free Information Seminars for teachers NEW to International Teaching!
- Melbourne : September 24th
- Brisbane : September 26th
- Sydney : October 3rd
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Finding A New Position At A Job Fair
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Job Fairs are a great way to meet many Principals and recruiters at the one time. The
Melbourne job fair is
held primarily to help Aussies and Kiwis to meet heads of international schools in person, each year from
4-7th January
. The InterContinental Hotel will host around 200 candidates and 50 schools from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America.
Candidates will be a combination of teachers who are experienced in their domestic school systems, (but new to international teaching), and experienced international educators. Last year 75% of candidates who attended the job fair were made offers. The Melbourne fair has always been renowned for its friendly atmosphere, and attention to the individual needs of both candidates and recruiters.
Teachers must be active Search Associates candidates to receive an invitation to the job fair.
An overview and introduction of the IB programmes is offered on Day 1 - specifically designed to provide information that may help with interview preparation, as well as presentations on each of the international schools attending the fair. Free tax advice is on hand from Lockton Education.
Sign-up to interview with schools that take your interest, and network at the hotel and cocktail party.
This is the earliest Search Associates fair of the year, so our attendees have the first opportunity to impress the schools and recruiters. Those candidates who receive invitations to this job fair are teachers who are passionate about their students and have a proven track record. Last year's fair had 645 positions on offer - great opportunities for the right person.
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Click here to see teachers discuss their experiences at the 2018 Melbourne Fair
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The Bangkok Fair, to be held at a new Venue in 2019 (the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park), is designed for experienced administrators and teachers from around the world (with or without IB experience) who are seeking positions in highly regarded international schools. As a fair early in the recruiting season, the Bangkok-January Fair favours strong teaching couples and singles without dependents. The numbers in attendance are expected to be about 600 candidates and 130 schools (most of which bring two or more recruiters).
The schools recruiting at this fair come from a wide variety of locations worldwide. Search Associates-registered candidates, of all nationalities and all standard specialist fields in schools, are welcome to request an invitation to attend the Bangkok-January Fair.
This Fair is quite competitive - please refer to your associate for advice to see if they think it will suit you.
Early registration is recommended.
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| Finding A New Position Using The Database |
SEARCHING FOR A POSITION:
The daily updates that you receive as an active candidate list all new positions as they arise. If you wish to apply for any of these positions you should email the specific school. Please be personal and address the principal of a large school or the director of a smaller school by name. Do not use, "To whom it may concern". The school email address will be listed in the school pages in the database.
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CV Guidance
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CV's for international schools should be short, concise and easy to read.
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Interview Tips
Some people have never interviewed for a job before, whilst others come across as super-confident and seem to enjoy talking about themselves to an audience. Wherever you are on this job-seeking spectrum, we have put together a few things to consider before attending an interview for an international school position.
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Skype Interviews- 15 Tips To Get Ready
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You may have been Skyping friends and family for years, especially if you have been living overseas for a while. Or you may barely know how to log on! The main thing is to get up to speed with the whole process BEFORE you're under pressure to interview as well.
Embrace this technology because it will make communicating overseas a whole lot easier.
Before your interview -
1. Write down everything you want to say. Skype and phone interviews afford you a great opportunity to have a few "cheat notes." This includes highlights of your career, teaching philosophy, the difference that you have made to kids' lives, etc. Then try to weave this into the conversation. As you do this, make sure you tick it off your list. Also, have some information about the school and have some questions to ask, whether they be about the country, the timetabling of your subject, or whatever else are big picture items.
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References - Q and A
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What is in a reference?
Your supervisors need to spend about 15 minutes listing responses to questions such as -
- How long you worked together
- Strengths/concerns.
- Professionalism
- Teaching effectiveness
- School relationships
- Personal qualities
These responses are then added to your profile for recruiters to access. (See example below).
How many do I need as a teacher?
Although we request 5 online confidential references, we will accept a minimum of 4 as long as three are professional references submitted on either our Teaching Reference forms.
Search Associates reserves the right to ask for additional references, beyond what is required, if we feel it is necessary.
Why do you need to verify references if they are written from a generic email address?
We can't know if your references are legitimate if they come from a gmail/yahoo etc. address, so we need to follow these references up, which may take some time.
We understand that there might be circumstances in which a supervisor needs to use their personal e-mail address (retired, changing schools, etc.).
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Review of the international school year
Interested in a brief overview of the
2017-2018 academic year for the international schools market, from ISC Research?
T
he 2017-2018 academic year for the international schools market has remained buoyant with three sub-regions finishing the year looking particularly strong for new school development. Globally, the market continues to strengthen, responding well to challenges and addressing some crucial needs.
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"You may be asking yourself the question, why use Search Associates and how can Nick Kendell help? Our answer would be, why wouldn't you? Nick has been such a friendly and amazing associate to work with over the past few months. He has been a positive force behind us securing amazing positions in a fabulous international school. From the first moment of meeting Nick, we were confident that he knew what he was doing. He has the experience and knows the international school scene very well. What has impressed us the most is his regular and open communication where he is always ready to answer questions, support and be optimistic. We would definitely love to work with Nick again and we wouldn't hesitate in recommending him!"
- Michelle and Robert
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Spanning the Globe with a Personal Touch - 20 Offices Worldwide
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