Gary MacPhie brings over 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in international schools to his role as a Senior Associate. Gary started his teaching career in Toronto in 1982. During an Additional Qualification course at the University of Toronto he recalls a classmate chiming in with stories of the time he taught in Colombia and Israel. This piqued his interest, one thing led to another and a few years later he embarked on his adventure in the world of international teaching.
Gary took his first international teaching position at the Singapore American School in 1988. From there he moved to the Taipei American School and then started his administrative career at International School Moshi, Tanzania in 1999 (now called UWC East Africa). This followed with principalships at Qatar Academy in Doha, Elmwood School in Ottawa and ten years as the elementary principal at the American International School of Guangzhou, China.
Gary’s wife Barbara supports him in running the Search Canada office. She was Head of Admissions at the American International School of Guangzhou, and with her background in business, marketing and customer service, she assists with the administrative duties at Search. Together, they make a strong team well-suited to ensure the success of the Toronto Search Fair.
Gary and Barbara have two daughters, who were raised as Third Culture Kids. They were born in Taiwan and attended international schools in Tanzania, Doha, Ottawa and graduated from AIS Guangzhou. Their eldest daughter earned a volleyball scholarship at DePaul University, completed her MBA at Toronto Metropolitan University, and now works as a project manager. Their younger daughter just graduated with her Masters of Architecture at the University of Toronto. Gary’s family has certainly thrived overseas, and he is now sharing his passion for international teaching with other adventurous educators.
Gary joined Search Associates in 2017, and he and Barbara live in Stouffville, Ontario, just north of Toronto. After 29 years overseas, they are glad to be closer to their families and friends. Gary loves working with all candidates from Canada and around the world, building relationships and helping them achieve their dreams of teaching internationally.
MORE ways to learn about becoming an international educator:
Email: gmacphie@searchassociates.com
Barbara MacPhie, Executive Assistant
Barbara helps manage the day-to-day operations of the Search Associates Canada office. With her background in business, marketing and customer service, she is well suited to support Gary in organizing the Toronto Search Fair.
Barbara is from Vancouver, and has a Commerce degree from UBC, a business diploma from the University of Copenhagen, and a graduate diploma from Capilano University. Her first overseas post was with the Canadian High Commission in Singapore followed by a career with DHL in South East Asia. After taking time off to raise their daughters, Barbara returned to work as a Management Accountant at Qatar Foundation. In China, she worked as the Head of Admissions at the American International School of Guangzhou.
Together, Gary and Barbara's commitment to personalized service and their combined experiences in international schools make them an ideal team to ensure the success of the Toronto Search Fair and of Search Associates in Canada.
MORE ways to learn how to become an international educator:
Email: bmacphie@searchassociates.com
Ken Roy, Executive Assistant
Ken is an experienced international educator and administrator. His experience includes Teaching, Coaching, Athletic Director, Principal and Curriculum Coordinator. Ken has taught or administered in Africa, East Asia, SE Asia and South Asia along with his native State of New Hampshire. He has over 40 yrs of experience serving schools throughout the world. Ken is a graduate of Plymouth State University with undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees in education.
Email: kroy@searchassociates.com
REGISTRATION PROCESS
ARE YOU READY?
Make sure you (and your family) are ready for an overseas adventure and an international move! Talk to your parents, your friends, and your colleagues. Do your research (Google, Facebook forums etc), visit the Search website, read the Candidate FAQs. Join our Search Facebook Page to stay on top of important recruiting events and updates. Call or email us if you are wondering whether or not you would be a good candidate to teach overseas, or if you have any questions about what it’s like to live abroad and work at international schools.
SIGN UP FOR A SEARCH ACCOUNT
When you are ready, start your application here: https://www.searchassociates.com/Candidates/Get-Started.aspx
CREATE YOUR SEARCH PROFILE
Create your professional profile that will be seen by international recruiters. Work through the “tabs” – personal information teaching experience, position preferences, education, and bio. Upload your 2-page Resume/CV, copies of your degrees, teaching certificate and background check. If you have any questions or need help completing the application, just email us. Once your profile is complete, submit your application and we will review your application within 2-3 days.
REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL REFERENCES
If everything is in order, we will instruct you on how to request online confidential references (you need a minimum of 4). Track your references on your Search dashboard and once all your references have been submitted, we will carefully review your application again.
APPROVED!
Once your application is fully approved, only then will we send you payment instructions for the Search membership fee. The fee is US$225 (or Canadian $ equivalent), payable by e-transfer (Interac) or PayPal/credit card. Your Search registration fee is valid for 3 years or until you are placed overseas, whichever comes first.
ONCE YOU ARE AN “ACTIVE” CANDIDATE
- Access the Search database of 750+ top international schools
- Research and compare salary/benefit packages and hiring policies
- Receive daily email updates of all jobs posted world-wide
- START APPLYING FOR JOBS THROUGH THE DAILY EMAIL UPDATES OR VIA OUR DATABASE!
- Register for a Search Recruitment Fair – Virtual or In-Person
Be prepared to work hard at finding at viewing vacancies, researching schools, and applying for jobs. We send out monthly emails throughout the recruiting cycle, with job search tips and suggestions on how to ensure your Search profile is as competitive as possible. We are here to assist you with your job search – as much or as little as you want.
MORE ways to help you learn how to launch your international teaching career:
From Laos to Sydney, Phuket to Beijing. Join us as we take a look back at our adventures and memories! If you're interested in teaching overseas, contact us at gmacphie@searchassociates.com - your adventure awaits!
From Bangkok, Australia, Tanzania, Canada, China and Hong Kong - Join us as we take a look back at our family adventures and memories! If you're interested in teaching overseas, contact us at gmacphie@searchassociates.com - your adventure awaits!
"Thank you for all you do, I loved having access to the database during my search." Jaime S.
"We have been and continue to be very pleased with Search Associates and will continue to use this as our main Job Search Database in the future." Chad M.
"Working with Search Associates has been very worthwhile. Thanks." Kim B.
"Search and our Search Associate, Gary, has been great, and will use Search again in the future." Brett B .
"Thank-you, Gary and Barbara, for all your help. This was my first experience with Search after over 20 years of using (another agency). I will highly recommend Search to everyone. I appreciate the daily updates, the organizing of schools by country, and the concise info for each school. I am THRILLED with my new position. Thank-you!" Katrina L.
“Barb and Gary were wonderful hosts and organizers with a very adequate team to support all of our needs. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the fair to other North American-based teachers.” David B.
“This was the first fair that I have attended, and I was highly impressed by the professionalism, the support, and the quality of the schools represented at Search Toronto.” Leah D.
“As a person trying to break into the international school scene with a lot of education experience, the fair was very helpful and gave me a face-to-face opportunity to leverage my strengths that paper qualifications just can't match.” Andrea P.
"This is a great opportunity to meet potential employers early in the recruiting season. A well-run, tightly-focused, yet friendly recruitment fair in an exciting city!" Donna N.
"I loved the Fair! As a new teacher it was amazing to learn about the different schools and to meet their representatives." Madeline R.
