Senior Associate Bill Turner and his wife, Search Executive Assistant Alison Turner, launched the first annual Search Dubai November Fair, November 22–23. Recruiters representing 38 schools met with 109 candidates to discuss 323 international teaching vacancies. Bill and Alison were grateful for the sizeable support team: Search Associates Chief Operating Officer Rajiv Bhat; Senior Associate Peter Smyth; Executive Assistant Roger Platt; and three Dubai-resident assistants, Savanna Smith, Maral Nouri, and Deena Mattar.
Search Dubai November Fair offers the perfect model of Search Associates’ (SEARCH) personal touch. The Associates there have led schools in the region and know intimately the needs and experiences of both candidates and recruiters alike. Not only do they carry fantastic local knowledge, they also stay up to date with annual school visits and annual attendance at regional conferences.
The event was held at the beautiful Deira International School—a British curriculum, International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma school in Festival City, Dubai. Non-local candidates and recruiters took advantage of the fantastic local facilities: a choice of three hotels, Holiday Inn, Intercon, and Crowne Plaza, along with the Festival City Mall—all situated on the banks of the famous Dubai Creek.
Both the Recruiters’ Welcome Reception and End-of-Fair Dinner took place in hotel venues overlooking the creek. Bill arranged a rota of buses to take attendees between the hotels and schools—just a five-minute trip, all very convenient.
Much to Bill’s delight, the post-fair survey provided extremely positive results, with 80% of candidates rating Fair Organisation as Excellent, 92% of the candidates rating the General Quality of Schools as Good to Excellent, and 100% of candidates saying that SEARCH provided enough information before the fair and enough support at the fair.
If you missed Search Dubai November, Search Dubai April—along with 10 other dynamic SEARCH job fairs—is just around the corner!
